This Mumbai group is encouraging visually impaired students to pursue science & engineering

Paras Jain, a blind engineering student in Mumbai is studying in his final year now. Jain, along with nine visually challenged people, has formed a group. They are approaching colleges and blind students on social media platforms to encourage them to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

They are building a digital archive of books on STEM for students like them to access. This is because even though the blind students find it tough when it comes to higher studies in science and engineering. This is due to the lack of access to physical infrastructure in college and non-availability of digital books to support students.

Jain is passionate about technology. He feels very strongly about the fact that blind students have been deprived of education in science and engineering. Jain says he would often sit in class not knowing which code or diagram was being drawn by the teacher on the board.

The idea to start a group to encourage visually impaired students to pursue STEM came over months. The group officially started in 2016.

About 30 students and professionals have joined this group. They mostly interact on social media platforms. They are working together to improve the technological challenges a blind person faces while reading a diagram, or understanding a code.