Media Release
Mangalore, Nov 9: 'Blind guide the sighted'- can this be true? During 'Guiding Stars', a 4-wheeler treasure hunt, Mangalore Coastal Round Table 190 makes this a reality. Once every year, for the past 3 years MCRT 190 together with the Roman & Catherine School for the Blind, Mangalore have taken visually challenged kids for a fun filled joyride. Children who are not fortunate enough to have the gift of sight turn into navigators to guide sighted drivers.
How did they do it? The route for Guiding Stars is scripted in Braille - a language that the visually challenged use to read. Braille consists of a series of dots or indents made on thick paper. To a sighted person this will look like a set of random indents, but when those who understand braille run their fingers over these dots, they are able to read out the message represented therein. Each letter of the Alphabet and number has a specific representation. This is how the visually challenged child can tell the sighted driver where to go.
The chief event sponsor for Guiding Stars 2013 is BMW-Navnit Motors. During the last 3 years and this year as well, Issac Vas and Yatish Baikampady have supported the event by designing the route for the treasure hunt. From the English script that they come up with, a translation to braille is done by Calistus D'sa, principal of the Roman & Catherine School for the Blind. On the day of the event the visually challenged children from the participating schools are each assigned to a participating car. Their task is to guide or navigate their car from start to finish. Each child is rewarded for their participation and they are the true stars of the day. The car that solves the maximum clues in the optimum time is the winner. The entire day is an enjoyable one for the blind children. In the past this has included a trip to the beach and a day at the park. This year will be extra special because after the treasure hunt they get to spend time at a specially designed play area at Gandhi park, Gandhi Nagar which co-incidentally has been built by the Mangalore Coastal Round table.
During the past three years, a large number of Mangaloreans and local businesses have provided financial support for this event. This has helped MCRT 190 provide the participating institutions with some tools to further enhance the visually challenged children's educational needs. These include JAWS software that helps the challenged children with computer usage and braille books to enhance their learning.
Guiding Stars 2013 will take place on Sunday November 10. This year MCRT 190 expects 30 visually challenged children to participate. MCRT 190 welcomes participation from members of the public for this event. In order to match the number of participants with the number of visually challenged navigators, it is necessary to pre-register for the event. Pre-rigistration is simple and hassle free by calling the number 99802-81979. There is no participation fee. All that is required is a 4 wheeler and a mindset of cooperation and collaboration to have fun while also making a visually challenged child's day special. The visually challenged kids will be assigned to each participating car by the organizers. Please bring your cars and come support our guiding stars.
Guiding Stars Treasure Hunt is a unique treasure hunt involving the visually challenged, who collaborate with participants from the public.
A team is formed by a licensed driver of a car and a visually challenged navigator
The clues and map are provided only in Braille – the script used by visually challenged people to read and write
The team that solves the maximum clues in the optimum time by visiting all the designated spots is judged the winner
The treasure hunt challenges the participant driver’s skills to meet the objective within the stipulated time, speed and distance criteria the navigator’s skill to read and understand Braille content effectively
It promotes close coordination between the driver and the navigator to correctly interpret the route using the directions provided in Braille
This promotes an environment of inclusivity and openness where people overcome their inhibitions and communicate across natural barriers
BMW-Navnit Motors is the chief event sponsor among other sponsors. The event is being organized by Mangalore Coastal Round Table 190 in partnership with ‘Bykampady Vidyarthi Sangha’. The participants are from ‘Roman and Catherine School for the Blind’.