More advanced equipments to be brought in to Pondicherry University

The Louis Braille Centre was recently opened at the Library Annexe of Ananda Rangapillai Library in Pondicherry Central University. Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy inaugurated the center.In a press release issued by the University, R. Samyuktha, University Librarian, stated that the existing facilities of hardware and software (desktops with audio headphones, flatbed scanners, refreshable Braille display, Braille typewriter, Reddit-Instant Reader and JAWS-Screen Reader Software) available at the Ananda Rangapillai Library are shifted to the Louis Braille Centre on the campus and several other types of equipment such as instant reader with assistive technology, single sheet Braille embosser, image scanner (overhead scanning), desktops (additional), Tamil OCR software, Hindi OCR software, handled magnifier and large keyboard are in the process of procurement shortly in the university.

Louis Braille center serving a good cause

The HEPS Centre (Higher Education Centre for Special Needs) of Pondicherry University is working in unison with the Louis Braille Centre to create awareness and promote maximum utilization of the facilities that is provided by the university for the differently-abled at the University and to help them in various ways special services for the differently-abled students of the university was started at Ananda Rangapillai Library in 2010, to cater to the visually-impaired faculty, research scholars, and students and to help them in various other aspects of their education. The essential hardware and software required were installed and other gadgets such as scanners and accessories were provided.

During a celebration of the International day for Persons with Disabilities in 2010 at the library, showcasing the abilities of the differently-abled in accessing e-books, an email account, a newspaper online, a PowerPoint presentation of hardware and software for them led the then Vice-Chancellor Prof. J.A.K. Tareen to declare a policy of the university that from the next year Pondicherry University would provide free education to the differently-abled. Hence, the library takes pride in being instrumental for a major policy-making at the university.

Though the special services were catered with periodic training workshops and a special workshop by Mr. Daniel Kish, President of the World Access for Blind in 2012, a special Louis Braille Centre was designed and constructed in the Library Annexe by the vision of the then Vice-Chancellor Prof. J.A.K. Tareen which is to provide equal opportunities to all students of the university. Narayanasamy, present Chief Minister of Puducherry had inaugurated the Library Annexe in 2013.