Microsoft has helped the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), one of India’s most respected eye-health organisations, open a new centre to help provide visually-impaired people with computer training.

A collaborative initiative between Microsoft and LVPEI, The Computer Training Center for the Visually Challenged – Low Vision and Blind is expected to support 128 students in its first year.

Staff at the Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) formed an integral part of the project as part of the centre’s commitment to vision and eye health in India, which expands access to education and employment for people with vision loss.

The new centre will use assistive technology such as JAWS, NVDA and Window-Eyes screen readers, all of which read text aloud to users. AiSquared has also collaborated with Microsoft to provide a free download of Window-Eyes for customers using Microsoft Office 2010 or 2013.

Students at the centre will be able to learn how to navigate Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Skype, the internet, social networking, programming languages and accounting packages.

The L V Prasad Eye Institute is a non-profit organisation that focuses on rehabilitation in both urban and rural populations, and is governed by the Hyderabad Eye Institute and Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation.

“This programme has the potential to impact the lives of many children by improving their scholastic achievement and enhancing their career opportunities and growth,” said Gullapalli N. Rao, founder and chairman of LVPEI. “In addition, this could also act as a model for other institutions in the developing world to replicate.”

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