Imagine learning about circle without being able to see it. Imagine going to Swayambhunath Stupa without being able to know its Hemispheric shape through our own eyes. Most of us can only imagine whereas it's the ultimate and undeniable reality of Persons with Visual Disabilities.
Roshan Gautam, an 10th grader student who has been blind since birth, has been to Swayambhunath Stupa. He is very well aware about the hundreds of steps in the stupa and the strong scents of incense that is spread around the area. However, Gautam knew nothing about its hemispheric shape and structure until the third of November 2023.
On 3rd of November 2023, Project Wings to Dreams an initiation by Chain For Change in collaboration with St. Xavier's College, Maitighar, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain and Expedición Solidaria, organized an workshop on Laboratory School, Kirtipur. The workshop succeeded in teaching the students of the school about different accessible 3D models with braille labeling, including menstrual cycle and female reproductive organ, Swayambhunath stupa and map of Nepal with provinces, circle, parts of circle, diameter and radius of circle.
Members conducting the workshops used accessible printed tactile 3D models to help the students learn about various concept including circle and Swayambhunath stupa. This is the first time in Nepal that a 3D printer has been used in making accessible and inclusive academic materials. The students ran their hands over and around the 3D shapes along with braille labels which helped them form a mental image and understand the concept in the best way.
"The 3D models of Swayambhunath and rest of the shapes were truly helpful and I am overwhelmed with joy as I had never truly understood the basic concepts of circle until today", says Gautam.
Students with visual disabilities often encounter graphical challenges in their academics and daily lives. Illustration of graphs, diagram and figures of cells, tissues, reproductive organs and so forth becomes tough to be comprehended depending merely on verbal descriptions. In most of the cases, text books and learning materials in Nepal are designed without considering accessibility for students with visual disabilities.
"Graphical concepts were extremely difficult to be understood thus, they felt unapproachable to me", bemoans Jalasa Sapkota. She says "there were no tools that could elaborate graphical images such as map of Nepal and measurements in mathematics".
Students with visual disabilities often feel isolated and excluded in schools. Samita Devi Shakya, focal person in blind section of Laboratory school says, "I have seen Students with visual disabilities stopped from going to science lab. They're also sent to other classes when a teacher has to teach graphics and visuals. Isolating them would not only hamper their education but also their mental health."
With that being said, the sole purpose of the Project 'Wings to Dreams' is to tackle out graphical challenges faced by students with visual disabilities in their academic and daily lives through 3D and Tactile technology. Without having to rely on others, persons with visual disabilities would be able to easily learn graphical information by feeling and exploring the structure and layout of the object. Subsequently, 3D printed tactile models would act as a means for promoting independent learning.
Moreover, these 3D models could also be used by the teachers in the classroom in their regular lectures. Consequently, that would not only benefit students with visual disabilities but, also to other students making the classroom environment more inclusive and accessible. The students with visual disabilities would feel being belonged and empowered because of the use of accessible resources and other students would find lectures more interesting.' States Sanjiya Shrestha – Cofounder and Treasurer of Chain For Change.
Along with 3D and tactile models, they are developing a mobile application. The application would have a feature that would describe the 3D Model description. Joon Shakya, IT and Creative Specialist of Chain For Change having low vision who also designed and developed the application says, "It will give them instructions regarding where to touch and where to start feeling the model. Students would be listening to what and how it is which would help them form a mental image more accurately. Ultimately, it would assist them in understanding and learning without any difficulties".
Abhishek Shahi, founder and director of Chain For Change, says "first, we are creating accessible and inclusive products and concepts that is being taught to people with visual disabilities in the academic course of Nepal. Second, we are making infrastructures and institution accessible and inclusive".
Currently, the students of St. Xavier's College, Maitighar are interning in the project as dedicated team. They are diligently working with the exchange students/international interns from Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain and creating products in 3D and locally available resources that would support students with visual disabilities in their academic and daily lives.
When Shahi visited Valencia, Spain in the year 2019, he travelled different touristic places. In his tour, he came across a very famous church. In front of the entrance, his aunt and her friend placed his hand in an artifact locally called "maqueta" carved beautifully in stone. Shahi says, "I truly enjoyed exploring the architecture. Then, they again placed my fingers over a braille script where it had description of the church and overall navigational orientation on stone".
Coincidently, Shahi and the Chain For Change team were working with St. Xavier's College, Maitighar to make the college accessible and inclusive for all. And, this very moment inspired Shahi to initiate THE PROJECT WINGS TO DREAMS; 3D FOR ACCESSIBILITY.
After he came back from Spain, the Chain For Change team started researching and doing homework. Expedición Solidaria supported CFC with a 3D Printer and they established Resource Center for Accessible Facilities in St. Xavier's College, Maitighar.
SXC and CFC are working in making the college environment more inclusive and accessible for those with disabilities. In terms of making the college inclusive and accessible, under this project the 3D model of the college has been developed. It will have braille labels and audio description feedback to guide those with visual disabilities to navigate independently in the college premises.
Fr. Dr. Augustine Thomas, S.J., Principal of St. Xavier's College, Maitighar, states, "I had no clue what the 3D project was. I eventually figured it out now. It is a moment of pride for our St. Xavier's College and also a signal or sign that make our education and platform more inclusive". Similarly, Fr. Jiju Varghese, S.J., Superior and Director of International Relations at St. Xavier's College, Maitighar, believes that this is only the beginning and St. Xavier's will have each hand always extended for such collaboration both nationally or internationally.
It is nothing short of a revolutionary step as it is paving the way for making education accessible to students with visual disabilities. A student with visual disabilities made to sit in a class with other students is not enough to make education inclusive. For education to be inclusive to them, it is crucial that a student with visual disabilities understands each and everything taught in class in the same way as students without visual disabilities understand. By distributing accessible printed tactile 3D models to different schools, Project Wings To Dreams will certainly assist in making education inclusive to persons with visual disabilities.
