Retina India holds regional conference

The first South India Regional Conference on Inclusive Education(SIRCIE) was conducted here recently by Retina India, a no-profit organisation, working for the medical and social needs of people with retinal disorders. The conference was inaugurated by Dr G Jayaraman, retired professor, Madras Christian College and president of Welfare Association of the  Blind.

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The meet, which saw teachers from mainstream schools, experts from the NGO sectors, volunteers and persons with vision- challenge, discussed the ways of implementing inclusive system of education in mainstream schools, particularly  from the point of view of children undergoing progressive vision loss due to various retinal disorders such as Retinitis Pigmentosa(R.P), Macula Degeneration(M.D), Diabetic Retinopathy(D.R), etc. 'This is a truly momentous occasion where we from the NGOs have a common platform with the teachers to exchange ideas and find ways of implementing inclusive education concepts in mainstream schools,' Dr.Jayaraman said. 'Retina India has objectives such as bringing the cure from abroad as and when they are available, promote research in India to find cure for retinal disorders and conduct medical surveys to determine the prevalence of retinal conditions. So we realize the cure is a tomorrow’s thing and it is important for patients to rehabilitate themselves and become worthy contributors to social advancement. This programme is one of the ways of creating the environments for them to accomplish that goal,' said Sudhamani Venkatesan, COO, Retina India.   Nearly 100 teachers from several schools across the four southern States took part in the programme. Organisations such as Vidyasagar, Banyan, National Association for the Blind (NAV), National Federation for the Blind (NFB), National Institute for the Visually Handicapped(NIVH) also took part in the conference.