LEXINGTON, MA–Vision-Aid, a Lexington, MA-based non-profit organization, and Nethra Vidyalaya, a non-profit organization that provides education for blind in India and is a part of the Jeeyar Educational Trust, have formed a partnership to empower visually impaired children in India.
Vision-Aid, provides free, innovative and high-impact service initiatives for the vision impaired including quality training programs, one-on-one mentoring and assessment, and technology based devices and solutions- with a goal to empower blind and low vision adults and children, to become self-reliant, job ready and to make their world a fulfilling place to live in.
Nethra Vidyalaya, a part of the Jeeyar Educational Trust, known as JET, provides educational programs from primary level to high school, junior and senior college, where hundreds of blind students are being trained every year. Nethra Vidyalaya is unique in terms of their hi-tech approaches. For example, students are trained to write their Intermediate Board exams and Degree exams on laptops without the help of scribes (helpers) – currently the only such program in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with such arrangements. With its mission, to empower the visually challenged with the latest technology, it is now a growing NGO with over 1860 students. JET provides FREE boarding, lodging, and food, and study material, education for the blind in its facilities in both Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam (Vizag)
In June, Vision-Aid and Nethra signed an MOU, to be effective July 1, 2017. JET requested a partnership with Vision-Aid for implementing programs that improve certain aspects of designing and running their computer classes for the vision impaired students in JET’s Nethra Vidyalaya schools and colleges in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam (Vizag).
Vision-Aid will provide partnership with technical know-how and funding (via quarterly financial grants) for the implementation of the agreed programs by setting up a six-seater training facility with equipment, design of classes, and supporting the ongoing operation of the same.
JET will provide agreed matching grants for the programs. It is expected that programs will evolve, with new programs such as computer programming and spoken English classes being added in future iterations. Both Vision-Aid and Nethra will now jointly reach, help and transform the lives of hundreds of visually challenged students through these new programs, which will mutually reinforce and widen the horizons of their missions and programs.
Vision-Aid is scheduled to hold its landmark annual event in the form of a fund-raiser featuring a Broadway style production “Charmer, Warrior, Guide” – at Littleton, MA, on July 16th at 4 PM. For tickets and sponsorship details, please visit www.VisionAid .org. Funds raissed will help Vision-Aid support its existing programs and bringing new partners like Nethra on-board, while delighting audiences for 9 years in a row with their sold-out, stellar shows.
