Radio programme for, of and by the visually-impaired
TOI : PUNE: For over an hour, visually-impaired and sighted students interacted with each other on air over music and sports, even grammar.
The programme was Braille Webradio Dnyanadrushtiche Saadhak Aamhi’ (In pursuit of Knowledge) run for, of and by the visually impaired, which went live on Vidyawani, the community radio station at the University of Pune at 107.4 Mhz on Saturday afternoon. Students from Jagruti School for Blind Girls, Alandi, and sighted students from Aksharnandan participated.
Satish Navale, who conceptualised the idea of Braille radio, spearheads the Dnyanadrushtiche Saadhak Aamhi’ series. “This is the first time that a radio programme for the visually-impaired has gone on air,” he says. “The aim of this programme is to give visually-impaired students professional training in radio production, writing, presenting and other technical aspects related to the field. Bringing the sighted and visually-impaired together is a way to bridge the gap between the two and help the blind live and develop normally within society, without feeling isolated.” said Navale, himself visually-impaired.
Navale is supported by a team of seven visually-impaired students who learnt radio production and presentation on the job. “We have presented this maiden episode as an experiment. We want to make visually-impaired students well-versed with every aspect of community radio service,” says Anand Deshmukh, director of Vidyawani.
Rajani Indulkar, honorary secretary of the Poona School and Home for the Blind Trust and Dnyaneshwar Tapkir, vice-president of the National Federation of the Blind in Maharashtra (that runs Jagruti School) were chief invitees at the programme.
“This is the first time I learnt just by listening. It was fun interacting with the Jagruti students,” says Parag Velankar, a Std IX Aksharnandan student.
The programme is supported by of the Board of College and University Development (BCUD). “We are going to establish an extensive policy for the rehabilitation and development of the visually impaired, which involves training and even…More
