By turning the pages, and touching
and feeling its elements, children with visual impairment see the world in a
new light
A
three-year-old girl was on a bus in Chennai with her mother. When it pulled up
at a stop, someone outside called out “Mylapore poguma?” (Will this bus go
to Mylapore?) The girl instantly sat up straight. She asked her mother
excitedly, “Is he going to buy rubber bands, bindi, and hairclips there?
You get them in Mylapore. Can we go there, too?” Visually-impaired, her idea
about the markets of Mylapore was based entirely on a storybook she’d read. Her
mother recounted the incident to Namita Jacob, founder and director of Chetana
Charitable Trust, who brought out the book. To date, it is amongst the most
heart-warming feedback Chetana has received.
Chetana’s
library has 255 unique tactile books for children with print disabilities — who
cannot effectively read print because of a visual, physical, developmental,
cognitive, or learning disorder. The particular book that inspired the little
girl, had pages in which were stuck actual hairclips and rubber bands. Through
touch and feel, it lets a visually-impaired child understand what is sold in a
market. “The only way these children can experience a place,” feels Namita, “Is
by having an individual understanding of it.” If an aunt told the child about
her visit to the market, she will merely be hearing new words, without any idea
of what they actually are. “The elements in our books help build an internal
connection,” adds Namita.
The
USP of children’s books is their visual appeal. How does one translate this
quality for the benefit of a visually-challenged child? “Books for very young
children have fewer words and lots of pictures. If they were translated to
Braille, imagine how it would be with each page having a single word,” says
Namita. At Chetana, volunteers make books with elements stuck and stitched onto
the pages. But these are far from the touch-and-feel books in the market that
have just fur and fabric in them.
Explaining
storybooks’ effects on visually-impaired children, she says, “Getting them
hooked to reading expands their world, while revisiting these books improves
their command over language.”
This,
in turn, paves the way for their literacy. However, Braille school text books
are easily accessible. “Imagine if the first book a visually-impaired child is
given to read is a Braille text book,” says Namita. “How then will he/she
develop an interest in reading?”
The
Indian Association for the Blind in Madurai has an extensive library with
Braille and audio books. However, its collection also includes a wide range of
school and college text books. S Manjula, who is in-charge of the Braille
press, says that the library has Tamil novels by authors such as Sujatha and B
Jeyamohan, songs by Bharati, Shakespeare’s stories for children, folk tales,
among others.
“We
also bring out two magazines for people of all ages every month; Vizhi
Savaal that has poems, art work, and other contributions by
visually-impaired people and Braille Manjari, which is a selection of
articles from various newspapers and magazines.”
Mumbai-based
startup Cubs and Calves, that makes fabric-based ‘quiet books’, has launched a
new line of sensory books for children with visual difficulties and slow
learners. “These have noise-makers, squeezers, touch-and-feel fabric that is
crinkly, and those that have different textures,” explains Priya Ravishankar, founder.
She
also makes fabric books with mirrors in them, targeted at children with
problems in eye-sight.
“Parents
can read them with their children on a trip to the park, for instance. The
mirrors catch light and the child can interpret various colours through it,”
she adds. Cubs and Calves is also in the process of making Braille books. “We
will use buttons for the text to give an elevated feel,” says Priya.
Dr
Kalpana Narendran, paediatric ophthalmologist, Aravind Eye Hospital,
Coimbatore, acknowledges the dearth of storybooks for visually-impaired
children. “But they will make a world of difference in their lives,” she feels.
“Children will be able to feel and appreciate what’s around them. The earlier
they are exposed to books, the better.” From time to time, every child needs to
escape into a fictional world.
Reach out
Indian
Association for the Blind: theiab.org
Chetana
Charitable Trust: chetana.org.in
Cubs
and Calves: cubsandcalves.com
Source: THE HINDU-18th March,2019
