The National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (Divyangjan) is located in Dehradun and falls under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Its primary focus is on educating and training visually impaired children. Over the years, the institute has successfully integrated these children into mainstream society and has seen them achieve impressive ranks in various examinations such as the CBSE Board and even civil services like UPSC.

Additionally, the institute conducts ongoing research to develop training programs for individuals with different disabilities, not limited to visual impairments. This broadens their scope of assistance beyond visually impaired children and adults. Furthermore, the institute aims to cultivate human resources capable of sharing their knowledge and helping others in different regions of the country.

 

The Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology at the institute, Dr. Surendra Dhalwal, explained that the institute was originally established by the British to assist soldiers who had lost their vision during the war. After India gained independence, the government transformed it into a national institute, focusing on research and training for all types of disabilities, particularly for visually impaired children.

Presently, the institute not only conducts research and training but also houses an intermediate level college affiliated with the CBSE board. This college provides education from primary to intermediate levels to visually impaired children from all over the country. The Vice Principal of the college, Amit Kumar Sharma, mentioned that there are currently 254 registered children across different classes. These children are selected at a young age through online applications and reside in the hostel within the college campus.

During the Covid pandemic, online education was introduced for the first time to ensure continuous learning for these children. Furthermore, in 2021, the students from this college achieved exceptional results in the CBSE board exams, earning the college an A+ category certificate from the CBSE board in recognition of their outstanding educational outcomes.

According to Vice-Principal Mr. Sharma, the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the CBSE Board curriculum will soon commence at the institute. Currently, visually impaired children are not only taught general subjects but also subjects like Information Technology. The proficiency displayed by these children in computer education is remarkable, making their visual impairment inconspicuous.

In addition to academic education, the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (Divyangjan) conducts skill development activities and houses the Central Braille Press. The institute is also responsible for producing special ballots used in General Elections. It provides training for B.Ed and D.Ed, enabling graduates to train visually impaired individuals nationwide. Research holds a significant position within the institute, which has even developed a special chess board for blind children.

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