Beroz Vacha, who expired on April 24, 2014, was founder member, honorary director and consultant for the Helen Keller Institute for the Deaf and the Deafblind (HKIDB). She worked for the institution with tireless zeal and vigor for 37 years, where I was a volunteer.
Beroz Vacha: educating the deafblind
With the unshakable belief that education is the birthright of all children, Vacha created an education program for deafblind youngsters on February 22, 1977 when HKIDB was founded. It was the first organization in south-east Asia to take into account the educational needs of children with deafblindness, a condition in which an individual is hearing as well as visually impaired. Over the years this program provided a variety of educational and vocational services to children and young adults with disabilities. It was also the first organization to start a training program for teachers of children with multi-disability.
Vacha received scholarships to visit and train at various institutions in the UK, USA, Scandinavia and Germany to study their educational techniques. She received 13 awards, including the International Anne Sullivan Medal in Sweden; Presidential National Award for best institute of its kind at the hands of former President of India Pratibha Patil; Quimpro Gold Standard for Role Model Leader for World Class Quality Education; International Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution in the field of the deafblind in the country. She was also consulted for the movie Black, which showcased to the world the plight of the deafblind.
Vacha’s career spanned 42 years, starting as a trainee teacher and culminating in becoming director/consultant to HKIDB. The motto of the institution is "We too shall conquer,” and in 2006 students of the institution passed their SSC examinations without the services of a scribe, with the use of computers. They are given computer based education for vocation and rehabilitation and also have a printing press which caters to outside orders and helps to generate income.
The HKIDB, located on the ground floor of the Municipal Secondary School South Wing, Near S. Bridge, N. M. Joshi Marg, Byculla (West), Bombay 400011, may be contacted at 022-23087052. There are other branches of the school at Vashi and Chembur. ROSHAN BULSARA