Pizza treat for the Champions of ICT Seagulls 2009

Our directors Mr. Sunil & Mrs. Tina Olyai treated us at Dominos Pizza for winning the coveted ICT Seagulls championship.

We went to Dominos with our facilitator Mr. Yogesh. We were welcomed by the manager and he also congratulated us for our project. We enjoyed delicious pizzas and fantastic service at Dominos.

This Pizza treat was really food for our thought as we resolved to continue working on this project till our visually challenged friends stand on their own feet and in turn help others!

Congratulations Team!

I congratulate the team for participating in this project and their dedication to this project. Your dedication has been awarded as the "THE CHAMPION ICT SEAGULL TEAM OF 2009".
I congratulate each and every team member, our Directors Mr. & Mrs. Olyai, Our Principal Dr. Mrs. Alka Sharma.

I thank Dr. Hayal Koksal for starting the ICT Seagulls Project, the honorable judges for awarding us this prestigious award, our Directors, our Principal, our students for their zeal & energy, the management of Atma Jyoti - Home for Blind Girls, especially the visually challenged girls from Atma Jyoti for showing us that vision is much more important than just plain sight.

It has been honor working with this team. The award is won, but the work still goes on! We are still finding something special in someone each day! I invite all the visitors to this blog to join us in this noble initiative!

Love & luck
-Yogesh

Celebrating flight of ICT Seagulls

Recently Dr. Hayal Koksal wrote on blog "ICT Seagulls Fly...". We gathered to assess projects of our peers from oceans apart and we were so happy to see what they've done,.
So we celebrated the flight of ICT Seagulls by cutting a delicious Chocolate Cake.


Let the ICT Seagulls fly higher!

Our Case Study Presentation is now online...

Dear all,

Thank you very much for visiting our blog and leaving such encouraging comments.
Please see our slide show presentation at: http://www.slideshare.net/discoverabilities/ict-seagulls

ICT Seagulls

View more OpenOffice presentations from discoverabilities.

Thank you again

Mansi & Aditi

Plan, Do, Check & Act, You'll have blessings of Dr. Demming and you'll succeed...

Deming wheel, the ride to success for any project using QC tools. We used Deming wheel for the whole project life-cycle.
First Planning, then Doing, then Checking and then Acting and continue doing so till you succeed.

Choosing a problem, democratic way!

We brainstormed to see what project we could take up. Everyone came up with some suggestions, we consolidated the list as follows:

1. Service project at local orphanage to improve their living condition.
2. Creating awareness about Child labor.
3. Creating awareness about female feticide and infanticide.
4. Service Project with Atma-Jyoti – Home for Blind Girls.
5. Donate cloths and books to Amar Jyoti - school for differently gifted students.
6. Creating awareness about Global warming.
7. Campaign to save water.
8. Adapting a school in poor neighborhood to improve their classrooms.
9. Service project with “Project Roshni – for people with cerebral palsy”
10. Campaign for safe roads.

    We wanted to involve differently gifted students of our own age in this project, so we shortlisted:

1. Atma Jyoti – home for blind girls


2. Amar Jyoti – school for differently gifted students

3. Project Roshni – center for people with cerebral palsy.

We then visited all these three places and did some activities with them, as you can see the photos above to find out which place will be our final choice. This is when we experienced that each individual has special gifts, we need to find that something special in eavery one.

After visiting all three places, it was difficult to choose one, but the girls at Atma Jyoti made very good impression on us with their zeal to learn new things and eagerness to improve their skills. So we chose Atma Jyoti unanimously.We involved our new friends at Atma Jyoti in consultation to see what is the best thing we can do together to help them realize their own potential. Most of them think that studying is very important to realize their own talent and live a respectful life. Through education we can sharpen our inherent capacities and realize our true potential. We also realized that they face few problems in studies, which we don’t face because we can see. We want our improve the quality of their studies, so we took up that as our main problem in the project.

“PROBLEMS FACED BY VISUALLY CHALLENGED IN STUDYING!”

remove 20% main causes and you'll remove 80% problems...

Thank you Mr. Pareto for giving us the powerful 'Pareto Analysis'.

We put the data from matrix in the Pareto Analysis and got this graph, showing that if we work on 2 main causes we will remove almost all the troubles.

So we get to work now.

Thank you Mr. Pareto!

putting the survey information in matrix

We spoke to our visually challenged friends about the problems they face in studies and we consolidated their feedbacks in a matrix. This was done by asking few questions orally and recording their replies. we interviewed 30 girls and then consolidated the feedback in the matrix above. We'll apply Pareto analysis to it to see what are the vital causes.

What we plan is important, what we do is vital...

This is our GANTT chart, we planned our project using this and marked our achievements as we went along. You can see the planning was done in blue and green shows what we finished.

Sometimes our actions differe from planning, so that we can achieve the goal. Gantt chart was like the roadmap with milestones on it, we went in the right direction using it.

Some technical information about our project:

-Team leaders Mansi & Aditi

When we started the ICT Seagulls project, we were not very sure what we (a group of high school students) can do to help others.

Then we started using some QC tools, and under loving guidance of our facilitators and mentor we realized everyone has lot of potential, if we can use right channel and work together we can do wonders beyond our imagination.First step we visited the “Atma Jyoti- Home for Blind Girls”. We spoke to them and found out about their likes, dislikes and aspirations. Then we did some brainstorming to get all our ideas together. Then we did survey among the visually challenged girls to find out what challenges they face. We spoke to 30 girls and put their feedbacks in a matrix. Then we applied Pareto Analysis to the collected data and found out that if we work on few vital problems, most of their difficulties in studies will be solved.Then we used fishbone diagram to do Why-Why analysis of problems to find out root causes of the problems.We then thought of some strategies and tried them. Suddenly they needed writers for exams, so even it was not priority in our strategies we put everything aside and helped them write exams.Then we finished our exams and started promoting “Donate Vision” campaign to create awareness about eye donation.

Then came summer vacation, but before that we planned to raise funds to donate a Braille printer to our friends at “Atma Jyoti”.

The project is not yet closed, it is ongoing, our next step is getting the Braille printer and make sure that they get all subject notes in Braille. We will also make audio lessons for them, so they can listen to audio tapes at their own leisure. They will get their new books in August, so we will start that in August.

I shall never forget my friend who helped write my exam:

This is transcript of what some of the visually challenged girls said after getting their results for the exams. “I am very happy today, because of two reasons. First I have got a very good grade in my exams and I am promoted to next class. The other reason is much dearer to me, that is I got new friends who helped me write my examinations. I shall never forget my friends who helped me realize importance of helping others and selfless service.”

“I shall never forget my new friends who helped write my exams. I have got their phone numbers, so whenever I remember them, I will call them and talk to them, I enjoy talking to them.”

“I thank God for giving me such lovely friends, who helped us selflessly, coming and writing exams for us and celebrating our success. I pray to God that may all their dreams come true.”

Donate for a good cause, help them realize their vision!

Someone asked Swami Vivekananda once: “Is there anything worse than losing sight?” Swami Vivekananda replied: “Yes! Losing vision...”

Our students have been working with visually challenged girls of “Atma Jyoti – a Home for Blind Girls” and during their interaction we realized though these girls have no sight, they definitely have a vision for future. Each one of them wants to become useful member of society and contribute positively to society. Someone wants to become teacher, someone wants to be musician, and so on. Let us share their vision and help them turn their dreams into reality.

We are collecting funds to buy a Braille printer, which can be connected to computer for their use. The printer will cost approximately Rs. 200,000.00 (Two lakh rupees). To make it easier we are dividing the total sum in 200 units of Rs. 1000.00 (One thousand rupees) each. You may contribute more than one unit or more than one person/s may together contribute one unit. Your donations will be greatly appreciated.Please send your donations to “Little Angels School, Dal Bazaar, Gwalior”.

For more details please conact Mrs. Tina Olyai at +91 751 2324144 or Yogesh at +91 751 2633481

See this beautiful world even after death...

Do you wanna see the world after death?

If Yes, Scroll down...

>>> Scroll Down Further

>>> A Little Further

DONATE YOUR EYES!!

(ICT Seagulls 'WINGS' promotes & appreciates Eye Donation)

Singing together

We wish to start a choir group with our visually challenged friends, so we invited them to sing with us in our morning assembly. They were happy to be invited.
On April 10, 2009 our friends sang with us in the morning assembly program.
They sang a song which touched all our hearts and it really showed that they are not dis-abled, but they are differently abled. All of us were so happy to find that special talent in them.
They are truly amazing singers, as saying goes: Their vocal chords are kissed by the Almighty God!
We are now eagerly looking forward to starting the choir group with them.

Celebrating Success

After getting good results in their final exams our friends from “Atma Jyoti - a home for blind girls” called us to celebrate their success.
We went to visit and got a pleasant shock to see that our friends had done better than expected. All of them got good grades and they showed us their result sheets. We then sang songs together and partook of the sweets we had carried together. First time I realized that our success is sweet but celebration of our friends’ success is sweeter.
We are happy that our friends are getting good results and they will they will continue getting good results and go to college and become independent, respectable citizens not depending on others for survival, but helping the society to prosper.
- Tina Khatri

Anuual Function

On 21st March 2009, when the sun on the equator illumining the whole earth equally and marking the beginning of new cycle of seasons with arrival of spring Atma Jyoti Residential School for visually challenged girls celebrated its Annual Function.
The lawns of the school were filled with the guests who came to witness a lively show put up by the special girls of Atma Jyoti. The girls sang welcome song and then other songs, whirled to the rhythm of popular film songs and even performed a funny skit with all the expressions and movements around the stage.
The program was put up with such fervor that the spectators had to remind themselves that they were watching visually challenged girls dancing so flawlessly and coordinating their steps with other dance partners. The girls even performed a devotional dance with burning lamps in their hands without any troubles. The songs they sang were melodious and full of good messages like “we promise by the morn of friendship to finish the enmity in the world, if you walk with us!”
The program was successful in showcasing the talents in these special girls. They really put up a professional show, it will be a challenge to find choir who can match their notes or a dance-troupe who can match steps with these special girls!
“we can see blooming flowers only in spring, but they carry the spring itself with them where they go!”
Little Angels High School students and teachers have been helping the visually challenged girls organize their Annual Functions from past few years.
We learnt: 1. Our visually challenged friends are wonderful performers.
2. They are disciplined and work together very well.

Joy of Helping

“… ye may each become a lighted candle in the world of humanity, may be devoted to the service of all mankind, may give up your rest and comfort, so that ye may become the cause of the tranquillity of the world of creation.”

- Abdu'l-Baha

I visited “Atma Jyoti – a home for the blind girls” few times and recently I got a chance to help my friends there to write exams. From the first time I went there, we (the visually challenged girls and my friends from Little Angels High School) became very good friends. Our teachers motivated us a lot to do some good for others and when the visually challenged girls needed help to write exams, I immediately volunteered to do it.
I got chance to write Social Studies exam. I write that exam for my friend Pooja. She is a very polite girl and very friendly at same time she is eager to learn and very intelligent. She was prepared very well for the exam and as soon as I would read the question, she would narrate the answer completely and repeat every time I needed. I am sure that she’ll get very good marks and I will be as happy as her in her success.

-Roma Kukreja

Writing Exams...

Our friends from “Atma Jyoti” study in regular school near their hostel (St. Paul School, Gwalior) and their school does not allow to give exams in Braille, they need a writer, who assists them by first reading aloud the questions and then writing the answers as they tell them.
We put everything else on hold and got in action to get writers for our friends. We appealed our classmates to volunteer to write the exams for visually challenged girls and we were overwhelmed by the response we got. We got more volunteers than we needed. Our school management helped us by arranging to take the writers to the exam center and then bring them back home in school van.
When our students went to write exams, they were surprised to how these visually challenged girls were doing things independently and knew answers to most of the questions in the exam. The students who performed this service are very happy and all of them say that they realized that the visually challenged people have no sight, but they definitely have a vision and they also have special talents, which need to be realized, so that they themselves and society may benefit from it.

Outcome: 1. The visually challenged girls could finish their exam without any trouble and got very good grades.
2. We got chance to do some good work.
What we learned: 1. There is lot of goodness in everyone, we just need to appeal to the good in person and we can see the goodness translate into constructive act of service.
2. Our visually challenged friends were well prepared to give their exams, this showed their eagerness to learn and become independent member of society, who can contribute positively to society.
3. We can do wonderful things together with good intention and proper planning.

Exhibiting the talents

On 21st February 2009, members of ICT Seagulls Wings organized an Exhibition and Sale of handicraft made by visually challenged girls of Atma Jyoti School for Visually Challenged Girls. 6 visually challenged girls came with the handicrafts they had made themselves which included beautifully woven doormats, fashionable handbags for ladies, lovely friendship bands and such artistically crafted items.
Being the day of parent-teacher meet, many parents were present that day and visited the exhibition stall, everyone who visited the stall couldn’t resist buying the lovely merchandize and eventually the demand outweighed supply and many buyers were disappointed as they had to return empty handed.
The aim of the exhibition and sale was to create awareness among the general public about the talents and capabilities the visually challenged persons have. The aim was achieved as all the buyers were extremely pleased with the quality of the merchandize they had purchased. The exhibition became a cause for many parents to learn about the Atma Jyoti School and many showed interest in doing some service to these differently gifted.
The visually challenged girls and our students forged bonds of friendship, which will definitely be cause of progress for both the seeing and the differently gifted.
Outcome:
1. Many parents visited the exhibition and came to know about the Atma Jyoti Hostel and its activities.
2. People in general realized that being visually challenged doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.
3. We made very good friends.
What we learnt:
1. Beauty is not limited by vision of our two eyes. If we love beauty, we can create beautiful things even if we can’t see.
2. Dis-ability is a misnomer. Everyone has some special ability. We need to discover that special something in everyone.

Why Mr. Ishikawa why?

We used why-shy technique given by Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa to analyze the problems faced by Visually Challenged people. This technique is popularly known as Fish-Bone Diagram also.

We've posted our Fish-Bone Diagram for your viewing.
We analyzed the Fish-Bone Diagram and came up with the list of root causes to the challenges faced by our visually challenged friends as follows:

1. Unavailability of Braille printer/embosser
2. Social non-acceptance due to stigma that visually challenged are dis-abled.
3. Only method of instruction at present is oral instruction.
4. Unavailability of Braille books/study material
5. No special schools for visually challenged

We can't solve all of these on our own, so we'll do our best with help from others.

Storm your brains for good reasons...

We conducted a brain storming session on 16 Jan 2009 to think what ways we could help discover abilities in our visually challenged friends.

We came up with following list. If you think of more ways, please mail us at jyep@lahs.org

1. Read lessons for them.
2. Make audio lessons on cassettes for them.
3. Celebrate their birthdays.
4. Celebrate our own birthdays with them.
5. Study with them.
6. Write exams for them.
7. Learn Braille and write notes for them.
8. Donate a Braille embosser to their school.
9. Donate Braille books to their school.
10. Start a choir group with them.
11. Teach them songs.
12. Teach them dances.
13. Prepare a skit with them.
14. Go for picnic with them.
15. Visit them and find out what they need.
16. Organize exhibition and sale of handicraft items they make.
17. Celebrating Children’s Day with our visually challenged friends.

Welcome to our blog

Welcome all!

We will post about our service project to help discover abilities in visually challenged girls at "Atma Jyoti - a home for blind girls".

We thank our teachers, school management and Dr. Hayal Koksal of Kayite Okullari, Turkey.

-Aditi Mittal and Mansi Jain (Team Leaders)

Members list of ICT Seagulls - WINGS

1. Miss. Aditi Mittal (Team Leader) - class VIII
2. Miss. Mansi Jain (Team Leader) - class VIII
3. Miss. Roma Kukreja (Member) class VIII
4. Miss. Tina Khatri (Member) class VIII
5. Mast. Navid Olyai (Member) class VIII
6. Mast. Sahil Sahni (Member) class VIII
7. Miss. Anuja Bhadoria (Member) class VII
8. Miss. Mansi Pradhan (Member) class VII
9. Mast. Kartikeya Dwivedi (Member) class VII
10. Mast. Kunal Chaturvedi (Member) class VII)

Facilitators: Dr. Mrs. Alka Sharma (Principal) & Yogesh Londhe
Mentor: Mrs. Tina Olyai (Director)