Country's first online Braille library launched

The visually impaired students can now 'flip' through the pages of multilingual study books with the launch of the country's first online Braille library. Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Mukul Wasnik yesterday launched the library at an event organised by the National Institute for Visually Handicapped (NIVH) at the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped in suburban Bandra to commemorate the birth anniversary of Louis Braille. The library provides access to 12,000 books in 10 different languages in a user-friendly format. This will make education easier for persons with visual impairment, NIVH director Anuradha Mohit said. The online library is dedicated to students with visual impairment, pursuing higher education in numerous colleges and universities. By offering the accessible format, the library will cater to students in subjects ranging from Information Technology to Literature, Wasnik said, adding persons with visual impairment must benefit from this technological accessibility for information. The Srimad Bhagwat Maha Puraan and Holy Quran in Braille produced at Dugganji Braille Press at the city-based National Association for the Blind were also released by the minister on the occasion. The link to the online Braille library is: http://www.oblindia.org An exhibition of the technology and utility devices for the visually challenged at the venue, showcased gadgets like "picture-in-flash" device to print tactile diagram, a "talking" ATM, talking labeler, weighing scale, color recognizer, talking blood pressure meter and talking physiotherapy.