Speakers at an exhibition hosted by the National Association for the Blind-Karnataka (NABK) on Sunday spoke about the possibility of blind children and adults learning and teaching STEM subjects.
NABK had joined forces with Vividha Trust to organise the exhibition called ‘Curious Minds’ to celebrate the curiosity of children with blindness and special needs. “Curious Minds aims to demonstrate how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) can be taught and learnt by the visually challenged,” NABK’s honorary vice-president Srikant Rao said. Most educational institutions find it difficult to teach science and mathematics to visually impaired children. Therefore, these children are at a disadvantage when they complete their education.” NABK also hosted workshops for visually challenged children on model making. “It is satisfying to see visually challenged children actively learn and participate in the exhibition. It is important for society to encourage these children and show sensitivity in understanding their requirements,” said NABK’s Honorary Treasurer Venugopal.
Vividha Trust, which works for the overall development of visually challenged children, trains them to be admitted in mainstream schools for both their academics and social inclusion. Exempting visually challenged children to study STEM subjects remains an issue, although accessible materials are available for them to effectively learn the subjects. “It is important to use the right teaching aid,” Vividha Trust’s co-founder Shanthala said, urging people not to have a rigid mindset in providing STEM education to visually challenged children. The exhibition showcased experiments and exhibits from physics, biology, mathematics, astrophysics, and other science subjects. Shyamala, a participant at the exhibition, said her visually challenged son is keen on learning science. “He learns new experiments through tactile learning methods,” she said.
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