JU students create Braille map for campus inclusivity
Times of India | 19 November 2024
123 Kolkata: Two post-graduate students of the Jadavpur University English department has embarked upon a project to make the campus more inclusive and disabled-friendly by creating a tactile Braille map of the university campus as a parting gift to the varsity.
Rameshwar Chakraborty and Astyartha Das used the existing university map as their reference and worked tirelessly for two months as part of a project for the course ‘Disability in Indian Literature'. "We did the work on a wooden board measuring 5 feet × 3.5 feet, using screws and cardboard to make navigation easier for visually-challenged students and provide a tactile experience of the campus," said Das. Chakraborty feels, "It is a parting gift from us to JU to make the campus inclusive because of all the values it inculcated in us."
According to assistant professor Ishan Chakraborty, when they first told him about their project, he was a bit sceptical but now he is elated to see the final Braille map. "When I teach this course, I speak of disability rights and accessibility. So this is a significant step towards making the question of access visible and ensuring access for all," he said.
Head of the English department, Manojit Mandal, said, "I'm proud that in keeping with our vision of inclusivity and social justice, our students have prepared this." Visually-disabled students of the campus welcomed the initiative and said that it will be useful for them.