GEOMKIT IS PROVING TO BE A GAMECHANGER FOR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL DISABILITIES IN LEARNING GEOMETRY
Isn’t it unfortunate that most of the students with visual disabilities are forced to abandon their passion towards Maths just because they have no kits and tools available to learn it with?
Incidentally, learning Maths and Science has been extremely challenging for these students – not any less for the special educators who teach them. The need, therefore, is to use technological innovations to improve the education system for these students with visual disabilities through suitably designed learning kits, as well as teaching and learning aids.
Geometry, unfortunately, is one of the most eyes-intensive branches of Maths. But Geometry is also the core of many advanced Maths concepts like Trigonometry, Coordinate Geometry, Calculus, Mensuration, Statics and Dynamics. Therefore, it is all the more reason that students with visual disabilities must conquer Geometry.
GEOMKIT has received Great Reviews and Multiple Award
GEOMKIT becomes the Solution
Persons with Visual Disabilities use embossed touch sensation to visualize a drawing – hence, the students with visual disabilities need a Geometry Kit, using which they can construct embossed geometrical patterns.
GEOMKIT – the Tactile Geometry Kit – is designed to fulfil this need.
Some of the salient features of GEOMKIT are enumerated below:
- GEOMKIT includes the full set of accessories needed for any geometrical construction, as follows:
- Tactile Slate – on which tactile drawings would be made
- Point Markers – to mark the Points
- Line Markers – to draw Line and Line Segments
- Ruler – to draw and measure Distances
- Protractor – to draw and measure Angles
- Set Square frame – to draw most-used angles (30°, 60° and 90°) without using Protractor
- Wheels and Arcs – stencils to draw Circles and Arcs of specific radius (in lieu of Compass)
- Tactile Stylus – for creating embossed impressions on the braille paper
- The GEOMKIT allows students with visual disabilities to make geometrical constructions on the standard Braille Paper. No special (costly) paper is needed.
- They can make a vast range of Geometrical constructions. Incidentally, all the geometrical constructions as per NCERT Class VI – X syllabus have been successfully made using this kit.
- It comes in a Box that fits in a school bag – thus is easy to carry.
- GEOMKIT is based on a patented design.
- It is highly cost effective and available at an affordable price.
You may find more about GEOMKIT here.
GEOMKIT has received Great Reviews and Multiple Awards
GEOMKIT has been subjected to field trials at multiple blind schools across India and has received great reviews – a few of these are enumerated below:
“Nice product! GEOMKIT is fulfilling the requirements of visually impaired students extremely well. Their limitations are very well kept in mind while designing. The magnets used in the kit has resolved the problem of placing the components in right place appropriately on the board. Children at our school have been very excited to use the kit. The best part is that they are able to use it independently. Almost all the figures and constructions can be drawn with the help of GEOMKIT. Definitely it will help in developing interest in the children to study geometrical concepts. But, yes, training is required before it can be used correctly.” – Special Educator at Saksham Blind School, Noida, India.
“When the teacher used to teach geometry in the class full of my sighted colleagues, I used to just sit and listen – I could not make any sense of it. But after using GEOMKIT, today when the teacher told us to draw a line, an arc on its one corner, an angle on the other, and then connect the intersection – for the first time I could understand what he was saying. I shouted – sir, I can do this too!” – a visually handicapped GEOMKIT user, student of class VII attending School with Inclusive Education.
“GEOMKIT is a good low-cost option to promote geometry for visually impaired. Great Work!” – Program Manager, Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), Mumbai, India.
GEOMKIT has been recognized by CDAP (Cell for Differently Abled Persons), Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 2019. GEOMKIT has also received the prestigious NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2020.
SAKSHAM TRUST and RAISED LINES FOUNDATION have come together to ensure GEOMKIT reaches the Target Beneficiaries
SAKSHAM TRUST (www.saksham.org) is an India based NGO headed by Mr. Dipendra Manocha, a visually challenged himself. Saksham Trust has India-wide network – their channel partners span almost all blind schools as well as NGOs working for persons with visual disabilities across India. Saksham and Mr. Manocha has received numerous awards (including national award) and accolades for their exemplary work towards People with Visual Disabilities.
It is heartening that SAKSHAM has decided to take care of the distribution and dissemination of GEOMKITs worldwide.
Moreover, in order to promote this cause, SAKSHAM TRUST launched the GEOMKIT PROJECT, under which they would disseminate 2000 GEOMKITs free to the students with visual disabilities in India. They have been seeking funds from Government and Non-Government agencies, Corporates, and Individuals for this project. This distribution of GEOMKITs would cover diverse population across India representing following groups:
- Rural / Urban Schools
- Low-income group / middle-income group families
- Students of different classes – Class V, Class VI, Class VII, Class VIII, Class IX, and Class X
- Inclusive Schools / Special Schools for the Blind
RAISED LINES FOUNDATION (RLF) (www.raisedlines.org) 
is a section-8 not-for-profit company incubated at INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DELHI. 
Its primary focus is design and production of affordable tactile diagrams for persons with visual disabilities.
It is a pleasure that RLF has decided to partner in this cause and taken up the production of GEOMKIT. This also includes development of the Training Material – on braille and tactile as well as in digital form (YouTube tutorial videos and pictures) – both for the special educators and the students with visual disability.
How to Buy GEOMKITs
GEOMKITs are available commercially at Saktek.in eCommerce platform.