Visual literacy at its best 

KOCHI:  Learning happens best when the concepts get relayed to a student in such a way that they can assimilate them. And what better conduit than using the sense organs, especially vision for that? This is where visual literacy comes to play. 

A favourite concept of actor Ravindran, who is an alumnus of Adyar Film Institute and has acted in many south Indian films, visual literacy has been tailor-made for autistic children. “I had been associated with visual literacy for quite some time. However, applying visual literacy to autistic children was something that happened unexpectedly,” said Ravindran, who is well-versed in the nuances of the programme. “It is the literacy of the 21st century,” he added.

Ravindran said he had come to attend a programme where he happened to mention the various possibilities of visual literacy. “A mother of an autistic kid, who was at the programme, contacted me and asked me why can’t this programme be applied to special children. This piqued my interest. These children are persons who have abilities on various spectrums. Some are very good at photography while some others are good at music. So, visual literacy is actually very good for them,” he said.

Ravindran explains visual literacy is the ability to interpret, use, appreciate, and create images and videos using both conventional and 21st-century media. “The project for autistic children is a special one organised by Kochi Metro Short Film Fest. This project emphasises on the importance of visual language, which is used to teach children and thereby enhance their skills and capabilities,” he said. According to him, the project will help autistic children attain great heights.

“Visual literacy allows a deeper interaction with images of all kinds and introduces the process of analytical thinking about representation, meaning and contextual experience.” Hence, from the curricular standpoint, visual literacy is becoming very important as we rely to a greater degree on images and visual communication strategies, he added.

“When it comes to autistic children who have issues with language, pictorial presentations will go a long way in developing societal skills. Already, visual literacy programme has been introduced in schools and universities in the UAE where I had been based for some time,” said Ravindran. 

He said images have been used increasingly to communicate. “Visual literacy is really an important topic for everyone, not just those in the arts. Today, visual literacy skills are already employed in a variety of disciplines,” he added. According to him, the programme will help students think through, think about and think with pictures.

As for the unique programme developed for autistic children, a meeting was held with the Autistic Club Ernakulam, said Ravindran. As a first step, 20 nursing students were selected and taught the nitty-gritty of the programme, he added.