Join Nidhi to Build VR Lab for Impaired Children

I’ve always pictured schools with special needs to be reeking of sorrow and dullness. But the first time I entered Shathashrunga Vidya Samste (a school for the under-privileged speaking and hearing-impaired children), I was utterly shocked by the commotion. The classroom was bustling with joy and excitement and chaos of shrieks and hand gestures. After my several visits, I quickly realized that these kids are so bright, so smart, and have so much potential. They also have dreams to become doctors, engineers, pilots, teachers…

While they are smart, the problem mainly lies in their ability to grasp knowledge. Numerous studies have proven that hearing-impaired children possess weaknesses in areas of sequential recall, processing speed, attention, and memory load. That being the case, they take a long time to learn and understand the concepts they are taught. Also due to their imparities, these children are shielded from experiencing and exploring the real world around them. In addition to the above, this school lacks the money and resources to provide the students with adequately effective teaching tools.

For these reasons, I strive to bring Virtual Reality (VR) into the worlds of these children. Virtual reality is a computer program that allows the user to be present and interact with an artificial three-dimensional environment. This will provide the students with an opportunity to explore the concepts they are being taught. For instance, if they are learning about the plant cell, they have the opportunity to go into a plant cell and watch the various processes that take place within it. There is really no limit to the knowledge that can be rendered through this technology. They can even transport themselves to any part of the world by watching immersive videos available on youtube VR. They could walk through the Sahara desert, swim across the Amazon river, visit the leaning tower of Pisa, the Taj Mahal, or the Egyptian pyramids…the list is boundless. Overall, this will help them understand the world better and really dive deeper into what they have been taught, making learning much more fun, interesting and engaging.

Help me bring brightness to their future and smiles to their faces. With the help of your valued donations, I plan to build a Virtual Reality lab in their school with a few Oculus Quest VR headsets. I plan to train the teachers on setting up and using the headsets, install & run applications and keep the lab running. Donations will also be used to purchase useful educational apps and to set up basic furniture in the lab. 

Please donate today and be a part of recognizing Shathashrunga Vidya Samste as the second school for the speaking and hearing impaired children in all of India to have a Virtual Reality Lab.