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Good practice Imported

Mitra Jyothi Computer Training Centre for the Blind and Visually Impaired

India · Bangalore · See the India profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 85% 48/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Since 2005, Bangalore charity Mitra Jyothi has trained 1,000+ blind and low-vision adults in screen-reader computer literacy; a TCS partnership trained 100+ people, over half absorbed into TCS and others placed at IBM and Cisco.

1,000+ people
Blind and low-vision adults trained since inception (2005–present)
100+ people
People trained through the TCS collaboration (cumulative)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Mitra Jyothi
Period
2005-present
Keywords
digital literacy, assistive technology, disability, employment

Context

Mitra Jyothi is a charitable trust founded in 1990 in Bangalore, India, by Madhu Singhal, who is herself blind. Alongside a Talking Book Library, Braille Transcription Centre and Independent Living Skills courses, it runs a Placement Cell (established 1999) to support blind and low-vision adults into employment.

Objectives

The Computer Training Centre, set up in 2005 with capital investment support from IBM, aims to build screen-reader-based computer literacy among blind and low-vision adults and connect them to jobs.

Activities

Six-month batches of around 20 blind and low-vision students progress from basic keyboard and screen-reader orientation to email, text editing and Microsoft Office use. Every trainee is automatically enrolled with the Placement Cell for job-search support after completing the course, including a dedicated collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

Results

More than 1,000 people have been trained since the centre's inception. The TCS collaboration alone has trained over 100 people, with more than half absorbed directly into TCS and the remainder placed at IBM, Cisco and other IT companies; the organisation received a Karnataka state award in 2010 for its disability services.

Conclusions

These figures come from Mitra Jyothi's own reporting, corroborated by independent media coverage and Wikipedia, rather than from an externally audited impact evaluation, so placement rates should be read as self-reported.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — Set up with capital investment support from IBM in 2005; ongoing running costs not published.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Continuous operation since 2005 in six-month training batches of around 20 students.
Staffing & skills
Mitra Jyothi Computer Training Centre trainers, Dedicated Placement Cell (established 1999) for job-search support

Conditions for success

  • Initial capital investment from IBM to set up the centre in 2005
  • Automatic enrolment of every trainee with the Placement Cell after course completion
  • Dedicated employer partnership pipeline with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), plus placements at IBM and Cisco

Where it fits

Governance type
charitable trust / disability-focused NGO
Scale
single-city (Bangalore) with national employer partnerships
Income level
lower-middle income country

Commonly funded by

Philanthropic / foundation funding

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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