The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board has a ’vision’ for its visually impaired students. CBSE wants to encourage visually impaired students to pursue careers in the Science stream.

From this academic year, such students from class XI and XII, will get special question papers without any visual inputs like graphs or diagrams for subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics.Instead of practicals, they will have to appear for a multiple choice questions test, which will be based on practical content.

The CBSE board has sent circulars to all its affiliated institutions laying down the changed guidelines for visually impaired students. The new scheme will be implemented for students of class XI in the examination in March next year and for class XII students in 2013 Board exams.

Visually-impaired candidates also get ‘’writers’’ to write their paper during Board exams. CBSE had last year also introduced changes in examination bye-laws to allow extra time to the differently-abled candidates.

The board had been receiving requests for providing alternate questions in science subjects in the Board exams. ‘’Visually impaired students generally shy away from taking science since they would find the practicals difficult. But with these changes it will be possible for them to take up this stream and score well,’’ said a principal from a CBSE school.

Other boards too have special schemes in place for such students. The Mahasrashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education also has concessions in place for visually impaired students. RR Bhise, secretary of the Board, said, ‘’visually impaired students are given an extra time of 30 minutes and they are also allowed a writer to assist them. They do not have separate papers however.’’