Educate a visually impaired child by Indian Association for the Blind

Educate a visually impaired child

Impact

Amudha did not believe that anything limited her.

Amudha’s story of strength and hope had an unbelievable start. When she was born, **her parents were disappointed to have had a girl. Since she was also visually impaired, they thought that she would become too much of a burden **and left her with her grandfather.

Amudha’s grandfather believed in her. He did not think that being a girl or being visually impaired determined her future. He motivated her to stay in school and to continue secondary education at The Indian Association for the Blind.

IAB gave Amudha the chance to learn the same syllabus as children across India. She completed class 12 with their help and went on to get a Bachelors and Masters degree in History, followed by a B.Ed from Stephens.

Today Amudha is a teacher in a government school in Tamil Nadu. She is a pillar of strength for her family and a source of inspiration for many around her. She motivates those who think that life is unfair by showing them how she could change her story with the right help.

READ MORE
Giveassured

By donating to this program

You will be sponsoring the benefits for different beneficiaries every month


About The Program

What the beneficiary gets
School Supplies
Special Education
Enabling Aid
What you get
Tax Exemption
Periodic Reports
Program Description

The Indian Association for the Blind is committed to empowering the visually challenged by providing them with the best possible education. IAB took its first step by setting up the IAB Higher Secondary School in 1992. The effort and commitment of the teachers have paid off with the school achieving almost 100% results in the class X and XII board exams since 1995.

The School follows the same syllabus as institutions for sighted children. It is only the method of instruction and mode of examination that varies with students writing their board exams with the help of scribes. The IAB Higher Secondary School started with just a handful of students. Today it is the only co-educational higher secondary school of its kind in Tamil Nadu with well-equipped classrooms, computer labs, libraries and a playground.

Donations made to this program support the cost of uniforms, shoes, braille material, and staff salaries.

... Read more

About The NGO

Indian Association for the Blind
Indian Association for the Blind Logo
Indian Association for the Blind

The Indian Association for the Blind (IAB) is popularly known as the temple for rehabilitation, that affirms its commitment to empower visually challenged people to practice self-reliance by providing comprehensive rehabilitation, education and employment opportunities to them.

Based at Madurai, their special focus on economically disadvantaged visually challenged children and adults has fostered education and rehabilitation to more than 11,000 visually challenged people.

With over 24 projects that enhance the quality and quantity of educational and employment opportunities, their activities have benefited 20% of the visually challenged population of Tamil Nadu.

The long list of awards that this association has been honored with includes the Millennium Award by All India Confederation for the Blind, New Delhi, CSR Award, IBN7 Super Idol Award and the National Award by the President of India. Providing assistance in education, career, and residence, the members of IAB are committed to raise the living standard of visually impaired people and help them travel the road to independence and self-reliance.

... Read more
founders
Founded in 1991
NGO Leadership

Roshan Fathima.M

areas of operation
Area of Operation
Area of Operation

Visually impaired | differently abled

location of work
Location of Work
Location of Work

Tamil Nadu

Indian Association for the Blind has

trained 250 underprivileged blind students in computer skills

awards
Awards And Recognitions
Awards And Recognitions

2013: Vocational Excellence Award

last audited
Last Audited
Periodic Compliance Checks by GiveIndia

Renewals FY 19-20

Program Updates

Program Updates

22 September, 2023

An update on the program you are supporting

#9

report image


Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

Total number of beneficiaries impacted was 65 out of which 40% were females, in Madurai


Challenges faced and next steps

We have conducted Braille competition program on Louie Braille Day. Several awareness programs were conducted for the welfare of students. This year We have enrolled nearly 25 new visually challenged children in our school and 40 old students were promoted to the next grade. Our students participated in and won many prizes in both curricular & co-curricular competitions.


Stories from the ground

Alphiya, a 14-year-old girl comes from a low socio-economic background and resides in the chawls of Ramanathapuram with her parents and siblings. Therefore, Alphiya is in desperate need of financial assistance to continue her studies and fulfill her dreams of breaking the cycle of poverty in her family. Alphiya is a vibrant and dedicated student. She possesses a compassionate and understanding nature, along with a keen interest in her studies. In addition to excelling academically, she actively participates in various extra-curricular activities such as speech and drama. Last year, Alphiya successfully completed her grade 10, achieving an impressive 80% overall and notably securing the first rank in the English subject. Currently, she has progressed to grade 11, determined to continue her educational journey.


5 December, 2022

Your supports educates a generation

#8

report image


Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

As schools started their physical classes, our students were happy returning. As it was long gap, it was little challenging for the teachers to get them on track. 65 students were getting benefitted through this program who are from the under privileged community of Madurai, Tamil Nadu. This program provides free education for the visually challenged children which is a dream for them. Surely Education can lift the entire family & community.


Challenges faced and next steps

Our vision is to make the visually challenged community self reliant by provide good education free of cost. In society, there is still a weaker community with lack of basic essentials and education. In some cases, due to lack of awareness on importance of education, even their parents keep the children at home, sending them for work, pursing early marriage etc. They are showing little hesitation to send their children to residential school. Our plan is to increase the beneficiaries count and reduce their medical related problems as much as we can.


Stories from the ground

Guna is a mischievous boy who lost his vision few years after his birth. He belongs to a lower middle class family. His parents are workers and they lead a very struggled life. They cannot afford money for his medical expenses which is very high. Special education is a far cry in that situation. He went to a nearby school but not regularly. After getting to know about IAB, he joined here and now he is regularly attending his classes. He is receiving a quality education, food and accommodation free of cost. His parents are happy too.


1 June, 2022

Changing their life by Education.

#7

report image


Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

Our major milestone this year was having visually challenged children learn through an online medium. All our students have been trained with the skill of operating smartphones. They can use them to continue their classes even in a COVID pandemic time. The majority of them are in and around Madurai. Through this project, nearly 80–90 students benefited. This program provides a standard special education for the underprivileged, visually challenged community.


Challenges faced and next steps

Identifying the children and creating awareness of the importance of education among the visually challenged community is challenging. During COVID, we initially faced a struggle with using virtual classes. Later, we worked and succeeded in that. We are to introduce soft skills training (spoken English, interpersonal skills, etc.) and some more extracurricular activities (Silambam, aerobatics, etc.) too. Our plan is to bring the visually challenged community on par with the sighted community in all perspectives. 


Stories from the ground

Hi, I am Dinesh. I am a visually challenged boy. I lost my vision after my birth. My parents are temporary workers whose income cannot be predicted. Taking care of the sighted children in this marginalised community is a very tough job, though I too was blind. The situation is becoming worse. They tried a lot to bring my vision back, but it never worked. I went to a nearby normal school for my elementary education. There, I faced a lot of struggles in learning. Then I left the school. Later, after learning about IAB's free education program, I got admission. Initially, it was very difficult for me to start my learning from the basics because of my break in my education. Homesickness is also paired with this. So I told my teachers to leave me alone. I was not interested in learning. Because of my strong-willed decision, my parents took me back to school. A week later, my class teacher called and counselled me and my parents about the importance of education. As a result of her tireless effort, I came to school with a strong determination to learn and achieve my dream. Now, I am performing well in my studies, and one day I will achieve my dream. I will make my parents and teachers proud. 


30 September, 2021

Your contribution helps them to purse the dream of Education.

#6

report image


Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

This project supports the socio-economic visually challenged students with standard education. Due to COVID, Physical classes were halted and moved to virtual classes. Different Meeting Rooms were created, and classes were conducted by our regular teachers from their residences and later from school. Both the teachers and students were given dedicated training on online training pedagogy. It was amazing to see that they raised our expectations and the online classes were almost as effective as the regular classes. The routine chores like assessments, improvement plans, separate coaching for the slow learners were all conducted through the audio bridge. Now they are comfortable and excel in online platforms. Nearly 75 visually challenged students were benefitted from this program. The majority of them are from the southern Tamil Nadu region. It's very happy & proud to see that visually challenged students on par with normal students are studying online.


Challenges faced and next steps

The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped at national borders. It has affected people regardless of nationality, level of education, income or gender. Education is no exception. During the pandemic, remote learning became a lifeline for education. The government has taken measures to help students learn at home. When it comes to visually challenged students education, it is quite hard to frame the pattern of virtual classes. We strived our best to ensure that there is minimal loss in imparting education to our students. Team of teachers worked on different applications & software in finding the best and many mocks have been conducted. Based on the outcomes, we conducted online classes through dedicated Audio Bridge subscribed through Tata Telecom. Access to the Internet is quite challenging today in certain areas. As Government has planned to open schools for Grade 9- 12 by Sep 1st. The mode of teaching is back to physical classes and students were back to school. Special care will be provided for the students who need it. Emphasis them by maintaining safe and social distancing, Frequent washing of hands etc by awareness audio /video.


Stories from the ground

Impact story from the ground: Hi, I am Anushya, daughter of a daily labourer studying in Grade 11. I have completed my Grade X with good marks. I feared that COVID Lockdowns and shutdown of schools will let me down from the path of my Educational Journey. But never. With the help of the Indian Association for the Blind (IAB), I am continuing my education online. Initially, I faced many struggles like Basic Mobile, inadequate Data plans. IAB has provided smartphones. My class teacher, helped by downloading Audio Bridge software to attend online classes, read books and submit my assignments. Study Materials are also provided to my home by my School.Received a lot of support for my education from the Indian Association for the Blind (IAB) through GiveIndia & their donors.


23 March, 2021

Educate a Child; Strength their future

#5

report image




This program supports us in providing the special education to the visually challenged children who belong to below poverty line.
Due to this COVID Crisis, physical classes are stopped and classes are being taken through online mode.
As this is a completely new approach in case of school students , they are much excited and enthusiastic in learning their classes. Visually challenged students have learnt more in field of technology by using Google Meet, Zoom Etc. With this technology bases education, Visually challenged students benefits a lot by recording their classes, hints rather than physical writing which saves their time.
We have arranged one to one weekly assessments to monitor their performance and additional sessions will be conducted for the needed ones.
They are preparing & submitting their assignments independently and attending their classes, exams promptly. From last week , Physical Classes for Grade XII & X has been started considering their board examinations. With respect to Government rule, offline classes for other grade will be soon started.



5 August, 2020

Thanks for educating us.

#4

report imagereport image


Thanks for educating us.




In this second quarter of academics, we have focused on examinations. Students were given special attention to their academics and preparation examinations.


As part of entertainment, we have celebrated school annual day programme and executed our excursion trip etc . Several competitions like eloquation, speech were conducted through
Elakkiya Mandram and interactive clubs.
Students have actively participated in sports day celebration. Events like March past, yoga, karate were took part in that occasion.


Year 2020 had started up in a pleasant takeoff and unfortunately COVID 19 has messing up it. Hope we all bang back with safe and healthy.



19 November, 2019

Children engaged in diverse activities

#3

report imagereport imagereport imagereport image


Children engaged in diverse activities







22 July, 2019

#2

report image



Program Update


We have mainly focused on technology based education like using smart classes. Students can record their lesson and retrieve it anytime anywhere . Now a days they are using smart phones as their learning aid.
Our Students have been honored by our Honorable Governor,Mr.Banwarilal Purohit for being the champions in state level Braille reading and writing tournament. Several day celebrations like white Cane day,International White Cane day were celebrated with several competions like essay writing, elocution, etc..
As treat for an eye , our students were taken to pettai Movie as an entertainment. Another feather on a cap – IAB students showcased their performance in Board examinations with 100% result. training on E-pub file creation, computer and android mobile is conducted .


Story from the field


Gurusamy belongs to a remote village in Tamilnadu. His parents are daily wages and the annual family income is less than INR 40000. He is born blind. He had to discontinue his studies due to his blindness and family’s financial status. But his dreams of serving his society never stopped him.
He studied at home by his friends and later his family came to knew about IAB. Initially, his parents refused to send gurusamy to residential school. IAB team members convinced them by creating awareness of the importance of education in life, especially for visually challenged students.
Occasional support and a few words of encouragement were all that was required for this miracle to happen.
Then he admitted in IAB. With the help of teachers and donors who covers his educational expenses, gurusamy excelled well in his studies and obtained a good percentage in Grade X. Now he feel s happy and build a confidence that he can achieve his dream and support his family.
Gurusamy can now speak English, and the confidence is amazing. He is not only self-reliant but supporting his siblings in studies as well.
Today, he is studying in class XI and he aspires to pursue a bachelor degree in social welfare studies.
Children like Gurusamy can safeguard their future if they get a second chance at life.


What is the expected total number of beneficiaries in this program for FY18-19?115
What is the number of beneficiaries/ benefits provided in this program, Year-To-Date110
Village/City/State where project is locatedMadurai
Total Budget for the project for FY18-191964400
Total Expenses for the project YTD2378281

30 October, 2018

Indian Association for the Blind's Update

#1

report image



Program Update


Several new initiatives has been implemented in the last 6 months. Increased the learning sessions of Computer class, Spoken English and Moral studies. Literature meetings, Motivational workshops have been conducted for the development of students. The educational visit had arranged to learn the theories effectively instead of memorizing. Special care is being given for slow learners. Students have cracked their quarterly examinations with good results. Day celebrations (Independence Day, Environmental Day) are celebrated by the way of creating awareness and realizing their responsibilities in today's world. We are planning to bring Visually challenged students as par with Normal students in all the floors (Education, Games, research etc..)


Story from the field


Master Sivaraj is a young and energetic boy belonging to very poor family. His eye sight keeps deteriorating day by day. Her parents are daily wages. Their family income is not up to the level. Though his educational expenses become a barrier for his father he never ready to give up sivaraj's education. Till last year sivaraj studied in nearby normal school. He cant able to perform well due to his sight problem and lack of braille knowledge. He struggles lot. After joining in IAB, he studied Braille language and got confident that he can achieve his dream. He is very happy and now he can able to read , study and write in Braille.


Expected total number of beneficiaries in this program for FY18-19120
Number of beneficiaries/ benefits provided in this program this year115

Related Programs
sponsor-vocational-training-to-a-differently-abled-person
Sponsor vocational training to a differently abled person by National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped
34.66 per month
help-a-differently-abled-child-go-to-school
Help a differently abled child go to school by Adarsh Charitable Trust
9.99 per month
educate-a-girl-child-in-an-integrated-environment
Educate a girl child in an integrated environment by Kidpower India
52.6 per month