Look Ahead

Project Brief:
Project Type: Children with Disabilities (description)
Primary Focus: children with disabilities (description)

Secondary Focus: vocational training

Area: Urban
Supporting Chapter Contact: Chennai
Status: Proposal - Closed
Project Steward:
Project Partner(s):
Other Contacts:
Project Address: , E-639,,Vaishali Nagar,Jaipur,,
RAJASTHAN  302021
Tel: 91-141-2350196
Stewarding Chapter: Chennai
May 2004Salt Lake CityUSD 5165
Dec 2004Work an HourUSD 24000

Total = $29165

Part of Trigger Proposal submitted to WAH

Initially, the Look Ahead project will be set up at Jaipur, Rajasthan in partnership with Drishti Viklang Sangh (Association of Visually impaired). Asha will provide assistance in terms of equipment and software. Drishti Viklang Sangh will undertake the responsibility of conducting training sessions, hiring instructor(s) and other support staff and supervising the operations of this project. The Sangh will be responsible for overhead expenses. Asha volunteers will stand behind providing technical support if needed, helping to resolve glitches if any, and monitoring the success of the project. Based on reports obtained from Asha volunteers who will visit the project from time to time and other sources, Asha Focus will review the progress and do:

1. Supply more computers and other equipment to help the Sangh training center in Jaipur grow as needed
2. Set up similar projects in partnership with other organizations for the blind. The Look Ahead Project in Jaipur will be monitored for about a year, its accomplishments will be circulated to other organizations for the blind, as well as through the media for general public in order to create mass awareness how computers can serve as blessings for the blind in their day-to-day life as well as employment. Asha will also analyze the problems and glitches faced by the Sangh and suggest way and means to overcome them.

Once successful, the next year, 2004, Asha will set up 5 more projects in different parts of India. The number of projects sponsored by Asha will at least double every year, thus, by 2010 there will be 636 Look Ahead projects for the blind will be running in India. If each center trains 50 blind persons every year, we will have 31,800 blind individuals trained on computer every year since then.

In view of the magnitude of blind population in India, the efforts at this height are not only called for, but also imperative to make this disadvantaged section of society part of the mainstream. Currently there are approximately 13,000,000 blind people constituting over 1% of the total population of the country and highest number in the world.

Some of the objectives of the Look Ahead Project are:
1. To enhance computer literacy for blind and visually impaired person in India.
2. To make blind and visually challenged persons equipped with computer skills employable in the corporate as well as government settings.
3. To provide a model of computer training for the blind and its advantages and inspire other organizations working for the blind.
4. To achieve a target of training 30,000 blind persons on computer every year by 2010
5. To contribute to more productive and meaningful lives for the blind by promoting computer literacy
Dristhi Viklang Sangh has been working for the empowerment of visually challenged individuals since 1993. The founder and coordinator is Dinesh Kumar Gujar. He is an Information Technology Officer with Punjab National Bank. Himself blind, he personally supervises all activities of Drishti Viklang Sangh
Some of their previous projects include conducting typing courses for the visually impaired, seminars on PWD act, 1995 meant for disabled, advocacy group trainings and audit programmes for ensuring access to disabled at public places.