Panel Discussion: STEM Accessibility in the Indian Education System

On May 16, 2024, Vision Empower hosted a panel discussion on ‘STEM Accessibility in the Indian Education System, to mark the 13th Global Accessibility Awareness Day. The event brought together Kartik Sawhney, Pulkit Sparsh, Paul D’Souza, and Chandrashekhar Korlahalli—experts dedicated to making STEM education accessible in the Indian education system to discuss the challenges and innovative solutions in making STEM education accessible to students with visual impairments.

The panel began by identifying the core difficulties faced by visually impaired students in accessing STEM subjects. These challenges include a lack of accessible learning materials and the need for specialised teaching methods.

A significant portion of the discussion was dedicated to tactile diagrams, which are crucial for visually impaired students. The experts explained how these diagrams are created and their importance in enhancing comprehension in STEM education.

The conversation then shifted to the innovative tools and technologies currently available to support visually impaired students. Panellists highlighted various devices and software that are making a difference and discussed what more needs to be done to improve accessibility further.

The role of learning management platforms such as Coursera, edX, and Subodha was also examined. These platforms are instrumental in providing accessible STEM education to visually impaired students and the panel assessed their effectiveness and areas for improvement.

The panel concluded with valuable advice for parents, special educators, visually impaired students, organisations, and innovators to ensure that STEM education becomes universally accessible.