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Talking library to aid the visually impaired: India

Coimbatore, July 2: A talking library has been set up in Coimbatore, perhaps the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu to assist the visually impaired students.

Libraries are usually considered not that user–friendly for visually impaired. Sifting through a number of books for a reference or a read is a tough task for them. But now all that is set to change.

Thousands of audio–cassettes on various subjects are available in this library and visually challenged students, especially those preparing for higher studies find this 'talking library' a blessing.

Ponnusamy, a visually impaired student said, ''I had come to this talking library for the first time and this is a boon to visually challenged people like us. Generally people with normal eyesight can easily access or go to any library and can also refer any kind of books. But we can study only what is being taught to us in our class. Now we can access all books.''

Surveys indicate that every five seconds, one person in the world loses vision. Every minute, one child loses the ability to see and more than half of the world's visually impaired people live in India.

The 'talking library' set up jointly by the Lions Club and Bharatiyar University has opened up a world of opportunities for those who cannot see.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com

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