Chennai: Owing to the difficulties of online education, a special educator told DT Next that effective communication to visually impaired children when teaching Braille was impacted. “Educators took to teaching parents how to read Braille, and they taught their children. This worked well for those parents who had the time and online access to do the same, but for those without it, the children were left behind. In such cases, teachers were forced to do home visits,” she said.

Owing to these factors, many have taken instead to specialising in e-readers for reading and writing skills. According to K Raghuraman, co-ordinator of the NGO Karna Vidya Foundation that teaches the visually impaired technical and computer skills, this is due to the increased accessibility they provide to essential services, resources, and communication applications.

However, special educators and activists believe that Braille cannot be replaced and is essential for the visually impaired. “There is a misconception that Braille education must be a part of an age-based curriculum. Rather, e-readers and Braille can be used in tandem on a child-by-child basis to help them improve literacy. Braille is essential for tactile learning, and it cannot be replaced by any other medium, rather, it can be another tool for the visually impaired,” said Raghuraman.

In an effort to showcase Braille learning during the shutdown, the National Association for the Blind, Tamil Nadu branch, would be hosting an online event highlighting the importance of Braille on World Braille Day. Children who have learnt Braille through online education will demonstrate their skills at the event.