Mitra Jyothi is a Bangalore
based NGO. Since 1990, they have been working relentlessly
towards
integrating people with
disabilities into the mainstream society. Among several
of their initiatives is providing training and support to the visually
challenged and they have been doing a commendable job of it. We at Prakat are proud to have collaborated with them on multiple occasions. One such occasion came to us when we were
requested to conduct a Workshop on
Software
and Accessibility Testing for their current batch of students.
Hari Reddy, a veteran technologist
and Delivery Head at Prakat and Deepa Kumar, Consultant with Prakat’s
marketing
team, went over
to Mitra
Jyothi to conduct the workshop. Sharing their experiences:
Hari:
“The one thing I
always learn from my interactions at Mitra Jyothi is to keep things
simple.”
When I was told about this workshop, I was
very happy. I love going to Mitra Jyothi because I get a lot of positive
energy
when I interact with the students there. They are so full of energy and dreams.
As always, when we entered the gates, it was
very
peaceful, in sharp
contrast to the experience through our
commute. We were introduced to the class of 10 students coming from various parts of the country. On the first
day, they didn’t know what was coming their way. One of the students candidly
remarked later on that the first hour
was
boring because they didn’t understand much, but soon they were able to catch up and the workshop
really helped them understand some potential career options.
Even as they
introduced themselves, one could see their energy and positivity- I think this is what draws me to Mitra
Jyothi. We introduced students to concepts of Software Development Lifecycle, which must have been
challenging to some at first. But we made it our mission to ensure that they understood the
core
concepts, so that
they
could reflect and pursue it later if they wanted to.
The one thing I always learn from
my
interactions
at
Mitra Jyothi is
to keep things simple. We used the example of
getting a cup of ginger tea, from
requirements to development to testing and finally production. In this IT age of
unnecessary jargon, this was refreshing and effective. In the last session, we spoke about Accessibility and
Accessibility Testing, which students could relate to, because they face these challenges
in
their digital journey.
Like
all good things, the workshop came to an end and the students were very appreciative that we took the time
and
talked to them. I hope we were
able
to show them the different opportunities they have when they plan their career.
As always, I am in awe of all the work the entire staff of Mitra
Jyothi puts in, especially Madhuji, Major Singh,
Prathyusha (their instructor) and Veerendra (their lab instructor).
Deepa:
“While conceptualizing
and creating
videos
for the sighted, I never
perceived that there is a larger audience than what I was targeting.”
With my background as a Production Manager
and
Video Editor, I always think of conceptualizing and creating
videos
for a sighted audience. It never crossed my mind that visually challenged people would want to view these
videos
as well. I never perceived that there is a
larger audience than what I was
targeting. I came to know through
Anu
and Abhik of Prakat about Mitra Jyothi and was
totally in awe. A whole different perspective opened up for
me.
I started watching videos
on
accessibility and reading theoretically about it. But there is nothing better than having a hands-on experience.
When I was
asked if I wanted to join for the workshop, I immediately said yes. Initially, I decided that I would only
participate as
an
observer
and
so didn’t enquire about the content, though I knew it was
about 'Software Testing and Accessibility'. As Hari
started his session, some students said they didn’t understand English very well so we had to translate into Hindi. Though Hari could manage Hindi, he requested me to join in and translate. That is
how
I ended up teaching rather than just being an observer, as
I had initially planned. And I enjoyed it very much.
I couldn’t help but notice how talented and curious
the students were. They were
also
very sharp and focused as there
is no visual distraction. As Hari
mentioned, we used simple and practical
examples and students were able to relate to
the
topic though it was new to them.
On the second day, I was supposed to go out of station but changed my plans and decided to go to the workshop
instead! Since the topic
was
accessibility, I could see the students wanting to know more. As
Hari
threw more light
on
Accessibility and the various
career opportunities including Software Testing, they were really interested as
this opened many doors for
them.
In my experience, there is so much to learn from them. I am thankful to Madhuji who is such an
inspiration, Major Singh, Prathyusha, Veerendra, Mitra
Jyothi Staff and not to forget, Abhik Biswas and Hari
Reddy, who has
given me a real time experience.
