Rooted in tech, rising through inclusion, reaching for equity

The Hindu

24-04-2025

Rajesh Dadi sat on the edge of a chair, his thin frame curled into an almost defensive posture. One leg was pulled close to his chest, his knee tucked under his chin, and his other leg stretched out awkwardly towards the floor.
The nine-year-old fourth-grade student's attention was on the glow of the screen in front of him. His small fingers danced on the keyboard as he typed with intense focus to complete the task at hand.
On the screen before him was a map of India with each State taking shape as he effortlessly coded the outlines and borders with precision.
The bright and sunny drawing room felt irrelevant as the boy appeared distant, lost in his own thoughts.
'Rajesh, it's time for lunch,' his mother, Sumathi, said softly, unsure if it was alright to distract him. Her patient, repeated pleas were met with her son's swift and soft clicks of the mouse, which filled each State with vibrant hues.
Suddenly, flashing an ear-to-ear smile, he declares, 'I love geography!'
The story of Dadi, a student of Kankipadu Government Primary School in Vijayawada, underscores the importance of recognising and nurturing the potential in every child, regardless of their needs. He was diagnosed with savant syndrome, a rare condition in which individuals with significant neurological impairment, often related to autism, exhibit exceptional abilities in specific areas like art, music, or mathematics and have a prodigious memory.
Dadi possesses an exceptionally high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) that was initially overlooked. A local doctor even dismissed him as intellectual disability, but a clinical psychologist associated with 'Project 2027' recognised his true potential when she visited the Bhavitha Centre, where Dadi is placed.
Soaring with digital wings
The Education Department launched 'Project 2027' to integrate students with special needs into mainstream institutions and provide them with quality education rooted in futuristic technology.
Bhavitha Centre is a facility established by Samagra Shiksha, a national education programme, across Andhra Pradesh to promote inclusive education.
'Rajesh is a gem we found at Bhavitha. His hyper nature and reluctance to communicate with others resulted in his isolation in a mainstream school he went to in the past,' says P. Tharun, his technology mentor.
The boy is currently undergoing training in a Junior Python coding course, honing his skills in a field that aligns with his strengths.
'We believe that with the right support and environment, children like Rajesh can break through the barriers that might have held them back from achieving remarkable success'Ram KamalSenior Advisor to Andhra Pradesh School Education Department
'We believe that with the right support and environment, children like Rajesh can break through the barriers that might have held them back from achieving remarkable success,' says Ram Kamal, Senior Advisor to Andhra Pradesh School Education Department on Inclusive Education. The young boy's story demonstrates the value of inclusive education, he adds.
Sitting next to Dadi is Safaru Sanath Kumar, immersed in the world he created on the monitor of his Chromebook, a gift he received from his 'Ram Sir' (Ram Kamal). The 16-year-old, who stands just 95 cm tall and weighs 11 kg due to growth hormone deficiency, is another example of the transformative impact of inclusive education.
The well-lit room is part of a hostel called Ram Parivar, situated near the Penamaluru Zilla Parishad High School in the Penamaluru mandal of Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh.
The hostel is managed by Chakshumathi, a think tank co-founded by Kamal, dedicated to inclusive education. It collaborates with global tech companies, academic experts, and research labs to develop a free Digitally Accessible Pedagogy (DAP) that breaks the barriers caused by traditional print-based teaching methods for children with diverse learning needs.
A long table, scattered with laptops and tablets, holds half a dozen children, all of whom have special needs. They are engrossed in their tasks under the watchful eyes of their mentor, Tharun.
Their quiet concentration fills the space as the young learners explore the power of technology that fosters independent learning.
Designed to nurture dreams
Outside, the sky slowly darkens with thick clouds, and a soft drizzle cools the surroundings—an unexpected change in the weather for this time of year. However, the children remain oblivious to it, as they continue to interact with the Google tools and master their skills, undistracted.
As Kumar speaks about his journey, which was replete with challenges, including bullying at his previous school for being of small build and his shift to Ram Parivar, Tharun contributes by explaining how, by providing a safe, accessible, and inclusive learning space and mastering technology, he won the title of 'Google Champion in 2024'.
'I was fortunate to visit the Google office at Gurgaon. Since we had extra time, we went to the India Gate and I relished the Delhi chaat,' Kumar fondly recalls. He dreams of working for Google someday.
Kamal says that in the education sphere, there are only two categories of children with special needs under the medical category: those with mobility challenges and those with learning differences. He says that accessible schools and toilets, along with adaptable furniture, will help mitigate the learning diffuculties faced by these children.
'The idea is to alleviate their learning difficulties posed by print-based pedagogy with DAP and accessible e-contents in a digital way,' says Kamal.
'Our team of educationists have devised DAP, an effective pedagogy that uses a blended education mode of digital and conventional methodologies for successful inclusion. It helped Andhra Pradesh to conduct the first Digital Inclusive Festival, where 100 projects based on coding, robotics, games, IOT, and web designs put together by children with special needs won a world record for the State,' says B. Srinivasa Rao, State Project Director of Samagra Shiksha Andhra Pradesh.
He added that global records in digital initiatives and inclusive yoga brought national awards to the State in 2024 for its 'Andhra Model of Inclusive Education' initiative, an achievement made possible through DAP.
'DAP is the mantra here, which has a protocol of nearly 30 mainstream applications and customised accessibility options to enable people with print disabilities (persons who can't use a printed document mode for reading and writing) to work effectively in the mainstream education system,' explains Tharun.
Meanwhile, Kamal cites K. Deepika, a partially blind Class XI student, and B. Meghana, a blind student studying Class XII from the Anantapur district, as excellent examples of the benefits of successfully utilising technology.
Meghana wrote her Board exams in online mode without the help of a scribe. Despite excelling academically, her teachers suggested that she opt for commerce, economics and civics, as they thought she might struggle with science. But Meghana chose her favourite subjects, mathematics, physics, and chemistry, as her main subjects.
'I want to be a data scientist, for which I need to be good in mathematics and science,' she says, flashing a confident smile.
'In the DAP mode, we have been trained to use tools that help us read the text,' she says, explaining about the technology they use called the Unicode block Optical Character Recognition, which contains symbols used in this system for reading written text, while converting text from print into digital format. Meghana is known as a 'human calculator' at Ram Parivar due to her extraordinary mental math skills.
'Coming from a humble background with a modest income, I can't afford to invest much in her education. But I'm glad that her academic needs are not only being met—she's also being nurtured to discover her potential and excel in what she truly loves'B. RammohanFather of Meghana, a student at Ram Parivar
'We are incredibly proud of her,' says her father, B. Rammohan, a farmer from Ramagiri Mandal in Anantapur district. 'Coming from a humble background with a modest income, I can't afford to invest much in her education. But I'm glad that her academic needs are not only being met—she's also being nurtured to discover her potential and excel in what she truly loves,' he says.
Most of these children with special needs come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. They are delighted to find an opportunity to thrive academically and creatively under the nurturing guidance of experts. Equipped to unlock their full potential, they feel empowered.
DAP is an innovation by Chakshumathi and has been in use by individuals since 2013. However, in Andhra Pradesh, it was introduced in the school education sector in 2022, as part of 'Vision 2025', which preceded 'Project 2027'.
Over 10,000 students are familiar with DAP, which Bhavitha Centres use. Since 2023, students with print disabilities in the state have been appearing for Board examinations using computers or chromebooks.
The Education Department is also working diligently on tools for Digitally Accessible Deaf (DAD), a sub-protocol of DAP, to assist children with hearing impairments.
'DAD is not a sign language, but it enables the children with sensory impairment to read and write effectively without having to depend on sign language,' explains Kamal, adding that any speech format can be transcribed into text under DAD.
Under 'Project 2027,' guidelines are being framed to facilitate the participation of children with special needs in mainstream and adventure sports. In the first episode of adventure sports, which took place in May last year, a large group of children from all special needs categories were trained in techniques involving efficient body positioning, footwork, and strategic use of holds to move safely and effectively up a rock before they were allowed to explore trekking and rock climbing at Gandikota adventure sports park in Kadapa district.
Pushing frontiers in sports
'A team of selected participants will visit Ladakh this summer,' informs Abhishek Dutt Bahuguna, a research fellow and a trainer under Shankar Kadapella, who is currently working with 'Project 2027' as the Inclusive Sports trainer. Kadapella is a seasoned mountaineer, a former member of the Indian Cricket B Team, and a Sports Management professional with the Indian Institute of Sports Management.
The government is reportedly actively considering the establishment of an inclusive sports academy in Narpala village, Anantapur district.
Srinivasa Rao says that in the upcoming academic year, the State will also revamp the 679 Bhavitha Centres by equipping them with modern technology and facilities. The proposed 125 Bhavitha Autism Support Centres and the 1,358 Bhavitha Learning Support Rooms in government high schools will experience groundbreaking initiatives. New features, such as labs on trolleys, tactile image books, and smart panels, alongside the establishment of Dr. T.V. Raman Experiential Computer Science labs, are seen as a game-changer.
'These labs will be inclusive in nature and have accessibility features for students with learning differences,' says Srinivasa Rao. He informs that a prototype design of the lab is ready for a formal launch in June at the China Kakani Zilla Parishad High School in Mangalagiri, Guntur district. The first Autism Support Centre will also be established at the MPPS Government School in China Kakani.
The modern labs are named after T.V. Raman, a distinguished computer scientist at Google. He is the father of Speech Engines that change the lives of people with blindness. For his role in leading accessibility research at Google, he is hailed as a modern-day Louis Braille.
As is evident from the bitter experiences shared by children with special needs, in most schools, they are overlooked, sidelined, and segregated into separate classrooms or schools altogether, or typecast as 'different and often left behind.
'This segregation not only limits their educational opportunities but also hampers their social development and self-esteem. They should be included actively, meaningfully, and equally in the education system,' says Laxmi Rao, who is associated with 'Project 2027'.