By Adity Choudhury
American singer–songwriter, Ray Charles (Brother Ray among his loved ones) once said, “Dreams, if they’re any good, are always a little bit crazy.”
Dreams are what set Shillong-based educationist, Bertha Dkhar, apart and fuelled her purpose. Through her invention of the Khasi Braille, she ensured young visually impaired children don’t suffer… be it within institutions or facing the world outside.
Speaking to her, one gets an idea about her mission to change the lives around her.
Acceptance in Courage!
“I wasn’t born with blindness. I always had very low vision, which worsened as I grew older. It was during my graduation that the doctor here discovered I was suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (RP),” she said.
For the uninitiated, this rare degenerative eye disease affects the retina where the cells in the retina gradually die.
In speaking about the condition, Dkhar stressed on how it almost results in total loss of vision. Years of treatment in different parts of the country and abroad, including surgeries, made her realise her condition would not improve. Chuckling, she posed a question, “Who can place new cells in the retina?”
Despite the hurdles along the way, she did not allow her impairment to affect her ambition. In her own words, she performed well till her graduation and Master in Arts (MA) in social work.
“After I completed my MA, it became very difficult. I wanted to be a psychiatric social worker, but being visually impaired meant my reading was affected. Social work is community-based, and travelling from one place to another posed another challenge.”
The world of teaching signalled hope and became a viable choice for her. Even as a college student, Dkhar taught in schools as a substitute teacher during breaks.
Unfortunately, she faced discrimination, owing to her impairment. She had applied for a teaching post in a school but was refused. Then, she applied for the counsellor’s position with the Social Welfare Department but was denied because of her eyesight.
The Vision!
This setback was temporary. Soon, Dkhar got to know that a school for the visually impaired would be opened in the city. Back then, the only school was in Tura by the sisters of Bethany Society.
“I came to know that Dr Jennifer Basaiawmoit wanted to start a school. She met one of the sisters of Bethany Society and collaborated with a vision in mind. Because I had been her patient, she wanted me in the team. This meant specialised teaching methods.”
Having completed her teachers’ training at the National Institute for the Visually Impaired (NIVI), Dehradun, she joined Jyoti Sroat as an assistant teacher. Dkhar went on to head the institution for 10 to 11 years.
The head of the institution was a Garo woman, who suggested the need for the Khasi Braille, thus giving shape to a nascent vision. While the Garo Braille Code was already in existence, there was no Khasi Braille Code. The journey to invent the Khasi Braille had its humble beginnings then.
The Birth of the Khasi Braille
Regarding the initial days, Dkhar said, “I didn’t think it would be difficult… challenging, yes. We use the Roman alphabet for the Khasi alphabet. I wasn’t from Linguistics, but somehow it worked.”
In highlighting how it works, she added, “In Braille, there are two grades – grade I or open Braille, composed of symbols and characters for each letter and grade II or contracted Braille where two to three letters/words can be contracted to form one character… something like shorthand.”
Dkhar worked on the code for two years. Following this, it was introduced to the visually impaired children in the school, who, despite initial challenges, picked up the language.
Later, the state government also approved it as the standard Braille code at a high-level meeting. It requires careful reviewing from time to time for improvement… something that is being done.
That said, the Khasi Braille Code, invented by her, is still being used.
Learning in Silence!
The silence of inventions works in tandem with months and years of toil. In hindsight, was it difficult for her to learn the code?
Dkhar’s answer negates the usual narratives around living with a disability.
Learning the Khasi code was not that difficult because she picked up English Braille quickly, including the contracted Braille. “I had good teaching into it. I had a good understanding of the rules – how to make characters and contract words – it takes a long time to read and a longer time to write… more so if one uses the Braille Slate. Contracted Braille, therefore, had to be taught as it made reading faster.”
“The initial challenge remained in understanding the phonetics. One letter would have two sounds in Khasi. That said, it was not that difficult.”
Living Among Children!
The responsibility to head the school came as a surprise. Initially, meant to be temporary, fate had bigger plans for her. Working with the children meant a different set of values – one where learning is rooted in empathy.
Getting to know the children opened a world for the former head of the institution. “Their clothing, physical appearance, body language, facial expressions… I missed out on that. I had a good team of teachers who took it upon themselves to make teaching their mission, and not just a way of earning money. Rather, they were supportive mentors. That said, I feel I missed out on new trends and could’ve done better.”
Her own impairment led her to understand and foresee the needs of the children, including suggestions for improvement, to make learning accessible.
“How can teachers expect children to perform uniformly, an unfortunate scenario in all schools? We forget that children are emotional beings, not just physical and intellectual beings. Either, teachers have low expectations from differently abled children or they regard that all children should be the same. We forget that no two children are the same – socio-economic backgrounds and intellectual abilities differ. The mental well-being of the children is not talked about. For instance, when differently abled children grow older they ask questions about why they are different; that others can do well because they don’t live with certain limitations. Mental health matters when they realise, they have to step out in the world from a sheltered life.”
There are two kinds of visually impaired children – totally blind and low vision. For their protection and safety, the white cane is used. “It’s not just physical, but emotional safety. When people see it, they are careful not to pass remarks.”
On whether she would consider the idea of heading the institution again, she said, “I wouldn’t dare. I left the school in 2013. Times change, values shift.”
Braille Way Ahead!
Most people in the city neither have an idea nor the interest in knowing about the Khasi Braille… this also means a disconnection from the wider world outside.
Agendas differ from one place to another – at the moment, the 21st century discussion revolves around the move to render the Braille obsolete, something that Dkhar does not agree with.
Information and communications technology (ICT) has been introduced in Jyoti Sroat, with tablets and smartphones being used, but is it enough?
Dkhar said, “We have to know Braille to read and write. It is a skill. Practice makes perfect and learning the code is not difficult. People also say Braille textbooks are heavy and expensive, and opt for e-books.”
“Already, the habit of reading is on a decline. Children, in general, don’t hold books. Technology has played a role in this. Reading, as I said earlier, is time-consuming for visually impaired children, and it is very important in the classroom. If we use technology right from the primary level, how will children learn to read? They learn through listening or aural reading. For visually impaired people, speech is a very important weapon to learn how to speak fluently. Braille is still relevant as it teaches us to read and write,” she added.
Being the Change!
Stepping into 2023, her message to the people of Shillong is multi-layered. “Educationists here have to ensure that children can read… they can read loudly, quietly, and beautifully with expressions. Reading is to be taught in an encouraging, holistic manner.”
In no way has her life been easy; that said, she continues to inspire lives around her. Change, for her, begins with empowering lives, with the message that disability may slow down learning, but it doesn’t stop anyone from dreaming. Courage lies in extraordinary decisions; one only needs to listen to the song within.
Perhaps, Brother Ray smiles in pride and more importantly, in solidarity!