Bengaluru City University will open an AI-enabled resource centre for blind and visually impaired students within a month, creating a dedicated facility for education, digital literacy, life skills and employment-oriented training. The centre will be established with support from Equibeeing Foundation at a cost of ₹80 lakh.
University vice-chancellor Prof. B. Ramesh told Prajavani that the Integrated Research and Resource Centre would support students with visual disabilities across colleges affiliated with the university. About 270 such students are currently enrolled in these colleges, and people from outside the university system will also be allowed to use the facility.
The centre is expected to provide training in practical skills such as crossing roads, shaving, combing hair and cooking, alongside skills required for employment. The stated objective is to reduce dependence on others in personal life while improving access to education, technology and work opportunities.
Equibeeing Foundation CEO Ananthalakshmi said the organisation was supporting the initiative to increase access to technology and higher education for blind people. She cited 2011 Census figures stating that India had 22 lakh blind people, about 50% of whom had not attended school, while the proportion pursuing higher education was about 5%.
The resource centre will initially accommodate at least 100 blind people, with plans to expand its capacity over time. The facility is expected to include computers, learning materials, Braille resources, a library and assistive gadgets. The foundation also plans to seek support from companies and provide training linked to employment in private organisations.
The university has also started a one-year diploma course in blind rehabilitation in association with the Karnataka branch of the National Association for the Blind. Fifteen students have already enrolled, while students who have passed pre-university education can still apply, according to the report.
The diploma course has been designed with the National School for the Blind and is intended to address the shortage of trained teachers in organisations serving blind people. Rajesh, CEO of the National Association for the Blind Karnataka, said more than 40 voluntary organisations working with blind people operate in Karnataka and could employ trained graduates as teachers in rehabilitation institutions and schools for the blind.
Students enrolled in the diploma course will receive scholarships from Samarthanam Trust, according to the university. The university and its partner organisations are expected to complete preparations for the resource centre before it begins operations next month.
