About CSS

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The year 2008 brings great news for visually challenged students in Pakistan as Government College University (GCU) establishes a Centre for Special Students (CSS). This is the first ever, such center at college or university level established in Pakistan which aims at assisting the visually challenged students in order to eliminate their educational barriers. The number of visually impaired students registered at present from first-year to M.Phil are about 22.

The credit for this centre goes to Prof. Dr. Khalid Aftab, the Vice Chancellor of GCU who is the visionary behind this project. He took personal interest in initiating, planning and arranging the funds for this centre. In opening this centre not only has he facilitated the blind students in their learning, he has also provided them with an equal opportunity to become useful citizens in the society.

The Centre for Special Students (CSS) is attached with GCU Library for IT based services and administrative affairs.

Facilities

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The centre offers all the major facilities which the blind students generally require in order to meet their educational demands. Some of the major facilities provided by (CSS) are mentioned below:  

1- Computer Training Classes for Blind Computer Learners

The blind students are given special training in the centre to elevate their understanding regarding the use of computer and specially designed softwares that are widely used all over the world by the blind computer users.

At this modern age, the use of technology has minified most of the problems of the visually impaired people. The main idea, thus, is to train more and more blind students so that they may take the best out of the technology to diminish their educational dependency. For this very cause, the centre is playing a substantial part by promoting the use of technology for blind and giving them proper training to be heavily benefited by it.

2- Solutions for Braille Related Issues

Some blind students in the GCU campus take their exams using the Braille format. The Braille machine, which is used for this purpose is very expensive and most of the students cannot afford it. The centre has arranged for six Perkins Braille machines, which can be used by visually impaired students to take their exams on campus. In addition these Braille machines can also be utilized by the examination branch to transcribe question sheets.

The same Braille machines may also be used by the students to transcribe books/notes and other material related to their college courses.

3- Computers/Speech Output Programs

The centre now offers computers with special, specifically designed screen reader programmes which enable the visually impaired students to work independently in their own special lab and not be dependant on other computer laboratories on the campus. The latest versions of Jaws and open book, (the main screen reader programs used by the blind) are now available in the centre. With the help of these speech oriented programs, the blind students are able to get rid of their certain limitations in different areas and become educationally independent. The facility of computer may also be used for those blind students who take their exams via computer.

4- Internet Surfing

Internet facilities are also available for research purposes. Using their screen reader program (jaws), a visually impaired person may also be able to surf internet independently and in equally effective manner like others.

5- Braille Magazines for Pleasure Reading

The centre for special students (CSS) also has a collection of different Braille magazines for the purpose of pleasure reading.

The magazines may also be issued to the students for a limited period of time. More over, the Braille books shall soon be added to this section of the centre.

6- Braille Dictionary

English to Urdu Braille dictionary designed by Aziz Jahan Bagum Trust for the Blind is available in the Centre. Consulting this six volumes Braille dictionary, the blind students find the greater solution to many of their English vocabulary problems as well as improve their English skills by exploring the meanings of countless words. This unparalleled facility for blind students may not be found in any other college/university of Pakistan.

7- Audio Books/Tutorials

Audio facilities and other related programs are also available for curricular and extracurricular learning. There are number of audio books and training tutorials on different subjects which the students may get from the centre. These training tutorials help the blind computer users discovering the in-depth knowledge regarding the screen reader programs as well as the MS office package.

8- Books-Scanning

The Centre provides the facility of books scanning which allow the blind students to read their course material independently. For this very purpose, the Centre has got the high speed scanner along with the special program, Open book, which enables the visually impaired people to scan material of their own and get it read with the help of speech output softwares.

Staff

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News & EVENTS

GC UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GETS THE HOLY QURAN IN BRAILLE FOR BLIND STUDENTS

The GC University Lahore Library has made available the full text the Holy Quran in Braille to the visually impaired students of the GCU Centre for Special Students (CSS). A copy of the Holy Quran in Braille is donated to the university library by the IQRA Educational Trust, UK Chairman Anees Qari.

The Chief Librarian GC University said that the donated copy of the Holy Quran is divided into twelve parts and has been placed in the Centre for Special Students (CSS). He said that the Holy Quran is published in Saudi Arabia and the Braille paper is acid-free. “Prof Dr Khalid Aftab Vice Chancellor GC University has issued special directions to provide all kinds of facilities to the university’s special students,” he added. He further said the University has already digitalized curriculum and pleasure-reading books for the blind students besides printing them in Braille. The GCU CSS has high-tech computers who can easily run heavy screen reading software. The Chief Librarian told “The centre surprises its visitors when they see blind students sending and receiving emails, chatting and browsing without any help,”    

The GCU visually impaired students have expressed pleasure at the availability of the Holy Quran in Braille at the Centre, saying that it would provide them an opportunity to read the Quran, the greatest gift by the Almighty Allah to mankind.

(06-05-2010)

GCU digitalises books for visually impaired students

The GC University Lahore Centre for Special Children (GCU CSS) in collaboration with the GCU Lahore Library has digitised curriculum and pleasure-reading books for their blind students besides printing them in Braille. It was revealed at the meeting held to the review the performance of the centre and facilities being provided to the special children. The Centre is attached with GCU Library for IT based services and administrative affairs. The Centre has also started facilitating the GCU blind students in taking their exams. The centre trains them in using the computer with the help of screen reading software, so that they can solve their papers on the computer. If some students do not want to take paper on computer, the centre also has six Perkins Baillie machines for them. The GC University Lahore is the only university of Pakistan who has Centre for Special Children and is offering such kind of high-tech facilities to the blind students. The centre has also proving the lectures to students in mp3 format after recording them, so that they can listen to them again and again. The centre also has a six volume English to Urdu Braille dictionary for its blind students. As many as 23 blind students are studying at the university from the intermediate to postgraduate classes and their all curriculum-related books have been digitalised.

Prof. Dr. Dr Khalid Aftab Vice Chancellor has been providing extensive funds to centre, so that it can provide maximum facilities to the special children. The Centre has recently imported an expensive Braille Embosser which can print any digitalised material in Braille. The centre has high-tech computers who can easily run heavy screen reading software. The centre surprises its visitors when they see blind students sending and receiving emails, chatting and browsing without any help.    

The GCU students can now memorise these books for their examination by listening to them through computer. “Now they don’t need any special help of other students. The Centre has digitalised their almost all curriculum books and now they can prepare for their examination just with the help of a computer,” said instructor Salman Khalid, who is MA English from GCU and also visually challenged, informed the meeting. The Centre has also started facilitating the GCU blind students in taking their exams. The centre trains them in using the computer with the help of screen reading software, so that they can solve their papers on the computer. If some students do not want to take paper on computer, the centre also has six Perkins Baillie machines for them.  He further said that the centre has also extended facilities its facilities to the students of other university on special requests. He said that all university of Pakistan should have such centres which enable blind students to lead an exemplary and honourable life. Salman Khalid said that the centre has also proving the lectures to students in mp3 format after recording them, so that they can listen to them again and again. The centre also has a six volume English to Urdu Braille dictionary for its blind students. He further said that the centre has also extended facilities its facilities to the students of other university on special requests. He said that all university of Pakistan should have such centres which enable blind students to lead an exemplary and honourable life.

The GCU blind students term the centre a blessing, saying that only visually-challenged student can understand its true importance.

(04-11-2009)

GCU Establishes a Centre for Special STUDENTS

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The inaugural ceremony of the newly setup Centre for Special Students (CSS) at the GC University was held here at the campus on Tuesday.

The centre is well equipped with latest IT based lab facilities for the special students. The lab has been designed and equipped keeping in view the specific needs of the blind/visually impaired students.

Syed Babar Ali, Advisor Packages Limited Lahore and Former Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Planning, Pakistan inaugurated the centre by cutting a ribbon. Syed Babar Ali, while expressing his views dilated upon his reminiscence during his college days at GCU and said that he did his graduation from the institute during 1944-45. He suggested that GCU to keep track record of its students so that when they enter into practical life, they could be the major source of contribution to their alma mater.

Speaking on the occasion, GCU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Aftab said that the varsity had allocated Rs 10 million for deserving students. He said that all out facilities would be extended to the GCU disabled students so that they could be provided with equal academic opportunities. Dr Khalid Aftab thanked Mr and Mrs Muhammad Salahuddin for their guidance and support in establishing the centre. Dr Khalid Aftab also thanked Syed Babar Ali for his compassion for the underprivileged.

Chief Executive Aziz Jehan Begum Trust for the blind, Muhammad Salahuddin said that GCU is an educational institute of international fame. He said that without proper training and education, a blind person is a burden on society. Talking about Aziz Jehan Begum Trust for the blind he said that English is the medium instruction and computer study is a compulsory at the trust. He paid tribute to the Vice Chancellor for his vigorous efforts for making the varsity a unique educational institution.

(12-03-2008)

Contact Us

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Centre for Special Students (CSS)

Room # 9, Main Building

GC University, Lahore

UAN #: 111-000-010 Ext: 243, 245

PP #: 042-99213348

Email: chieflibrarian@gcu.edu.pk