Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) will set up an ‘Accessibility Centre’ for blinds and other visually impaired students at its national library.
It will be free of cost arrangement for all the needed students. The Centre will start working within few days. AIOU being the Public Sector University considers its national responsibility taking care of handicapped people, said Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui. The center will be equipped with computers, scanners, printers, different software through which visually impaired or blind persons could access e-content from the internet. The needed students will be able to access HEC’s digital resources, e-Books, research articles, journals, thesis and course material of relevant their programs without any extra charges. The University will also arrange orientation and introductory sessions that would benefit them for their learning and academic up-gradation.
Dr. Shahid Siddiqui said they will meet special needs of such students with all possible means, mainly through new technology. Initially, the facility will be available here at Central Library University‘s main Campus and later it will be extended to regional offices all over the country. The Library remains opens from 8 am to 6 pm daily except Sunday. It works as national library, as students from other educational institution can also benefit from it. Recently, the library has been liked with automation and digital system for online learning.
Dr. Siddiqui further said the AIOU is the only Public Sector University in the country which provides special education to disabled and handicapped people at graduate and post-graduate level. We provide fee-remission and special scholarships to disabled students. A special fund has made available in the University’s annual budget.Meanwhile, Dr. Siddiqui announced that AIOU will soon host a Cricket tournament for children having different physical disabilities in order to encourage them to play their active role in social life like normal people. He made this announcement while addressing a prize-distribution ceremony here on the occasion of final-match of a cricket tournament that as played between the cricket team of AIOU and International Islamic University.
