ACTIVITIES . YEAR 7 . 2026-27 . IN PROGRESS

The seventh year.

A permanent home for our work.

Year Seven is the year Pratibodh setup its own Digital Skills Centre. The Centre at Bharathiar University opened in June 2026, and within eight weeks it had become the centre of gravity for everything the Foundation does - training, mobility, life skills, career counselling, and awareness programs.

Between April and early August 2026, the Foundation ran 17 programmes recording 479 visually impaired participants.

THE DEFINING DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

The Digital Skills Lab opens its doors.

he Pratibodh Foundation Digital Skills Lab — Parivartan Centre was inaugurated on 6 June 2026 at the Department of Social Work, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, in collaboration with EnAble India, Bengaluru. What had been an intention at the close of Year Six became, within a month, a working facility with a resident cohort.

The first resident batch — DSK01, 13 learners — moved through an integrated programme between 1 June and 18 July 2026: computer fundamentals, mobility and orientation, signature training, reading without sight, career awareness, and skill-and-placement counselling. The Lab made continuity possible in a way that a series of standalone workshops never did.

THE DEFINING DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

The Digital Skills Lab opens its doors.

he Pratibodh Foundation Digital Skills Lab — Parivartan Centre was inaugurated on 6 June 2026 at the Department of Social Work, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, in collaboration with EnAble India, Bengaluru. What had been an intention at the close of Year Six became, within a month, a working facility with a resident cohort.

The first resident batch — DSK01, 13 learners — moved through an integrated programme between 1 June and 18 July 2026: computer fundamentals, mobility and orientation, signature training, reading without sight, career awareness, and skill-and-placement counselling. The Lab made continuity possible in a way that a series of standalone workshops never did.

P1 · Skill Training

Five training programmes, ninety-nine candidates.

The flagship Foundation Course continued in its extended five-month format. Batch 17 (February–June 2026) completed in June under resource persons R. Jaganathan, Ellangothai Mani and G. Kumaresan. Batch 18 opened on 1 August 2026 with 16 candidates, running to 30 December 2026.

Alongside the Foundation Course, four shorter specialist programmes were delivered — the first time the Foundation has run a parallel short-course track.

The first time in the Foundation's history

143 smart canes, one day.

On 31 July 2026, the Foundation distributed 143 Saarathi smart canes in association with Hyundai Insurance Broking and Torchit Foundation in Government Arts College (Autonomus), Coimbatore 640018, Tamil Nadu with accompanying use-training — the largest assistive-device distribution Pratibodh has undertaken. Training was led by R. Jaganathan and Premm Kataar.

K.N. Bhavya and Shaik Mohammed Ijaz of EnAble India provided demonstration of Blimey application and brought awareness about Project Discovery and Namma Yatri ride booking App.

P2 · Awareness and Community Programmes

Twelve programmes, 380 participations.

Year Seven's awareness work moved decisively from one-off outreach towards structured, repeatable sessions run at the Parivartan Centre — while continuing to take the Foundation's message into public arenas.

DLO APEX Expo 2026

A public stall at Nehru Stadium on 4 July reached 73 visually impaired visitors in a single day, run with EnAble India's Project Discovery, VANI and Blimey teams. Pratibodh received an award at the Expo.

Corporate volunteering

Roughly 16 Cognizant volunteers took part in the June mobility and signature sessions — sighted participants learning what independent travel and a signature guide actually require.

Teaching the next generation

On 4 August, three visually impaired Pratibodh trainers and alumni — Gowtham Prasanth, Dharani P and Kowshikraam R — led a digital-literacy/awareness session for ~50 final-year MSW students of PSGR Krishnammal College - VI professionals teaching and interacting with sighted social work students..

Education Support · Continuing commitments

The students we said we would see through, we are still seeing through.

Pratibodh's education support is deliberately structured as a multi-year commitment rather than an annual grant. A student admitted to the programme is supported to the end of the qualification, not to the end of the financial year. In 2026–27 the Foundation carried forward four continuing students and admitted two new ones.

Continuing students

R. Subhashini — BTech (Computer Science), SRM Trichy. Completed her second year with good grades and enters the third year in 2026–27.
Sangeetha Thangadurai — now in the final year of her BEd at St Xavier's College of Education, Palayamkottai. She is undertaking her teacher-training internship, teaching Class XI science, and is preparing for the Teachers Recruitment Board examination.
Jayashree M — joined the first year of the BCom (Executive) programme at New Horizon College, Bengaluru.
Anagha M — now in Class IX in Bengaluru, with school support continuing.

New admissions in 2026–27

Two transwomen candidates joined the education support programme this year:

Nadia Muralidharan — first year, BBA (Retail Management), Angappa College, Seerapalayam, Coimbatore.
Sherina Dhanasekaran — second semester, BTech (Electronics and Communication Engineering), SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Vadapalani Campus, Chennai.