A RYLA for the visually impaired

I liked all the activities and that the people here knew what I was going through every day. It was easier to make friends with them because they did not expect me to do things that they knew I can’t do,” said 12-year-old Girish, a participant, at the RYLA for the visually-impaired, conducted by Rotary Club of Silk City Ramanagara, D 3190.

Talking about the event, Club Secretary T J Anuradha said, “Our goal was to bring them out of their secured classrooms so they don’t feel lost or out of place when they step outside their campus.” Over 200 visually-impaired students attended this RYLA conducted at the BG School for the Visually Impaired in Ramanagara, near Bengaluru.

The event was inaugurated by the District Superintendent of Police B Ramesh, IPS, in the presence of Club President Raghavendra R and RYLA Chairman R Shashidar.

As the RYLA was conducted on Teachers’ Day, blind instructors from the school were felicitated. Close to 20 Rotarians assisted by Sandesh, an officer at SBI and an alumnus of the school, and his nine-member team from EnAble India, an NGO that works for the differently-abled, conducted sensory play activities that stimulate the senses: touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing. The participants were given lessons and games to understand the concept of building leadership skills and motivation.

The club’s Youth Service Director Amrithraj Shiva added that “conducting a RYLA for normal students is easier but we wanted to do things differently. Besides, it’s so fulfilling to know that we provided a day full of fun activities for these children.”