Asha Trust - Progressive Literature for Sightless (IASER)
Asha Trust - Progressive Literature for Sightless (IASER)
Project Brief: The Indian Association for the Special Education and Rehabilitation (IASER) is planning to start this project. Using a computer, a scanner and an OCR program, college level books will be scanned and made available through CDs to the blind students
Project Type: Children with Disabilities (description)
Primary Focus: creating resources (description)
Supporting Chapter Contact: Cleveland
Project Type: Children with Disabilities (description)
Primary Focus: creating resources (description)
Secondary Focus: other
Area: UrbanSupporting Chapter Contact:
Status: completed - requirements ended
Project Steward: Santanu Panda
Project Partner(s): Jagdish Chander
Other Contacts:
Project Address: , Indian Association for Special Education, Flat No. 404,,Pocket 4, Sector 2,Rohini,
Delhi 110085
Tel: +91-11-2766-2628.
Stewarding Chapter: Cleveland
Project Steward: Santanu Panda
Project Partner(s): Jagdish Chander
Other Contacts:
Project Address: , Indian Association for Special Education, Flat No. 404,,Pocket 4, Sector 2,Rohini,
Delhi 110085
Tel: +91-11-2766-2628.
Stewarding Chapter: Cleveland
The Modus of Operandi of the Project
Initially, it will be a project for three years and it can be enlarged as per the demand of the consumers and as per the need of the hour. It is proposed that during this period, attempts will be made to find indigenous funding so that a sense of involvement be developed even in the funding agencies based in India.
However, the plan is given hereunder for a year. To run such a project, one needs two computers and two scanners. It is estimated that one may need about a dozen books preferably the reference books or original writings. It is planned to provide reading material of about 72 books in the first year.
So far as the manpower is concerned, there is a plan of organizing this project in two shifts with a view of maximum output. Hence, there will be an involvement of four computer literate and academic oriented persons.
For such project one needs at least one big room which will initially be on rent.
It will be preferred that only those people will be enrolled as consumers who are conversant in English and either engaged in at least graduate studies or interested in such readings.
There is a plan of increasing this project gradually by including one computer every year and involving two computer literates for scanning and correction annually. By the third year, it will be a project having four computers and eight computer literates. At the same time, there will be an enhance in the output i.e., in the second year, at least 108 books will be scanned and corrected and by third year, its number will enhance up to 144 books.
Result Achieved
It is understood that in the course of three years, we could manage to provide around 325 books which are otherwise neither available nor is thought of being provided by anybody. If this project yields the desirable output, the Society is planning to open a reading room in which the interested readers may come and get the literature at their choice. We are not planning to distribute literature on Composite Discs as, due to its easy access, it could not get the desired value and majority of the persons fail to read the literature which they had taken with some enthusiasm. We are interested in quality and if this quality increases in numbers, there is nothing like that.
Initially, it will be a project for three years and it can be enlarged as per the demand of the consumers and as per the need of the hour. It is proposed that during this period, attempts will be made to find indigenous funding so that a sense of involvement be developed even in the funding agencies based in India.
However, the plan is given hereunder for a year. To run such a project, one needs two computers and two scanners. It is estimated that one may need about a dozen books preferably the reference books or original writings. It is planned to provide reading material of about 72 books in the first year.
So far as the manpower is concerned, there is a plan of organizing this project in two shifts with a view of maximum output. Hence, there will be an involvement of four computer literate and academic oriented persons.
For such project one needs at least one big room which will initially be on rent.
It will be preferred that only those people will be enrolled as consumers who are conversant in English and either engaged in at least graduate studies or interested in such readings.
There is a plan of increasing this project gradually by including one computer every year and involving two computer literates for scanning and correction annually. By the third year, it will be a project having four computers and eight computer literates. At the same time, there will be an enhance in the output i.e., in the second year, at least 108 books will be scanned and corrected and by third year, its number will enhance up to 144 books.
Result Achieved
It is understood that in the course of three years, we could manage to provide around 325 books which are otherwise neither available nor is thought of being provided by anybody. If this project yields the desirable output, the Society is planning to open a reading room in which the interested readers may come and get the literature at their choice. We are not planning to distribute literature on Composite Discs as, due to its easy access, it could not get the desired value and majority of the persons fail to read the literature which they had taken with some enthusiasm. We are interested in quality and if this quality increases in numbers, there is nothing like that.
Indian Association for the Special Education and Rehabilitation (IASER) was initially established by late Mr. Lal Advani an 83-year-old blind gentleman (who passed away last year) who is considered to be the father of rehabilitation services for the disabled in India.
Background of the two Asha volunteers who would be jointly supervising the project:
Ramesh Kumar Sarin is a visually impaired person in his 50s who has a long experience of working in the social sector, particularly in the blindness area for over 30 years. He is currently working for the Indian Airlines and has just earned his PHD from Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) in political science comparing the policies and programs for the blind in India and South Africa. In the mid 1990s, He took a break from his work for about 9 months to go on a pad yatra (non-stop walk) of 12 states to promote awareness regarding the education of blind children in India. He also holds world record of marathon Braille typing and has spent considerable amount of time in South Africa to examine the education system for the blind children in that country.
The other person, who is going to be involved in supervising this project, is Jagdish (Jags) chander. Jagdish also happens to be blind too. He is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) of Political Science at Hindu College, University of Delhi. From 2001-2005, he was on a long sabbatical from his job, engaged in completing his doctoral degree in Disability Studies from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. He is also working on writing the biography of late Mr. Lal Advani the founder of Indian Association for Special Education and Rehabilitation, mentioned above. Jagdish has also been one of the Asha-Syracuse as well as Asha-Special volunteers and has been engaged in the process of raising funds for school for tribal children in the Ukhrul district of Manipur (http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=354
). He is in Delhi now and is going to be intensely involved in getting this project implemented. He is also going to be the contact person for this project and can be contacted at jagdish100@hotmail.com
Background of the two Asha volunteers who would be jointly supervising the project:
Ramesh Kumar Sarin is a visually impaired person in his 50s who has a long experience of working in the social sector, particularly in the blindness area for over 30 years. He is currently working for the Indian Airlines and has just earned his PHD from Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) in political science comparing the policies and programs for the blind in India and South Africa. In the mid 1990s, He took a break from his work for about 9 months to go on a pad yatra (non-stop walk) of 12 states to promote awareness regarding the education of blind children in India. He also holds world record of marathon Braille typing and has spent considerable amount of time in South Africa to examine the education system for the blind children in that country.
The other person, who is going to be involved in supervising this project, is Jagdish (Jags) chander. Jagdish also happens to be blind too. He is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) of Political Science at Hindu College, University of Delhi. From 2001-2005, he was on a long sabbatical from his job, engaged in completing his doctoral degree in Disability Studies from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. He is also working on writing the biography of late Mr. Lal Advani the founder of Indian Association for Special Education and Rehabilitation, mentioned above. Jagdish has also been one of the Asha-Syracuse as well as Asha-Special volunteers and has been engaged in the process of raising funds for school for tribal children in the Ukhrul district of Manipur (http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=354
). He is in Delhi now and is going to be intensely involved in getting this project implemented. He is also going to be the contact person for this project and can be contacted at jagdish100@hotmail.com
As of May 2007, we are awaiting clearance on the one time FCRA to transfer funds to the project
Apr 2013 Modified Budget (2013-2014) after Site Visit
Mar 2013 Site Visit 2013 (Shradha)
Jul 2012 IASER conference call, July 2012
Jun 2012 Compiled site visits upto Jun 2012 and budget
May 2012 WAH 2012 Section B
May 2012 IASER WAH 2012 project evaluation
May 2012 WAH 2012 Section A
May 2012 WAH 2012 Section A
Apr 2012 WAH 2012 Section C
Apr 2012 IASER WAH 2012 proposal
Apr 2012 WAH 2012 Project
Apr 2012 FCRA
Dec 2011 IASER WAH 2012 proposal
Oct 2010 Site Visit Report-IASER-2010
Oct 2009 Chapter Approval Minutes-2009
Sep 2009 Budget-2009-2010
Sep 2009 List of Scanned Books
May 2009 Photo1-May 2009
May 2009 Site Visit-2009
Mar 2009 Budget Approval Minutes
Dec 2008 Call Minutes-Dec 2008
Sep 2008 Progress-Report-Sep08
Sep 2008 Funds Usage-2007-08
Apr 2008 Copyright-Q&A
Mar 2008 Q_and_A_NYCNJ
Feb 2008 Vision for project
Jan 2008 Budget-2007-08
Dec 2007 Pictures from Site Visit
Dec 2007 Site Visit- Dec 2007
Nov 2007 List of Scanned Books
Nov 2007 Project Updates
Jul 2007 July-2007-Update.doc
Mar 2007 March-2007 Update
Jun 2006 Project Introduction and Budget
Mar 2013 Site Visit 2013 (Shradha)
Jul 2012 IASER conference call, July 2012
Jun 2012 Compiled site visits upto Jun 2012 and budget
May 2012 WAH 2012 Section B
May 2012 IASER WAH 2012 project evaluation
May 2012 WAH 2012 Section A
May 2012 WAH 2012 Section A
Apr 2012 WAH 2012 Section C
Apr 2012 IASER WAH 2012 proposal
Apr 2012 WAH 2012 Project
Apr 2012 FCRA
Dec 2011 IASER WAH 2012 proposal
Oct 2010 Site Visit Report-IASER-2010
Oct 2009 Chapter Approval Minutes-2009
Sep 2009 Budget-2009-2010
Sep 2009 List of Scanned Books
May 2009 Photo1-May 2009
May 2009 Site Visit-2009
Mar 2009 Budget Approval Minutes
Dec 2008 Call Minutes-Dec 2008
Sep 2008 Progress-Report-Sep08
Sep 2008 Funds Usage-2007-08
Apr 2008 Copyright-Q&A
Mar 2008 Q_and_A_NYCNJ
Feb 2008 Vision for project
Jan 2008 Budget-2007-08
Dec 2007 Pictures from Site Visit
Dec 2007 Site Visit- Dec 2007
Nov 2007 List of Scanned Books
Nov 2007 Project Updates
Jul 2007 July-2007-Update.doc
Mar 2007 March-2007 Update
Jun 2006 Project Introduction and Budget