The residents of Bethania Rehabilitation Centre at Kumarapuram in the district partook in a five-day training programme on accessible technology organized by Insight. There were 23 trainees, all of them women between 15 and 30 years of age, for the workshop that started on 12 July. Bethania is a centre for the rehabilitation of differently abled women managed by the Bethany Sisters and aided by the Government of India. The centre imparts vocational training and corrective physiotherapy and also provides residential facilities during training.

As part of Insight’s initiatives to give impetus to accessible technology and advance its use among persons with physical challenges, a workshop was organized at Home of Peace for children with special needs, Kanjirappally, Kottayam. The training that centred on educational software for children started on 5 July and concluded on 9 July. Around 20 residents of the institution undertook the training. The children gladly received their first steps in computers. Home of Peace is a rehabilitation centre for children with physical challenges, run by Sisters of the destitute, a missionary congregation. The institution takes care of special children providing them with necessities like food, clothing, shelter and education.

Insight, on 25 June 2011, entertained dignitaries from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. Smt. Latha Pillai, Pro-Vice Chancellor, IGNOU and Dr. Arun Banik, Director, National Centre for Disability Studies (a wing under IGNOU) visited the Insight centres to survey the operations of the centre for the visually challenged. Dr. Banik also paid a visit to the Insight centre for children with special needs. Dr. K S Divakaran Nair, Regional Director, IGNOU, Kochi, and Dr. B Sukumar, Regional Director, IGNOU, Trivandrum, also accompanied them.

After a short interval, Insight centre is once again abuzz with action. Our 10th batch of students hit the town on 8 June 2011. We have 20 fresh faces so far and one more will soon join the team.

Insight organized a two-day training programme on accessible technology at the LBS Centre for Science and Technology in Kalamassery. Five members of the LBS staff attended the programme that began on 8 June 2011. Insight master trainers handled the sessions. LBS is an autonomous institution run by the Government of Kerala for the promotion of science and technology. The Kalamassery centre is soon to launch a project for training the visually challenged and hence the orientation programme for the staff.