COVID-19: Visually-impaired persons face difficulties in maintaining social distancing

Kolkata, Apr 13 () Visually-impaired persons arefacing difficulties in maintaining social distancing norms inthe wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Students of a premier Kolkata school for visually-impaired persons, who are presently at home due to thelockdown, are worried over ways to maintain social distancingonce the institute reopens in June.

"A visually-impaired person often touches an object orholds the arm of a person to navigate his or her way. However,with social distancing norms in place, this has become aproblem for them," a teacher of the Calcutta Blind Schoolsaid.

As the students are presently at home, they aresomehow managing but when the lockdown is lifted, they mayface difficulties in maintaining social distancing norms,which are expected to remain in force for some time, he said.

Subir Das, a class 11 student of the institute said,"At home, I think it is still safe to navigate our way bytouching doorknobs or switchboards. But, I have to learn tomove around without touching anything once I go out after thelockdown is lifted."

"I will go out either with my mother or sister afterthe lockdown is lifted. Maintaining social distancing duringthat time will be a challenge," he added.

The suspension of classes has posed another problemfor the students of the institute.

Over 100 students of the school are not able to learnMathematics as it is taught only through Braille books andunder the supervision of a teacher, an educator of theinstitute said.

Other subjects of Humanities and Science are taughtthrough audio lectures, he said.

"Their Braille Mathematics books have been kept in theclassrooms," the teacher said.

The institute has given mobile handsets to guardiansof the students so that they can be in touch with theauthorities for any need. The arrangement was made before thesuspension of classes, he said.

For many students, however, classroom learning cannotbe equated with home studies by listening to lectures, theeducator said.

Exams for classes 11 and 12 were conducted before thenationwide lockdown was imposed, he said.

However, one of the 22 boarders got stranded due tothe lockdown and authorities of the institute dropped him homein Nabadwip in Nadia district, the teacher said.

A total of 180 students of another school for thevisually-impaired in Chaitanyapur in East Midnapore districtare, however, presently lodged in the hostel, a spokespersonof the institute said.

"They are devising ways to maintain social distancing.They are facing difficulties but are still coping with it," headded. SUS MMACD ACD