Savita, 21, was confident of her preparation for the skill test. She says that before she sat in front of the computer she knew she would be successful in cracking the test for the Lower Division Clerk (LDC).
However, things went horribly wrong when she laid her fingers on the keyboard. “I am accustomed to the keyboard that has a larger font. But the keyboard provided during the test had small font and had more keys and was complicated,” she said.
“It took me a lot of time to get use to it and start of with the test. I lost out on a lot of time and by the end of it I knew I would not crack it,” said Savita.
However, Savita is hopeful that thousands of candidates appearing for the test in future for the posts of stenographers and LDCs might not face the difficulty that she faced after the Chief Commissioner for persons with disabilities, which comes under ministry of social justice and empowerment, passed an order recently asking the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to ensure the availability of appropriate screen reading softwares on computers and accessible keyboards on which the blind would take skill test.
The order states that: “candidates with visual impairment be allowed the choice of the keyboard layout that is compatible with Mangla font.”
It also says that appropriate and ‘compatible screen reading software, such as JAWS, SAFA, for the purpose of skill test be provided,’ or the candidates be allowed to use their laptops and computers for the test. The copy of the order which is with the TOI says that the no one appeared to represent the SSC at the hearing. The order comes a year after All India Confederation of the Blind brought the problems faced by candidates to light.
Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Job-panel-told-to-get-software-for-the-blind/articleshow/11417372.cms
