EDUCATION

Finding appropriate educational opportunities for visually impaired children can be quite a challenging task.

Should the child be enrolled in a special school, or an inclusive school? Where does one find an inclusive school? Are there any teachers with special training? These are questions that parents of visually impaired children struggle with.

Through this section we hope to assist you in the education of your child.

Is visual impairment a handicap in getting education from regular schools?

This is one question that is always being raised by both--the visually impaired as well as sighted persons. Sujata Parashar presents her take after talking to some visually impaired students studying in regular schools, and their parents.

Schools

Looking for an appropriate school for a visually impaired child?

• Special schools or inclusive education? Excerpts from Within Walls, Without Boundaries: A handbook of inclusive education for Educators, Administrators and Planners by Madhumita Puri and George Abraham
• View the list of special schools in India
• Integrated schools that are participating in National Association of the Blind's Integrated Education Programme.
• National Institute of Open Schooling

Here we provide details of some scholarships available in India. Some of these are exclusively awarded to visually impaired students.

• XRCVC-Tech Mahindra Foundation Scholarships 2009-10. Last date for applying is 31 August 2009.
  
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment provides national scholarships for students with disabilities.
• N.C.P.E.D.P., a cross-disability organisation, provides postgraduate scholarships.
• Anjali scholarships: ANJALI’s mission is to foster full participation and involvement of students with all types of disabilities in performing arts and make them economically independent through professional training.
• Graduate scholarship for rehabilitation research in Canada: The scholarship has been announced by the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute for graduate students with disabilities.
• Ed Roberts postdoctoral fellowship in disability studies: Announcement has been made for applications for postdoctoral program funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
• Government of Orissa scholarships: The Government of Orissa, provides scholarship to PWDs (People with disabilities), to take up studies in the general education, as well as to undergo technical and vocational training.
• Chevening scholarships: 2006 (The India Programme)Chevening is the UK government's flagship scholarship scheme. These are available to Indians to study in the UK. The academic session in the UK starts in September/October. These scholarships will support applicants proposing to start their courses in the academic session beginning September/October 2006.

Teaching Learning Material:

• Practical tips for teaching blind children: There are no defined rules on how to teach a blind student. As the popular saying goes, ‘necessity is the mother of all inventions’. However, one could follow certain tips to teach blind children.
• Where is the button? This is the title of a short story book developed to help visually impaired children learn concepts such as texture. This innovative methodology with pictorial depiction is the brain-child of Namita Jacob. The book is equally useful for visually impaired parents to teach their children.
• An introduction to tactile teaching aids: As inclusive education becomes more widespread, teachers must learn to include tactile teaching aids as part of their teaching strategy. It is known that lessons become more interactive, and inclusive, with the use of these teaching aids and appliances. Monika Sharma, Teacher: Integrated Education, National Association for the Blind, Delhi, describes how you can include these teaching aids.

Research Studies:

• What parents and children expect? A research study in the year 2003, conducted by CBR Network, Bangalore (in Chamrajnagar district), reveals the expectations of families and disabled children from Inclusive education.