“Project on Financial Support for Development of Accessible Learning Materials(DALM Project) under SIPDA Scheme“
Under the provisions of Section 17(g) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, a new Central Sector Scheme has been set up in the year 2014-15 to provide free books, other learning materials and suitable assistive devices to students with benchmark disabilities up to the age of 18 years. Scheme (Assistance for Establishment/ Modernization/ Capacity Augmentation of Braille Press) was launched. The scheme was launched with the objective of providing Braille text books and course material to visually impaired children up to class XII all over India, free of cost. From April 2022, the name of the scheme was changed to “Project for Financial Assistance for Braille Presses”.
There was a need for many other accessible format for students with visual disabilities by realizing these needs, the guidelines were revised and rename as “Project on Financial Support for Development of Accessible Learning Materials” in November 2023.
The Project has extended its coverage to students across age groups from the foundational level to the Higher Education level. At the same time, the Project caters to all the popular accessible formats including Talking Books (Narrated), E-Pub/Digital, and Large Print materials, Tactile Pages for students with Visual Impairment.Total 25 Braille Press/implementing agencies has served across the country till F.Y. 2023-24. 12,28,79,645 Braille Pages has been embossed or produced and distributed to the 1,59,628 beneficiaries under this project till year 2023-24.
Nodal Agency of the Project : National Institute for the Empowerment of the Persons with Visual Disabilities (Divyangjan) – https://nivh.gov.in/?page_id=6001“