Skip to main content
  • Accessibility
  • Headlines
  • Coronavirus-News
  • Get-Hooked
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Parasports
  • Ask Bhavna
  • NHBrandView
  • Independent Living
  • Lifestyle
  • NH Videos
×
Newz Hook – Changing Attitudes towards Disability Logo
  • Stories
  • Videos
  • Inclusive
  • NH Voice
  • Login
COVID-19 Notification by Government in Accessible Format

Accessibility Tools

Text Size:

Contrast Scheme:

  • C
  • C

Reset

  • Home
  • Employment
  • Visually impaired youth learn personality development skills through performing arts

Visually impaired youth learn personality development skills through performing arts

Employment August 7, 2020
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

When to be assertive or diplomatic, what tone to adopt when speaking about sensitive matters – these are valuable workplace behaviour tips many of us lack at the start of our careers. Help The Blind Foundation, a Chennai-based organisation, is imparting them to visually impaired youth in partnership with Chirantana, an NGO that teaches life skills to disabled children and youth through creative methods.

A computer trainer in Hyderabad, Satya N is nervous about speaking in public or among large groups. She is learning to overcome this with the help of online classes in personality development recently launched by Chennai NGO Help The Blind Foundation (HTBF).

“I started my career in 2013 and have worked in different organisations”, says 27-year-old Satya who is visually impaired. “I was always uncomfortable when it came to speaking in a public forum and wanted to change that”.

Training aims to equip visually impaired youth with vital career skills

The three-month personality development training is being conducted by Chiranthana’s Art Courtyard Productions. Chiranthana is an NGO that imparts life skills and soft skills to children and young adults with disabilities using theatre programmes.

“This is the first time that we are training visually impaired youth”, says Rachana Prasad, Founder, Chiranthana. “We worked on models that have to do with auditory processing with the aim to enhance their other senses”.

Every month, HTBF will select 20 students for the training.“We realise they need to be prepared for employment and that’s why the idea of giving them a skills-based education’, says Sivaji Rao, Trustee, HTBF.

Over the last two months, Sathya has learned many additional skills apart from effective public speaking.“My interview skills have improved and I understand better how sighted people regard the visually impaired and how to interact accordingly”.

Life skills imparted as well

Mohammed Bilal, 27 years old, finds the learnings useful while teaching computer skills to visually impaired students of Presidency College, Chennai. “I modulate my voice and use the right pitch to make the lessons more interesting. This will be useful for me in the future when I go for job interviews”.

A theatre-based intervention, believes Nataraj Sankaran, Trustee, HTBF, is especially apt for people with vision impairments.

For visually impaired people, sensing is believing and their response to the art form, be it music, drama or dance, is very spontaneous. They measure emotions through voice modulation. Initially two sessions were held on a trial basis and we started with a skit programme where they got to show their skills. This encouraged them over time to start expressing themselves. There was no judgement, benchmark or comparison and we found students to be receptive and spontaneous. – Nataraj Sankaran, Trustee, Help The Blind Foundation

HTBF aims to train 200 students, boys and girls. “The lessons relate to different aspects of personality development like expressing yourself among a group of people, listening to others opinions’, how to express yourself without hurting someone and how to talk about your disability”, adds Natraj. Self-grooming is another important part.“We are also talking to girls about how to tell sighted colleagues how they want to be held while being supported. If a sighted person touches them on the shoulder or the back and they don’t like it, how do they express that”.

The trainings are in English with some Hindi and Tamil thrown in. “The students are communicative and say what they want”, notes Rachana. “Their comprehension levels are good and we are now at a stage where the lessons are practical. The blend of art forms makes it creative and interesting”.

Students’ testimonials

Videos of these sessions are being put on Art Courtyard’s YouTube platform as well. The aim is to create a platform where disabled people from around the world can watch and learn.

“We want to give them confidence and the opportunity to learn in a more creative way”, says Deepa Krishnamurthy, Trustee, HTBF. “We decided to do this for a month and found that they enjoyed it a lot. They have even learned how to record themselves on video. From trainers we are expanding to students. If we have more funding we would like to extend it more visually impaired people in the future”.

For Adil Mir, a 28-year-old visually impaired youth from Kashmir, the video lessons have been an eyeopener. “I have understood how to stand in front of the camera, the right posture, how far to place the camera while seated, etc. I had no idea earlier how to hold the camera such that my face is clearly visible. This is good learning because the world is becoming even more tech-based after COVID-19 and everything is online now”.

Hamsini A V says she is a better speaker now.“I have learned to speak without fear and inhibition. As visually impaired people we learn from voice, so it is important to know which words to emphasise on and express yourself better”.

Also Read:

  • Lockdown challenges an opportunity to innovate, say these organisations employing disabled people

Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today

We need your continued support to enable us work towards Changing Attitudes towards Disability. Help us in our attempt to share the voices of people with disabilities that enable them to participate in the society on an equal footing!

Contribute to Newz Hook

NH Videos

Healing pain through art - Dr. Anubha Mahajan, Founder Chronic Pain India

Contribue to Newz Hook |Disability news. Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today.

Newsletter

 Subscribe to our Newsletter

Want to feature disability stories or share disability news with the disabled community? Write to:

editor@newzhook.com

Newz Hook - Accessible News

Download App Now!

Videos

View More

Get-hooked

#WonderWoman - Challenges bring out the tough side of Divya Sharma, a visually impaired content writer

Get-hooked

Playback singer Archana Vijayan is thrilled as first song gathers praise

Get-hooked

#RareDiseases - DART, India's 1st research lab on rare diseases, aims to annihilate muscular dystrophy

Get-hooked

Understanding disabled children & family dynamics

Newz Hook Logo

About Newz Hook

Newz Hook | Disability News - media site focusing on Disability Stories and Changing Attitudes towards Disability globally. We highlight disability news, offer inclusive solutions and create accessible collaborations. Our focus is to have Inclusion Champions from across the globe who will share disability stories and news.
Lets come together to change attitudes towards disability!

Newz Hook is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Follow us on:

Related Links

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner with Newz Hook
  • Embed Newz Hook Timeline
  • Affiliate disclosure
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contribute to Newz Hook

Our Awards

Zero Project Award Winner 2018
Back To Top
© 2019 All Right Reserved. Inclusive News India Private Limited.

Ask Bhavna

All fields are mandatory unless specified as optional.