Workshops for Teachers

About the Workshop:

One of the primary reasons schools do not accept children who are visually impaired is due to lack of awareness. People do not know how to include a child who is visually impaired in the classroom. Therefore, children are excluded from the general education setting; often they are kept at home or sent to special schools. This affects them as adults as they have difficulty integrating into society where they have to suddenly compete with their sighted peers for jobs. In order to move towards a more inclusive society we have formulated “EnAbler” Workshops, to try and make general educators open to the idea of having a child who is visually impaired in their classroom. This will in turn increase the intake of these children into the general education setting. Competing with sighted peers right from the start reduces the disparity that may arise as adults.

Objectives:

To spread awareness among teachers about services available for children who are visually impaired.
To give teacher trainees more information about inclusive environments.
To show teacher trainees how to include children who are visually impaired in the classroom and how to teach visual concepts to children with the help of tactile graphics.
To sensitize teacher trainees to the needs of children who are visually impaired.

Duration:

The ideal workshop duration is 2 sessions of 2 hours each.

Methodology:

Interactive session
Lecture with PowerPoint, videos and demonstrations
A few individuals will be participating in a simulated experience of being a student who is visually impaired.
A few individuals will have an opportunity to teach their fellow classmates who are under blind-fold.

Target Group:

Teachers
Teacher trainees
School Management/Administration

Workshop Feedback:

Yogesh Gupta, volunteer teacher for visually impaired children, Pankhudi Foundation:

"The best part of the workshop was to see the kind of passion the trainers have in teaching visually impaired children. Their examples show how much of hands-on experience they have in this field and that they could satisfactorily answer all our queries."

Sumathi, Teacher, Chinmaya Vidya Mandira High School, Bangalore:

"The workshop changed my attitude towards visually impaired children. Now I am much more comfortable interacting with them. What they need is not sympathy, but a fair treatment in the class."

Sonam, Teacher Trainee, R.V Teachers College, Bangalore:

"The workshop made me realize how much of a difference we as teachers can make in the life of a visually impaired child."

Swetha, Teacher Trainee, Vijaya Teachers College, Bangalore:

"I learnt about various activities and teaching methodologies that we can use in the classroom which not only helps visually impaired children, but all children in general."