About Braille Cards
	What is a Braille Enabled card?
	Braille enabled card is simply a card on which your name, and perhaps the name of your organisation is written in Braille. This helps a blind person read your card and catalogue it.
	Why should I get my cards Braille enabled?
	If you are a company: Because it meets three of your needs at the same time: 1. It goes towards your Corporate Social responsibility. 2. It works towards employee sensitisation. 3. If you were at the airport, and got a Braille enabled card, what would you think of the person? Either you would know that it’s a Braille enabled card, and you could go “how wonderful!” , or, you might ask the person if you don’t know. Either way, a positive conversation has been initiated.You have a positive first impression.. and the person did not have to do a thing! Now, imagine that happening to you in a client meeting.. in a sales show.. in a conference with other CEOs.. at the airport.. It says a lot about the kind of company you are.. and does that without costing a lot! If you are a person: 1. Because it helps when you meet a person whose eyesight does not work too well. 2. Because it says a lot about who you are, without your having to say anything. 3. Because it makes you grateful for your own gift of sight, and reminds you of what you might be doing without them. 4. Because every time you handle that card, you remember that it means employment for a blind person. That is feel good guaranteed for at least 2 months!
	What does a Braille Enabled card look like?
	How do I read what is written on my card?
	It takes less than 10 minutes to learn Braille and to read your card. For a quick guide to the alphabet, please follow this link. It may not help you read all your cards, because the contractions are missing in this link. Contractions are sets of 2 letters represented by a single notation. E.g., sh, gh etc.. You can also request us to send you a guide for your card along with the delivery of cards. That way you can read the notation on your own card. http://www.loc.gov/nls/reference/braille/card.html
	How much does it cost?
	It just costs Rs. 100 for a set of 100 cards. i.e., Re. 1 per card. You also have to bear the courier charges.
	Is there a minimum number of cards?
	No.
	How long does it take to get Braille enabled cards?
	A week from the time that we receive your cards.
	Is Esha the only agency doing Braille Enabled cards?
	At the moment, the only one that we know of; please let us know if you know of any so that we may establish contact and partnerships.
	What is the advantage of getting it done through Esha?
	1. The money goes directly, and only to the blind person. 2. There are strict quality guidelines and service timelines.

About Esha
	Why is Esha doing this?
	Because we believe in a dignified living for the blind. That’s all. There is no philanthropy involved.
	How do we order cards or other Esha services?
	There is an Order Form on this site. Once you order, we will get in touch with you. No online payment is involved. All payments to Esha happen AFTER the delivery of the product or service, not before. If you'd like it quick, just courier your cards directly to the following address: K. N. Chandrashekar C/o Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled #11, Villa Suchita, Ist Cross, 17th A Main, JP Nagar IInd Phase Behind Giri Apts Bangalore - 78. Phone - 94498 64787 For all other services, please contact us by phone (+91 99995 62685), email, or this website
	How do we make payment?
	The payment is made directly to the blind beneficiary. For braille cards, the bank information is as follows Bank   :   Axis Bank Account Name   :   K.N. Chandrashekar Account No.   :   102010100257893 Branch IFSC Code for online transfer   :   UTIB0000102 Branch   :   BSK II, Bangalore For all other services, the payment information of the vendor will be on the invoice. Esha does not route payments through itself.

About the Visually Impaired
	Is the world of the blind really so bleak?
	Be our guest. Visit a blind school today.
	Why are there not more blind students in regular schools?
	Precisely our question. And our effort.
	What are the employment options currently available to the blind?
	Teaching in the UGC quota, working at other blind schools, machine part work, candle making. Working at other NGOs.
	How long does it take to learn Braille?
	20 minutes normally, 2 hours at most.
	Can I do Braille right after learning it in 2 hours?
	Umm.. we also need an instrument to do Braille. The instruments available to us today are : 1. Braille Slate: This is like a Braille notebook, where you insert the Braille paper and write each letter. 2. Brailler: This is like a Braille typewriter. 3. Braille Printer: This works just like the Laser Printer in your office. You could use these in a Blind school near you, or buy the one that you’d like.
	If I am an employer and I want to hire a Blind employee. what’s the best place to look?
	In a Blind school. The Blind Relief Association in Delhi and the National Association for the Blind, Mumbai, are good starting points. We also do have a small database of eligible blind people looking for employment.
	What kinds of work can the Blind do?
	The Blind can work in the BPO industry with some training. They can teach very well. They can run soft skills trainings. They can sing, and dance and act in plays. This list is purely indicative and not exhaustive.
	Is it possible for me to help the Blind in any other way?
	Yes. Please volunteer at any Blind School near you. Run Personality Development Workshops for them. Teach the children – they need teachers, particularly computer teachers. Prepare their resumes for them. Work with them on their English. If you have a cultural program coming up, get a troupe of blind students to perform. That will help the blind and your visitors. They will go home amazed! The possibilities are endless.

About Theater Workshops
	What is this?
	The Esha Workshop is a one day theater workshop with the following 3 objectives: A.Sensitisation to all kinds of disability. B.Greater health awareness and gratitude for our gifts. C.Team Bonding through shared strong experience.
	Why theater?
	Theater is one of the best known experiential learning modes. It is preferred because it improves the "Fun" value of a program, while also enhancing retention. This workshop is even more memorable because it is co-facilitated by a blind co-trainer. That is the difference between a forgettable experience and an unforgettable experience.
	Who should attend this workshop?
	Ideally, everyone should be a part of this shared experience. There is no segmentation required on age, practice, or any other basis. Everyone in the organization should be encouraged to attend this workshop.
	How does this work?
	The session is based entirely on theater and story building as pedagogy. The duration of the workshop is impacted by the level of audience participation. The trainer, in this case, is more of a moderator and facilitator, while the story is built and performed by the participants. A small mobility training (training on how to help a disabled person) is conducted at the end if there is enough time and interest.
	Are these always organization based workshops, or does Esha also hold open workshops that individuals can attend?
	At the moment, Esha does not hold open workshops for the Sensitization Training. Because we do not have a venue. If you have a venue that you could volunteer to let us use, please do get in touch.
	What is the infrastructure requirement for this workshop?
	There is no specific infrastructure requirement. The training can be done in a meeting room, a training room, a cafeteria, an indoor space, outdoors, anywhere. The only requirement is a little furniture free area for performance. (4 feet by 6 feet or more) No props are used for this training and no other logistical expenditure is required.
	What is the batch size required?
	This training can be conducted for batch sizes of 6-20 people.
	Are there any handouts/preparatory work/material?
	There is no preparatory work. A small handout with key mobility help inputs is provided at the end of the workshop to interested participants.
	How long does it take to organize a workshop after ordering it?
	There is no lead time for the workshop. It can be ordered today and conducted tomorrow.

About Tactile Maps
	What are tactile maps?
	If a disabled person comes to your facility, there is no way they can find their way around without being escorted. However, this may not always be feasible or even comfortable for the visitor. A tactile map is a simple touch based map of your facility that indicates what goes where, like a floor plan that is put up in most buildings. With this map, the visitor knows which areas are accessible to visitors, where to encounter steps, exits et al. This ensures that your visitors can maintain their dignity during the visit and can find their way to facilities like washrooms and water unescorted. In fact, tactile maps are a simple addition that can make a building instantly more accessible to all kinds of disability.
	How are Esha tactile maps different?
	Esha is probably the only vendor of these maps in India. What’s more, with Esha tactile maps, we don’t need to make separate maps for the visually disabled and the hearing impaired. The same map can be used by both.
	Why use tactile maps?
	Simple, to ensure that your facility is accessible to all disabled visitors. To ensure that their visit is as dignified and unencumbered as that of all your other visitors.
	How long does it take to get a tactile map after ordering it?
	Within Bangalore, 2 days. Outside Bangalore, 2 days plus courier time.

About Greeting Cards
	What are Braille Greeting cards?
	Either a normal greeting card with Braille added, or an all Braille greeting. Both are possible.
	How do we braille enable a greeting card?
	There are 2 ways to braille enable a greeting card. The first is to do it directly on the card. Last year, we started another method - where we provide a sticker (white or colored, including gold or silver) with braille on them, and you can just paste in on any greeting card. Viola! The card is braille enabled and ready to be sent. We have stickers for the inside of the card and for the envelopes, so that your card stands out from the word Go!