2 days ago
School students in Thiruvananthapuram develop app that shows ‘Nervazhi' to people with blindness
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 'Nervazhi' translates to the right path in English. That, essentially, was Shaila Begum's concern.
An office assistant at the Vanchiyoor court, Shaila is visually impaired and finds it difficult to identify places while travelling, especially by bus. Unlike the metro system, where announcements are made before each station, there are no such mechanisms in buses. For visually impaired individuals, commuting thus becomes a worrisome affair.
In January, Shaila spoke about the ordeal many like her face during an interview with All India Radio (AIR), which has been broadcasting a dedicated programme focusing on people with visual disability.
'The programme is part of AIR's initiatives for people with disabilities. We have been organising several events, the recent one being 'Ulcherathu' last week, where we discussed the prospects of AI in aiding the visually impaired,' says AIR programme executive Sevil Jahan.
'Nervazhi has been on air since 2013. In that programme, we invite people who cannot see but have braved all such odds to make a mark in life. Shaila was invited to speak about the grit that keeps her going. And there, she spoke about the difficulty faced by people like her.'
As the programme was being aired, Shaila's story caught the attention of a group of young innovators who decided to address the issue. They were students at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Naruvamoodu.
A robotics team of the school thought of an app to aid people like Shaila. They pitched the idea to mentors at Techosa — a company supporting the students with technical sessions.
