An outstanding initiative helps blind students. Andreea Neagu, content developer in SIVECO Romania, created a system that can convert the information from traditional math textbooks into files that can be read by a screen reader. The system represents a premiere for Romania.

These are the only collections for math subjects in an electronic format in Romania, except for audio books, which blind people can use.

In this extremely difficult project, Andreea had the support of Cristina Vuscan a blind author but also a Mathematics teacher.

The project is supported by the Hyperion Publishing House in Craiova (www.editurahyperion.ro) who gave Andreea the permission to use the electronic format of the collection of math problems published by Professor George Adalbert Schneider. Andreea wants to transform all the problems into files that can be read with a screen reader.

The collection of math problems, the audio tutorials as well as the mathematics subjects for the Baccalaureate exam can be found on the website www.scoalapentrutoti.ro

We are seeking to create a learning environment accessible for everybody, both for students with visual disabilities as well as for those without such problems. The central idea is to create accessible materials for blind people by using a screen reader (a program able to read the information on the screen), an application that can be also used by students with normal eye vision.

The site can reduce the "distance" between pupils with normal eye vision and blind students, providing the latter materials to learn. In this way they can be integrated in the educational field and have a real chance to start a career in science.

Andreea Neagu also joined other charitable initiatives that aim at helping disadvantaged groups.