The Head of English department at Lucknow University’s National PG College, Rakesh Jain, has entered the lives of visually-impaired pupils as nothing less than messiah. Jain and his team of 20 volunteers, have recorded audio capsules of textbook knowledge for the students who are differently abled and have a keen interest in studies. Rakesh himself is visually challenged and he is surely setting a stellar example of sheer grit and determination.
Audios available in English, Hindi & Urdu
“The audio module is in big demand in European countries where the word spread through NRIs at rehabilitation universities”, Jain was quoted saying. The contents are available in three languages – English, Hindi and Urdu and these recorded audiobooks have been rapidly lapped up by the students across the world, including the United States, UAE and Austria. The audio capsules are available at free of cost through Jain’s non-profit organization, called as the Rehabilitation Society of the Visually Impaired (RSVI).
This endeavor is helping visually-impaired students from all across the globe, to get a feel of the classroom ambience and these capsules also include reviews of web series. Differently-abled students, stemming from school to graduation and post-graduation levels, who were not able to participate in online classes during this pandemic, are now using this method to stay abreast of their studies.
Two new audiobooks launched
Further, Jain added, “The demand for audio books has shot up by more than 60%. Requests are pouring in from rehabilitation institutions from across the globe. Compared to 800 requests per month, we are now getting more than 2,000.”
“Since the pandemic began, we have started sending audiobooks through a special file transfer application”, RSVI member, Shradha Srivastava stated.
Due to surging demands, RSVI has recently launched two new audiobooks- ‘RSVI News Capsule’ that keeps students updated regarding current affairs and entertainment and ‘Udaan’, which helps pupils to prepare for the competitive examinations. Approximately 1,500 textbooks of arts, science and commerce affiliated to the UP Board, ISC, CBSE, NCERT and other universities, have been converted into audiobooks covering syllabi from the 1st standard to post-graduation levels.
