Welfare Society for the Blind was established on April 14, 1970 with the primary aim of looking after the welfare of the visually challenged without distinction of cast, creed, sex so that they may be trained and rehabilitated as self-supporting members of the community.
The Society has had an eventful history of 45 years. Its founder and President for the first 24 years, Smt Geeta Basu was a very dedicated social worker. From a small beginning in which the National Library’s Braille Corner was developed through the Society’s painstaking transcription work, the Society grew to have its own vocational training centre in New Alipore in 1983.From 2002 the Society has upgraded vocational training to cover Computer Skills.
The Society has Registered under the West Bengal Societies Act, 1961, The Welfare Society for the Blind provides the following services to the visually challenged –
- Computer Training
- Tutorial classes for Competitive Service Examination.
- The Eye Clinic – open twice a week .
- Mobility Training.
- Communication and Soft Skill Training.
- Training in Weaving, Eco-friendly Paper Bag Making, Music (Rabindra Sangeet, Synthesizer , Tabala), Mobility Training, Counselling.
- Fitness Centre for the visually challenge persons is commissioned under the guidance experienced and qualified Fitness Trainer with modern fitness equipment.
- An Internet Café especially designed for use by the visually challenged using the JAWS software
- A Digital Library where audio CDs of regional academic texts and reference materials are available for visually disabled students
- Placement Assistance for the visually challenged seeking jobs in the corporate sector.