Background

Approximately one-third of India’s population suffers visual impairments, which is not an unusual statistic for a developing country. The anomaly lies in the fact that India’s braille literacy rate is at 1.1% which is significantly lower than the braille literacy rates for other developing countries. The unwillingness and inability to adopt the language as a commonly used mode of communication calls for the need to make concerted efforts in educating the public about visual impairments and working towards modes of communication for the visually impaired. 

Visually impaired individuals in underserved communities in India feel the brunt of the country’s lack of initiative in providing resources and means for them to improve their quality of life. Visually impaired students from these areas often suffer the most, as their education is impeded by the lack of braille and other modes of reading and learning available to them. Developed to spread the light of education, The Roshni Initiative was launched in August 2024 to provide support and resources to visually impaired students in underprivileged communities, to enhance their quality of life and to provide them with equal access to educational opportunities and life outcomes.