Presidency College Chennai sets up computer lab for students with disabilities

With an aim to create a more inclusive educational ambience for disabled students and enhance their career prospects, Presidency College, Chennai has set up an exclusive computer laboratory for hearing-impaired and blind students, stated a report in The New Indian Express .

The lab, set up at a cost of Rs 81 lakh, has been set up by Temenos as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative. Presidency College offers BCom and Bachelor in Computer Application (BCA) courses exclusively for deaf students and currently, has over 250 hearing-impaired and 90 blind students on campus.

Till now, disabled students were using the computer lab meant for MCA students and faced challenges in operating it.

However, computers in the new lab have software and communication devices which will enable disabled students to actively engage in classroom discussions and lectures. “We are living in a digital age and it is necessary for us to get ourselves well versed with the new age technology. The new lab will immensely benefit us,” said T Sethil, a hearing-impaired student.

Along with screen readers, speech recognition software, adaptive keyboards like Braille keyboards and other assistive technologies, students can easily access course materials online.