New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) is going to launch extensive training programs for the people with disabilities. The varsity signed a MoU with RCI for promotion of special education and rehabilitation among physically challenged people of the society.

IGNOU will make available the study materials for the purpose in eight languages - Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. The materials will be ready within six months, told a spokes person of the varsity.

IGNOU and RCI will also work together to launch special education programs like B.Ed and M.Ed at certain places of the country where state open universities are not functioning, the spokesperson added.

The varsity is also preparing an audio-visual tool which will list all possible sources that might prove useful for the proper rehabilitation and growth of special children.

Meanwhile, IGNOU has also invited applications for admission to its various programs for the January 2008 session. The sale of prospectus along with the application form will start from October 1. Candidates can obtain the forms and prospectus from all the regional centres including IGNOU's head office at Maidan Garhi. The last date of the submission of filled-in application forms is November 12.