As a special treat on Children’s Day, a large group of visually
impaired children got to experience the wonders of India’s new map with the
help of TouchVision. Developed by techie Ankita Gulati, the device narrates
the content in the picture when a visually-impaired person touches
it.
Many happy faces were seen and cries of wonder and delight heard at an
Interactive Reading and Tactile Art Worksop for Visually Impaired Kids
organised on Children’s Day. From the redrawn contours of India’s map, which
has changed post Article 370 to games, over 20 visually impaired children got
to learn something new and have fun with the aid of
TouchVision.
A device developed by Ankita Gulati, TouchVision narrates
the content in the picture when a visually-impaired person touches it. Ankita
got the idea of developing the device when she saw a teacher at a blind
school talk about the Indian states using a single handmade tactile map.
The device Ankita has developed is way cheaper and easier to use than
comparable devices that are available in the market.
As a special treat on Children’s Day, a large group of visually impaired
children got the opportunity to use TouchVision at the Big
Bazaar store in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.
There were 20 children between the ages of 7 to 11 years who attended the
workshop on Children’s Day. Apart from the new India map, they also got to
play games like an inclusive Tic Tac Toe. The children had a blast doing
all these activities and we wanted to break this perception people have
that visually impaired children cannot play or experience fun. –
Ankita Gulati, Developer, TouchVision
The children were present along with their families and there were plenty of
emotional moments witnessed. One mother, who does not wish to be named said,
“I have two children, a son who is visually impaired and my daughter who is
sighted. I never imagined I would see a day when they would play together and
do an activity together. TouchVision has enabled that”.
TouchVision has been launched in five states in India across some schools.
Ankita launched 100 units to begin with to see the feedback. An improved
version, she calls version two, will be available soon.
The device has a foldable stand that is used to position a smartphone camera
for scanning tactile material. A pointer ring on the user’s index finger is
used to read the text. Through an app, the smartphone provides simultaneous
audio to the user as per the user’s finger’s location. The label and
description of the diagrams are narrated as per the finger gestures of the
user.
TouchVision is cheaper than similar devices that are available in the United
States and the United Kingdom. “Even the ones with interactive graphics are
expensive and the additional devices cost over US$ 3,000. We have developed
our own tactile graphics and a portable stand. All you need is a phone app
and you are set to go.”
For Ankita, the Big Bazaar workshop was not just an opportunity to showcase
her device but to create awareness. There were a range of activities planned
to ensure the visually impaired children could have a good time. There was an
art activity where children were given shapes and asked to create works of
art based on the shapes.
Ankita has plans to conduct more workshops like these. “I plan to call
sighted children the next time I do this”, says this young techie whose
commitment to inclusion is quite remarkable. “I am doing this to make people
aware and the whole idea of conducting such a workshop in a live shopping
situation where the public is out and about is to shatter the perceptions and
stereotypes about visually impaired people. It is to show the world that they
love to play and are a part of everything”.
Also Read: TouchVision brings pictures alive for people with visual
disabilities
