A group of children with varying degrees of visual impairment has taken the
first step towards digital literacy.
On Monday afternoon, at a multidisciplinary interactive art centre off EM Bypass, the students fiddled with cell phones and keyboards with remarkable ease, considering their visual impairment. They typed the English alphabet, numbers and even their names on the screen.
The programme at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity, on World Literacy Day, was the culmination of a two-month basic digital literacy training provided by an NGO.
Ten-year-old Rehan Molla sat with his phone in hand, his delicate fingers deftly handling the device. A soft voice from the device guided him with every touch, telling him which alphabet he had pressed.
Rehan came from Canning in South 24-Parganas, the gateway to the Sundarbans. In the past month and a half, Rehan has learnt the entire English alphabet, not by looking at a book, but by listening to his phone.
Rehan’s mother, Neezan Molla, 36, watched with pride. “I could not study because of money and facilities. My husband runs a rag-picking shop, and we barely earn ₹10,000 a month. But I want my children to study so that they are no less than others,” she said.
The tool that is opening up these opportunities is called Screen Reading Software in Android phones and VoiceOver on iPhone — an accessibility service that reads aloud text, describes on-screen actions, and helps visually impaired users navigate apps, type messages, and even browse the Internet. With headphones or external keyboards, children can also hear what they type, strengthening their reading and writing skills.
On Monday, 25 visually impaired children, aged between five and 16, from different districts came together to showcase their abilities. For several of them, this was the first time their parents had seen their children confidently engage with literacy.
Six-year-old twins Baisali and Baidurjya Das were among the participants, busily typing the alphabet on their phone screens. Their mother, Subhra Das, said: “They have started learning Braille in school, but I feel that if they want to progress, they must also be technologically independent. They are just at the basics now, but they are learning fast.”
Instructors regularly visit homes to guide children on how to use screen-reading software and other digital learning methods, ensuring that literacy is accessible in more ways than one, said the founder of the NGO that trained the children.
“The traditional method of learning is through Braille, but after a certain level, we have seen that we cannot carry it any further. Braille books are also not available in every subject. The world is moving forward digitally. Then why should the visually impaired children stay behind?” said Biswajit Ghosh, director and founder of Ek Kadam Aur Foundation.
He said digital literacy will help them be independent. “When these children grow up and sit for competitive exams, they can take the test without the help of a scribe,” said Ghosh, former principal of Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy in Narendrapur.
Additional reporting by Samarpita Banerjee