The 142nd birthday of Helen Keller - Helen Keller's Day was jointly organized by the Blind Relief Association and Helen Keller Trust on 27 June 2022. Mrs. Amita Dutta and Mr. Charu Dutta, a hearing-impaired couple were invited as special guests to the event.
A photo exhibition portraying the life of Ms. Keller was organized, along with the screening of interesting videos on her life and accomplishments. The captions of the photographs, along with quotes and short stories about Ms. Keller were made available in Braille.
The teacher trainees of the Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education performed a skit on the childhood days of Ms. Keller and her association with Ms. Anne Sullivan, Keller's teacher, and lifelong companion, and conducted simulation exercises for the participants. The program commenced with a vandana sung by the computer trainees.
Self Defence Training for Female Trainees
Focusing on the safety of visually impaired women, the Blind Relief Association requested Delhi Police to conduct Self Defence Training for the trainees of the Association under its SASHAKTI - Self Defence Summer Camp 2022.
20 female trainees were trained by three officers from the Special Police Unit for Women & Children for two hours every day from 13-26 June 2022 in the Gandhi Hall of the Association. The trainees also participated in the closing ceremony of the Camp held at Thyagraj Indoor Stadium on 27 June. The Commissioner of Police, Delhi - Shri Rakesh Asthana, interacted with the participants and also presented a memento to the Association, received by Mr. David, Dy. Executive Secretary (Operations).
International Yoga Day
On 21 June, the vocational trainees being trained by Acharya Suresh Dutt Sharma from Nature's Healing Trust performed different yogic exercises in the presence of the Chief Guest Smt. Seema Bhupinder Malik, Municipal Councillor, SDMC; Dr. Aparna Gautam, Founder of Nature's Healing Trust; and Shri Pankaj Rustagi.
Volunteering Day
The Blind Relief Association received a 25-member team from Mercer India Pvt. Ltd as a part of the company's volunteering day on 25 May 2022. The team also included Mr. Chirag Buch - Mercer Global Service Delivery Leader, Mr. Jaspreet Singh Bakshi- GIC India HR Leader, Mr. Alexander John - WAS Leader, Mr. Sumit Bhatia- Mercer HR Leader, and Mr. Amit Ahuja - Talent Acquisition Leader.
Farewell to DDCSE trainees
33 second-year teacher trainees completing B.Ed. in Special Education (Visual Impairment) from the Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education were given a warm and fun farewell on 27 May at the Gandhi Hall of the Association. The trainees shared their gratitude and fond memories of their journey while the staff expressed their hearty wishes for the future. The batch included six visually impaired trainees.
Mentorship with Mercer
The Blind Relief Association started a Mentorship Program with Mercer, leaders in Management Consulting. On 1 June ’22, the vocational trainees were introduced to their mentors via an interactive zoom session coordinated by Mr. Rohan Khanna from Mercer. 30 trainees receive counseling, guidance, and support from their mentors every Saturday through a one-on-one online meeting.
Remembering the Founders
4 June marked the 64th death anniversary of Smt. Anusuya Basrurker who along with her husband Shri Umesh Anand Basrurker founded the Blind Relief Association, Delhi in 1944. In remembrance of their vision, dedication and service a havan ceremony was organized at the Association's Gandhi Hall. It was attended by the students, trainees, and staff of the Association.
We are always grateful for the path the founders laid before us and for having shown us through their lives what it means to serve selflessly.
V.I. Masseurs now at Shri Ram School
In a novel initiative, the Blind Relief Association has been exploring and reaching different avenues to employ the visually impaired masseurs trained at the Association. Since June, the masseurs have begun providing relaxation massage services to the teachers/staff of the renowned Shri Ram School, on its campuses at Moulsari, Vasant Vihar, and Aravali.
Visit from Lady Irwin College
Three faculty members and 37 trainees of the first-year B.Ed Special Education (ID) of Lady Irwin College visited the Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education on 6 June 2022. Dr. Swati Sanyal, Course Director welcomed the trainees, and faculty members and briefed them about the college and the services of the Association. The trainees of Lady Irwin College learned basic English braille from DDCSE trainees and visited the college library.
Running Event with Adobe India
Adobe India organized a running event in it's Noida office on 9 June and invited the vocational trainees of the Blind Relief Association to be a part of it. The runners (staff of Adobe) were given the opportunity to walk blindfolded, hand in hand with the visually impaired trainees. Trainees undergoing Multi-Skill training, namely Anoop, Pankaj Sharma, Yogesh Rawal, and Malti Kumari Sahu participated in this event.
Happy Visitor from UK
Mr. Christopher Eary of HSBC along with Mr. Subramanian Karpagam, Mr. Tanmay Vyas, Mr. Mani and the team visited the Blind Relief Association on 10 June accompanied by the team from Youth4Jobs Foundation. Going around the different units of the Association, Chris also interacted with the vocational trainees and handed over HSBC's donation of folding canes and oxygen concentrators to Mr. David, Dy. Executive Secretary (Operations).
KIBO Workshop
The Diploma in Computer Education (V.I.) team of the Blind Relief Association organized a workshop on the Usage of KIBO Device on 28 June for the vocational trainees and the teacher trainees of Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education, with Mr. Nityanand, Marketing Associate from Trestle Labs as the speaker.
KIBO is a handy technological device that can scan, convert and speak text into various Indian Languages. These E-texts can be voice-read by visually impaired persons on their computers, tabs, and mobile phones.
Placements
1. Mukhtyar completed his Diploma in Computer Education from the Association this year and is placed in Microsoft, Noida as a Mailroom Executive.
2. Sobhit Dwivedi and Satyawati completed their Basic Computer and Office Operations course and are placed with D'art Design as Customer Care Executives.
3. Nineteen former and present Multi-Skill trainees have been placed with Tangerine Design Pvt. Ltd. in the capacity of semi-skilled workers.
4. Krishna and Pramod, Multi-Skill trainees were placed with Matrix Clothing Private Limited as semi-skilled workers.
5. Shokat Ali and Zubir Khan trained in Relaxation Massage are now employed with the Shri Ram Schools as masseurs.
