Special engineering colg for blind children

In a novel initiative that will help the blind students, the Hyderabad-based 'Devnar Foundation for the Blind' is planning to start an exclusive engineering college for the visually-challenged.

Despite being visually-impaired, many students are highly motivated to pursue engineering courses and there are several success stories, A Saibaba Goud, Devnar Foundation’s Managing Trustee said on Wednesday.

"Some of our children are highly motivated to follow engineering courses. One of our students is employed in a multi-national company and four others are studying B Tech in different colleges recognised by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU)," Goud, a recipient of Padma Shri and several other awards, said.

"One of our students is studying engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), Boston. All of them have motivated more children, who are asking for engineering courses," he added.

The visually-challenged children are often denied admission in Polytechnic and engineering colleges, but many of them have managed to get admissions after taking legal recourse, he said.

Though the courts have given permission for the entrance test and subsequent admission, the competent university authorities were not convinced in the beginning and the problem continues every year, he said.

"This has made us think of starting a separate engineering college for the visually challenged," he said.

Replying to a query, Goud said it is possible to get necessary permissions from the concerned authorities to start the college.