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 was established during 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.
The scheme titled Assistance for Establishment/Modernization/Capacity Augmentation of Braille Press was launched with the objective of providing Braille textbooks and course materials free of cost to visually impaired children up to Class XII across India.
From April 2022, the name of the scheme was changed to
Project for Financial Assistance for Braille Presses.
Recognizing the need for additional accessible formats for students with visual disabilities, the guidelines were revised and the scheme was renamed
Project on Financial Support for Development of Accessible Learning Materials (DALM Project)
in November 2023.
The project has extended its coverage to students across age groups, from the foundational level to higher education. It caters to several accessible formats, including narrated talking books, ePub/digital formats, large-print materials and tactile pages for students with visual impairment.
A total of 25 Braille Presses and implementing agencies have served beneficiaries across the country up to the financial year 2023–24. Under this project, 12,28,79,645 Braille pages have been embossed, produced and distributed to 1,59,628 beneficiaries up to the year 2023–24.
Nodal Agency of the Project
National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (Divyangjan)