DU's Kirori Mal College launches 'Project Samaavesh' for visually impaired students

NEW DELHI: Delhi University's Kirori Mal College (KMC) on Wednesday launched Project Samaavesh to promote inclusivity for visually impaired students. The project's centrepiece is the Samaavesh Eyeway Helpdesk, to be set up on the KMC campus and expected to be operational next week.

It will be open to blind and visually impaired students from across the National Capital Region (NCR), irrespective of whether they are enrolled at DU. "The initiative is to promote inclusion. Counselling is one of the primary aims, but we also want to enhance technological skills, personality development and employability of students," said Someshwar Sati, English professor at KMC and coordinator of the Centre for Disability Research and Training (CDRT).

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The project is launched in collaboration with the Score Foundation. CDRT, established in September 2021, works to popularise disability studies as an academic field. At the launch, KMC principal Dinesh Khattar said, "We need to work towards inclusion as a lived reality in classrooms and campuses."

Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, also lauded the initiative. Students welcomed the move, calling it a step towards creating safe spaces, breaking prejudices and ensuring focused support for those with special needs.