Unnikrishnan S By

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ashish, Faris, Aromal, Amina, Aswathy, Sajjid gather around Vinod B, their maths teacher at Government School for Visually Impaired at Vazhuthacaud to learn problem-solving using a new tool. The tool looks like rows of black geometric blocks affixed on a whiteboard.

The square, triangle, hexagonal, circular blocks contain six holes. Each row with a ‘=’ in between represents an equation and each block is used to fill values for variables and constants. The square block represents positive or negative signs. Vinod fills the holes in a particular pattern using pegs. He then tells them to feel pattern. It is X + Y = 5 and X- Y= 1, said Ashish, a fifth standard student.

Know your X and Y

Maths is a dreaded subject for many students, so much so that even higher studies and careers are chosen to avoid dealing with numbers. Yet the lessons learnt at school level guide ‘maths haters’ to deal with life’s challenges. The visually challenged are ‘saved’ from the hardship of learning maths at schools and are given the option of learning music instead! But this excuse ill-equips them to choose a meaningful career making their lives even more difficult.

A new method developed by Insight, a project under Department of Social Justice and Kerala Federation of the Blind, in the city sets to attract the visually challenged to numbers and symbols.

Equation board for visually challenged

developed by Insight

Insight decided to make a special tool for learning simple mathematic equations based on a survey conducted by it in 2015.

“Our survey found that visually challenged students face a lot of hardship in learning maths. They continue to study based on a weak foundation and later avoid the subject altogether,” said coordinator of Insight James Mathew.

According to him failure to learn basics cost them a lot of career opportunities. “In PSC examinations they leave out the maths questions altogether. The visually challenged students who study in the regular school are unable to catch up with the rest. I was not an exception,” said Vinod. He lost eye-sight when he was in Standard VII. He used to score full marks until then.

The visually challenged typically use Taylor Frame, a metallic board with pattern holes. Equations are made by inserting pegs of different shapes. “The pattern used for making equations in a Taylor Frame is cumbersome. With just two pins there are 32 patterns possible. The pattern is different from Braille pattern and that is a huge learning curve that blind students are reluctant to take,” said engineering graduates Tharak Wilton and Akhil Krishnakumar who have joined Insight due to their passion for mathematics.

Equation board aims to minimise the complexity by using Braille notations for digits and variables. Insight now plans to introduce the new tool before State Council Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and National Institute for the Visually Handicapped to make it a standard for teaching maths for visually impaired.