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Vashi2Panvel.Com: Navi Mumbai: June 16: Imagine yourself in a dark room with no light, no sound; you will be pleading to get out of it…And, now think about those who stay in that darkness and silence day in and day out, all through their life. There are so many physically challenged people in the world who fight various hurdles to make their each day special. But how many of us take a note of this? Many non-government, non-profit organizations work for their welfare and upliftment and ensure that their lives are no different from the others.

Association for Blindness and Low Vision (ABVL) located at Sanpada works for the blind. It promises to work towards the realization of such a world and to doing all it can to bring about its attainment as early as possible.

It conducts research studies and training programs for improving the quality of life of the visually challenged as well as for improving competency skills of professionals engaged in work with the blind. ABLV also plans to conduct awareness programmes for public education, set up well equipped library of professional literature and bring out a professional journal with a focus on blindness and low vision. Likewise Association has also plans to set up special internet groups on blindness and low vision such as yahoo special support group both for parents and VI’s as well as for rehabilitation personnel, educators, teachers, technologists, academicians and vision scientists.

“We are looking forward for people who can form support groups in an area and function on an individual basis, though we will be guiding them if any help and aid is needed,” says Subhash Datrange, founder of the organization. “We get aid from both the individual donors and professional organisations,” he adds.

While Association for Blind and low vision serves the visibly impaired people there are others who dedicate themselves to the service of the Deaf and Deafblind. This is more challenging as you are communicating with people devoid of two senses. Hellen Keller institute for the deaf and deafblind’s thrust is towards the community's acceptance of the physically challenged. The institute serves its students in their M.I.D.C. educational campus in Vashi.

Free / subsidized education, transport, nutrition, hearing aids, and medical facilities, uniform, counseling services for children, teachers and parents, Pre-vocational training, free / subsidized residential facilities for Deafblind children residing outside Mumbai. These are the various facilities, which they offer to their students.

The Institute has helped educate and train 32 Deafblind children and 130 deaf children, since its inception in July 1977. At present, the Institute has 25 Deafblind and 64 deaf children on its roll. It has two separate schools - one for deaf, another for Deafblind children, and a special residential unit for Deafblind children residing outside Mumbai.

Mrs. Beroz Vacha, founder of this institute said, “We are running full time school for these impaired children in Vashi while in Byculla we have computer training institute.” “Those who are interested in this work can come to our office and see how the work is carried out here,” she says. However she told the schedule and the timing has to be decided upon by the volunteer himself. She says with immense pride, “My students in deaf and blind category appeared for National Institute of Open Schooling examination and secured more than 70% marks by not taking a single minute extra. It’s a great achievement!”

Smriti Mishra
Contact:

ABLV
B-2, Millenium Tower, 10th Floor,
Flat No. 3, Sector – 9,
Sanpada, Navi Mumbai – 400 705
Ph: 022-27530207, 9869083652
e-mail: datrange@hotmail.com

Helen Keller Institute for Deaf & Deafblind
Aditya Birla Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai
Tel: 2778 2193 / 2778 2214 / 2778 1226 / 2778 2108
Email: hkivashi@vsnl.net
hkidbttc@vsnl.net