India To Have Its First University For Blind Students Soon In Odisha: Report

India’s first university for blind students will be constructed in Odisha and will provide educational and technical courses. There are more than 50 lakh blind people in the country and Odisha counts more than 5.21 lakh of them, including 2 lakh youth. Keeping these statistics in mind, it has been decided to open this university. As per the information received from officials, this university will be named after blind poet and 19th-century social reformer Bhima Bhoi. There will also be technical schools of excellence in this university.

Sanyasai Behera told the media that there is a need for a special university to meet the education and training needs of blind people. He is the blind Deputy Secretary, of the Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD). In this regard, a delegation from Japan’s University of Tsukuba, famous for the blind, also met SSEPD officials. After this meeting, Sanyasai Behera said that he would soon send a proposal in this regard to Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi.

The plan comprises residential facilities with an advanced digital lab on the university campus. SSEPD principal secretary Bishnupada Sethi said, “We are planning to set up a campus to provide education to students from class IX onwards from India and abroad. We will provide vocational courses like acupuncture and physiotherapy, besides policy research.”

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is part of the ancient study of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM is a healthcare system that has evolved over thousands of years to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease.

What is physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is a specialist branch of medicine focused on impairments in bodily movement. In this course, students learn to improve a patient’s quality of life through physical intervention, helping with their mobility and function.

What is policy research?

Policy studies are defined as the analysis of the policymaking process. This comprises the contents and outcomes of policy. It involves examining social values and is impacted by various paradigms and methods.

Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

Under Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 424 Bhima Bhoi Bhinnakshyama Samarthya Abhiyan camps have been organised for disabled people.