Software makes Braille accessible
Sheikh Umer Farooq, a citizen of Karachi, has developed a software that aims to counter the unavailability of braille books for the visually impaired.
The software especially caters to books on science and technology so the blind community has access to these essential subjects.
The software, Boltay Huroof, was first exhibited at the Lahore Expo Centre. Boltay Huroof works to facilitate and ensure the provision of Braille books to the blind at a lower cost.
While it is the right of every Pakistani to be provided with basic education, the visually impaired community of the country is deprived of this basic right.
Unofficial data shows that the number of blind people in Pakistan is more than two million. However, despite the large numbers. there are no textbooks available in Braille to increase accessibility. Only a few books have been published in Braille but those are too expensive for a common person to buy. In schools for the blind children in Pakistan, only the teacher has a Braille book while children are forced to make notes in Braille after listening to the teacher. To make these notes children use sharp pens which cause injuries to their hands.
According to the British Council, ninety percent of blind people in Pakistan cannot complete their education, which is mainly due to non-availability of Braille books. Due to the lack of accessible education the blind are unable to become economically independent and are often considered a burden on others.
The books are said to be equally beneficial for both the sighted and the blind as writings are in Braille and regular text to make it possible for everyone to read. In this way, teachers of the blind, parents, and siblings can help blind people read without learning Braille. Talking to The Express Tribune, Sheikh Umer Farooq said that he met a forty-year-old blind man who did not know that a dog has four legs. “That is why we have included pictures of animals in our braille books,” he said. According to Farooq, the Holy Quran and the learners guide for Arabic have also been printed in Braille. “The need to create a Noorani Qaida (learners guide) was felt because most of the blind Hafiz persons did not know the difference between basic Arabic letters,” exclaimed Farooq.
Farooq said that his company has created necessary documents related to banking, in collaboration with various banks, so that when a blind person goes to open his account, he receives documents in Braille. “Blind people will be aware of the terms and conditions of the bank,” stated Farooq. He said that “blind people have the same rights as sighted people to know what conditions they are signing on which documents.”
Next on the agenda for the software is to make property documents in Braille. Farooq said that there are up to four special children in each class in schools around the world so that these differently abled children grow up in a normal environment. With readily available Braille books, it will be easy for the government to promote the mission of inclusive education as well, hoped Farooq. He said that “the two million blind people can become useful citizens of the country if special attention is paid to their education— which is the mission of the Boltay Huroof software”. He stressed the importance of making the visually impaired economically independent so they contribute to the progress of the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2024.