Books For All (BFA) started its Impact Mission for the visually impaired on a clean slate. We had no template or prior experience in the field which is sensitive; yet we took the plunge and laun-
ched the Braille/Tactile Books Project for the Visually Impaired in Oct’23. We called it Sparsh.
As we complete a year of Sparsh this month, we are amazed at the project’s reach across 21 states in India. As of now, 140 Visually Impaired Schools and Institutions have received Braille books from BFA. When the project was initiated, there was no committed funding. But as we started shipping a few sets, we realized that the visually impaired students rarely receive reading material beyond their textbooks. We understood that this was a need that had to be addressed as much as possible to contribute to the visually impaired community.
Of course, we had the initial hiccups in terms of funds and database, yet BFA remained committed to conducting R&D to ensure that the deserving schools across India were brought under the Sparsh initiative. As we gained hands-on experience, we were capable of reaching more blind schools and institutions. BFA expresses its gratitude to Vineeta Dixit and Sunil Goel for their monetary contributions, which played a vital role in laying the foundation.
Although new in the field of serving the Visually Impaired Institutions (VIIs), we applied for grant from a foundation. To our pleasant surprise, BFA was awarded GBP 12,000 in August 2024.
With this grant, Sparsh has received a significant boost. BFA expresses gratitude and sincere thanks to the board of trustees of the foundation. This will surely help expand the reach for Sparsh.
