The global e-learning producer, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), is hosting the Tata Interactive Learning Disability Forum (TLDF) 2006, a unique global symposium on learning disabilities (LD) – the first of its kind in India – on 30^th November and 1^st December. The symposium came about because TIS decided to unveil the benefits of its experience and expertise in every stage of learning disabilities’ (LD) remediation: pre-assessments, screening, courseware, post-assessments, reporting and teacher training. Beyond developing solutions for clients, TIS regards the solution of LD issues as a corporate social responsibility.

Some of TIS’s LD-related initiatives include:

• Supporting the LD Clinic (Sion Hospital, Mumbai), one of the few certified institutions of its kind in India, dedicated to detecting and treating LD.
• Developing a unique book, ‘Brain Teasers’, designed to nurture the innate creativity of these special children and empower them to achieve their potential
• Providing free-of-cost remedial courseware, developed for clients, to help students at the LD Clinic discover the joys of learning
• Providing and facilitating a Special Needs Educator Certification Course aimed at increasing the number of certified Special Needs Educators, specifically to deal with India’s large population.

The TLDF is a unique global forum, comprising deans, academicians, publishers, paediatricians and decision-makers in the field of education. It aims to make it easier for those with LD – not just in India but around the world – to fulfil their potential.

“This TLDF offers an international platform for leading educators and LD experts to network and share innovations and ideas for the solution of critical LD issues,” commented Sanjaya Sharma, TIS’s CEO. “We hope to increase the awareness, remedial activities and sharing of best practices and knowledge of LD in India through this annual event.

“In accordance with the Tata group’s long standing commitment to social development, TIS has chosen to actively support initiatives in LD since it is congruent with our skills and capabilities in e-learning – our area of business focus,” he explained.

Every year the Tata Group spends a significant share of its profits after tax on social-uplift programmes. Its diverse activities span water management, education, AIDS containment, income-generation programmes and much more.

Topics under discussion at the TLDF include:

• The Biological Basis of LD
• Types of LD – Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia and ADHD
• Simulation – what it feels like to be a Dyslexic
• Remedial Techniques
• Medical Aspects of LD
• Procedures for Assessment
• Social and Emotional Aspects of LD
• ADHD – Its Role in Leading to LD, Medication and Remedial Measures
• Technology Solutions

Comment: Altruism is a rare commodity – even in the learning world. TIS is to be applauded for highlighting the issue of learning disabilities – and for daring to do something practical, with its own money and expertise, to combat it.