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Follow UsFounded by Mr T.V Srinivasan in 1969, the academy employs the right technology through which the visually impaired along with other differentially abled people are empowered to lead a better life and thereby secure their future.
In a candid chat with Rahul R of CIOL, Mr TV Srinivasan explains the force behind SRMAB and the various technology initiatives the organization has adopted in order to make sure that the differently-abled live with dignity in society.
Rahul R: What was the driving force behind setting up of SRMAB?
TV Srinivasan: I visited the Sri Ramanashramam at Tiruvannamalai in the year 1969 seeking spiritual enlightenment. In this process, the teachings of Sri Sri Ramana Maharishi inspired me to work towards a social and philanthropic cause which in turn led me to start the academy in the name of Sri Ramana Maharishi in Bangalore. What started with a single student then has grown to 11,600 students today.
Rahul R: Setting up a philanthropic institute as we know is quite difficult. Did you get any assistance form the state government in this regard?
TV Srinivasan: There was no initial help/assistance from the Government's side. I along with a close friend of mine Late Mr Thrimurthy worked non-stop to see that all the required machinations were in place. After the institution grew, the state Government came out with a lot of beneficial initiatives. Coupled with all these, our organization developed at a rapid pace.
Rahul R: This is sure is inspiring sir, but can you provide details regarding your initiatives ( especially your various tech initiatives).
TV Srinivasan: First and foremost I would like to state that we admit all differentially abled students and work towards empowering them. For getting admitted a student has to produce a proof signifying his/her date of birth and a disability certificate from a Government Doctor. Once a student is admitted, we provide free boarding facilities We teach students everything they need to know right from the grassroot level. For the visually impaired we have Braille Maps through which students can learn to locate various places, Braille globe, even Braille Musical Instruments. Apart from this we have our own Braille Computer set-up through which the visually impaired can learn computer. We have special software that will enable the students to master the computer in very little time. We also have volunteers from various IT companies who are more than willing to impart computer training to visually impaired children as well as children with other impairments
Rahul R: Speaking of volunteers, have any of the top IT companies expressed interest to teach children in the school?
TV Srinivasan: Yes, we have a lot of companies like Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Infosys among others. These companies even sponsor a lot of our vents.
Rahul R: Do you have any programmes wherein students get employment opportunities?
TV Srinivasan: Yes, we have various vocational training programmes through which our students get direct employment opportunities. We also make sure that after the completion of education our students are placed well and are even able to take care of their dependents apart from themselves.
The SRMAB also have their own dance troupe. Click here to know more:
Well, the above surely seemed inspiring and we decided to take a deeper look at the school and found students with visual impairities all fired up to learn what was being taught to them. We met up with Mr Joseph who is the computer instructor. He said “ With our special computers, children can become masters of the gadget. We also have a special software through which children can learn Word, Excel, and image editing. Our children are taking to the computer very well”.