Annual Report 2025–26

Stories of Change

ACCESSIBLE SCIENCE LABS: TURNING CONCEPTS
INTO EXPERIENCES

For Laddo and Kali, Grade 7 students at Rashtriya Virjanand Andh Kanya Senior Secondary School, New Delhi, science was once a difficult subject. Their school did not have a science laboratory, so learning was largely limited to textbooks. They often read about test tubes, beakers, litmus paper, and other laboratory materials, but had never used them. Without practical experience, many scientific concepts were difficult to understand.

This changed when an Accessible Science Lab was established at the school through a collaboration between BATA and Vision Empower. Designed specifically for students with visual impairment, the lab is equipped with accessible science apparatus, tactile labels, adapted experiments, and guided support from teachers. It enables students to explore scientific concepts through hands-on learning and perform experiments with greater independence.

One of the first experiments Laddo and Kali performed independently was on acids, bases, and salts using litmus paper. As they tested different solutions and observed the colour changes, they felt excited and curious. Wearing laboratory coats and gloves for the first time made them feel like scientists.

Their science teacher has observed a significant improvement in both students. They now participate more actively in class, understand concepts better, and retain lessons more effectively after performing experiments.

Over the past few months, Laddo and Kali have completed several science activities and become more confident in handling laboratory materials and following instructions independently. They ask more questions, demonstrate greater curiosity, and eagerly look forward to every lab session.

Laddo and Kali conducting experiments in an accessible science laboratory
“Earlier, we only read about experiments in our books. Now we can perform them ourselves and understand the concepts much better.”
- Kali
Prajwala teaching children with visual impairment

A TEACHER WHO FELT PREPARED
AND CONFIDENT

Prajwala R., a teacher at Shri Sharada Devi Andhara Vikasa Kendra, Shivamogga, Karnataka, teaches foundational Mathematics and Science to children in Grades 1 to 4. Teaching STEM concepts to young children with visual impairment was often challenging for her, as many ideas were difficult to explain verbally. With limited tactile materials and accessible teaching aids, teachers depended largely on verbal explanations.

Pragya, Vision Empower’s teacher capacity-building programme, introduced Prajwala to accessible STEM pedagogy, tactile models, assistive technologies, and activity-based teaching. This initiative, implemented through Vision Empower’s collaboration with Bosch Global Software Technologies, brought a meaningful change in the learning and teaching environment for both students and teachers.

Prajwala began using Computational Thinking games such as card games, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Jodo cubes, and Jodo straws to build early mathematical understanding. Science lessons also became more experiential, with students learning through touch, models, discussion, and guided exploration.

Assistive technologies such as Hexis refreshable Braille devices, IRIS audio diagram reader, accessible science resources, and Teacher Instruction Kits on the Subodha LMS further strengthened her teaching practice. Prajwala also presented her work at a Vision Empower regional conference in Bengaluru, reflecting her growth as a STEM educator.

Today, Prajwala’s students are moving from memorization to conceptual understanding. They are more curious, confident, and independent learners, while Prajwala feels equipped to make mathematics and science meaningful for every child in her classroom.

HEXIS: MAKING LEARNING ACCESSIBLE

Roni Mondal, a Class III student at Sri Aurobindo Institute for the Sightless, West Bengal, has shown remarkable progress through access to assistive technology and inclusive learning support.

Roni’s early childhood was marked by deep personal loss and financial hardship. After losing his parents at a young age, he was raised by a compassionate neighbour who stepped forward to support him. With limited family resources and no access to early learning support, Roni faced many barriers in his education as a totally blind child.

After joining the Sri Aurobindo Institute for the Sightless, Roni found a supportive school environment. However, the shortage of Braille books and accessible study materials continued to affect his learning. In collaboration with CSR partner Great Eastern Foundation, Vision Empower introduced an accessible STEM learning intervention in the school, including assistive technologies like Hexis, a refreshable Braille learning device.

Roni began attending Hexis sessions regularly and showed strong curiosity and determination. With guidance from Vision Empower’s team and his teachers, he learned to understand Braille dot patterns and gradually progressed from reading letters to reading Bengali and English words with confidence.

Today, Roni is an eager and independent learner. Whenever he gets the opportunity, he uses Hexis to explore new words and strengthen his reading skills. The device has opened up access to learning materials that were otherwise unavailable to him.

Roni using the Hexis refreshable Braille learning device

WHEN TEACHERS SHAPE TECHNOLOGY:
A NEW USE FOR IRIS

IRIS was originally introduced as an audio-tactile learning solution to help students with visual impairments understand diagrams, tactile models, and STEM concepts through touch and audio support.

The A4I initiative, supported by Microsoft CSR, gradually introduced IRIS to teachers to build their confidence in using the device. The team showed how tactile materials and digital audio content could work together to support independent, self-paced learning for students.

During one such session, a teacher from Madurai KK Nagar Government Middle School saw the possibility. She asked whether IRIS could also help students revise textbook questions and answers. Her idea was simple—add the question as a short description and the answer as a long one. Students could then listen independently, in their regional language, whenever they needed to revise.

This was especially important for students who did not know Braille or found it difficult to revise only through printed or written material.

The A4I initiative team piloted the idea, and it worked well. Students were able to listen to teacher-provided questions and answers at their own pace, repeat them as needed, and prepare better for examinations.

Soon, this idea spread to other teachers across Tamil Nadu. Teacher WhatsApp groups began receiving requests such as, “Kindly push this content to IRIS to help with students’ exam preparation.” The A4I team responded by using OCR-based tools to scan textbook content, upload it to Antara, and make it available through IRIS.

What started as a tool for audio-tactile learning became, through a teacher’s idea, a powerful revision support system that helps students with visual impairments revise, prepare independently, and approach their examinations with greater confidence.

Teacher training on using IRIS
“Using the IRIS device for textbook learning is excellent. It is especially helpful for low-vision students and those who do not know Braille,”
- Nagasundari, teacher

Geometry at Their Fingertips

Without appropriate accessible tools, geometry is often considered difficult for students with visual impairments. Geometric construction depends heavily on drawing, measuring, and understanding shapes. Teachers also find it challenging to teach these concepts effectively and sometimes avoid geometric construction altogether.

This began to change at Calcutta Blind School with the introduction of tactile geometry kits. These accessible tools enabled students to explore geometry through a hands-on learning process.

The impact was visible even among younger students. Sk. Sahim and Soni Kumari, students of Class V, quickly learned to draw lines and triangles after the process was demonstrated to them. By constructing figures themselves, they developed a clearer understanding of shapes' structure and properties, including the number of sides and angles.

The tactile learning experience helped students gain confidence, remember concepts more effectively, and become increasingly independent in geometric construction. What was once considered difficult and inaccessible became engaging and enjoyable.

Vision Empower is happy to collaborate with Touchétech Labs Pvt Ltd in bringing tactile geometry kits to students. We are also grateful to our CSR partner, Cognizant Foundation, whose continued support strengthens our commitment to making STEM learning accessible, inclusive, and joyful for every child.

A student using a tactile geometry kit to learn shapes and angles

From Symbols to Solutions:
Mathematics Accessible

At the beginning of Class 10, Saurabh, a student at Victoria Memorial School for the Blind , Mumbai, found fractions, integers, and mathematical symbols difficult to understand. He also struggled to communicate mathematical expressions and calculation steps accurately to his writer during examinations.

Strong foundational Mathematics skills are essential not only for academic success but also for enabling students to pursue higher education and confidently choose from a wider range of careers. With the support of CSR partner LTM, Vision Empower is helping bridge gaps in Mathematics learning among students with visual impairment. One common challenge identified was the difficulty students experienced in communicating mathematical expressions to sighted writers from lower grades.

The accessible Mathematics sessions conducted at the school focused on both conceptual understanding and mathematical communication. Through mental Maths practice, hand-tracing activities, and tactile NCERT resources available on Subodha, Vision Empower’s accessible learning platform, Saurabh strengthened his understanding of fractions, integers, and mathematical symbols, which helped him explain each calculation clearly and systematically to his writer.

By the end of the academic year, Saurabh was solving Class 10 Mathematics problems independently and ensuring that his answers were recorded accurately. This support helped him score 79% in Mathematics in the SSC Board Examination and achieve an overall result of 76%.

Saurabh using an accessible math pad to solve mathematical problems
“Now I can solve Mathematics problems on my own and tell my writer exactly what to write.”
- Saurabh

From Classroom Concept to Real Solution

Aniket, a Class 6 student at Victoria Memorial School for the Blind, Maharashtra, comes from a farming family.

Through the Wipro earthian Water Module session, he learned about environmental challenges like water scarcity and the importance of rainwater harvesting. These lessons on water conservation came at the right time and stayed with him.

At home, this learning suddenly felt very real. His family had been struggling with water shortage on their farm for years. They had even dug deep borewells, but the water table remained low, and irrigation continued to be a challenge for their crops, like tur dal and cotton.

Aniket decided to act on what he had learned. With simple thinking and support at home, they set up storage drums on the farm to collect and store rainwater, helping conserve water for irrigation.

Pictures from the ground of Aniket's parents' farm. The first image shows the storage drums for rainwater collection. The second picture shows a drum for rainwater harvesting. The third picture shows the family's field.

A NEW WINDOW TO UNDERSTANDING NATURE

Mohini and her friends listening in as a friend reads a braille text from a paper.

Most children learn about nature through pictures or by observing their surroundings. For Mohini, a Grade 7 student at the National Association for the Blind (NAB), Haldwani in Uttarakhand, the experience was very different. Born blind, she had always been curious about the natural world. However, understanding plants, animals, and biodiversity was often challenging because learning materials were not always accessible.

The Wipro earthian initiative opened a new window for Mohini and her classmates to understand and experience nature.

Instead of learning solely through textbooks, the students stepped outdoors to explore the living world around them. Through guided nature walks, touch-based learning materials, real leaves, group discussions, and audio recordings, they experienced nature in accessible and meaningful ways.

Using her sense of touch, Mohini explored the textures, shapes, and structures of different plants. By listening carefully to the sounds around her, she learned to identify birds and other living creatures. These experiences helped her develop a deeper understanding of biodiversity and environmental conservation.

Mohini and her classmates also conducted a biodiversity survey of their school campus. Through this activity, she and her team identified the biodiversity present on the campus and recorded, classified, and shared their findings.

Mohini has now become an active participant in the classroom. She asks questions, shares her observations, and contributes to group discussions.

Mohini and her friend playing with plastic animal models - an accessible nature learning activity
“I have learnt about the wonders of nature by touching, listening, and feeling them.”
- Mohini