Manonethra

Support the differentlyabled with Sewa International

2011-12-07T15:09:00.001+05:30

Manonethra is working among the Differentlyabled in Andhra Pradesh. Creating awareness and building confidence among them is the prime role that the organisation plays apart from providing the Scribes for exams and readers for recording Audio books. The organisation is trying to help them achieve employment the first step to empowerment along with training in life skills.

Online donationshttp://www.sewausa.org/
Personal cheque, payable to "Sewa International" and mail it to:

Sewa International USA
PO Box 14622
Fremont, CA 94539
To donate in Indian Rupees, please send your contribution to:

Sewa International

49, Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg,

New Delhi -110002

India

Tel: +91 11 23232850+91 11 23232850 +91 11 23232850 or 23684445

Email: sewainternationaldelhi {at] gmail (dot) com

Saksham to project 2012 as Differently-abled Empowerment Year

2011-11-23T18:53:00.001+05:30

Source: Organiser - Weekly Date: 11/19/2011 10:58:05 PM

Two-day national convention of Saksham in Dehradun

Saksham to project 2012 as Differently-abled Empowerment Year

By Ravindra Saini in Dehradun

Saksham, a noted organisation dedicated to the cause of differently-abled persons, will observe the year 2012 as Viklang Sashaktikaran Varsh (Differently-abled Empowerment Year). Decision to this effect was taken at the two-day national convention held in Dehradun from November 6 to 7. Hundreds of Saksham workers from across the country participated in the convention.

During the Empowerment Year, different activities, including medical camps, conferences, helping to get certificates from the agencies concerned and also helping them to draw benefits from different government welfare schemes, will be conducted throughout the year to practically empower the physically challenged.

The Saksham has also decided to pressurise the government to enhance the reservation quota for such people from existing 3 per cent to 6 per cent. “It is a matter of concern that the government agencies are not serious towards the problems of differently-abled persons. Even the existing 3 per cent quota for such people is not implemented seriously by majority of the state governments,” said newly elected general secretary of Saksham Shri Ram Agrawal while talking to Organiser. He said the common men need to be educated through different activities to help differently-abled people join the mainstream.

Saksham has decided to set up at least 100 eye banks across the country till the end of next year. A special campaign is being conducted to achieve this objective. According to organising secretary of Saksham Dr Kamlesh Kumar, till now 17 such banks have been set up and rest of the banks would be set up till the end of the next year. The eye banks are being set up to help the visually challenged people get vision. For this objective, former national general secretary Shri Avinash Sagwai has specially been assigned this task. Now he is concentrating on this project as head of the project.

According to Dr Kamlesh Kumar, the work of the organisation has spread in 35 Prants (as per the Sangh planning) and the work in rest of the Prants will be started till the end of this year.

The National Executive of the organisation was also reconstituted at the convention. Dr Milind Kasabekar was re-elected national president while Shri Ram Agrawal of Delhi was elected new national general secretary.

Apart from Shri Avinash Sagwai of Nagpur, Shri Gangadharan of Kerala and Shri Ramesh Savant of Mumbai were elected national vice presidents. Shri Arun Puranmal of Kolkata was elected national treasurer. Dr Kamlesh Kumar will look after the organisation’s work as national organising secretary. Shri Ajay Joshi of Nagpur will be office secretary. Shri Kashinath Ambraju is national executive member and also Prachar Pramukh. Shri Shrish Dwarbekar is an invitee. Dr Omprakash Agnihotri will be research head. Shri Damodar Bapat of Chhattisgarh will be patron of the organisation.

Addressing the delegates at concluding ceremony, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sah Sewa Pramukh Shri Suhasrao Hiremath said Saksham has now assumed the form of a national organisation and it has effective units in majority of the states. He said the organisation is now in a position to effectively fight for the cause of differently-abled persons. He stressed the need to expand the work of the organisation upto tehsil and village level. He appealed to the workers to strictly show in action what they preach in speeches.

Earlier, speaking at the inaugural session on November 6, Shri Hiremath said dedicated workers are backbone of any organisation and the organisation becomes strong on the basis of workers and not on the basis of money. He said there is no lack of the people doing sewa work in the society, but there is a need to give them a broader vision. He appealed to the workers to think positive and bring the people with positive thinking to the organisation fold.

Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri BC Khanduri formally inaugurated the conference and appealed to the people to help differently-abled persons. He said normally the politicians feel that they are doing remarkable work, but there are many organisations and people at the grass roots level who are rendering exemplary services to different sections. He congratulated Saksham activists for doing exemplary work for the betterment of differently-abled persons. He assured full cooperation from his government to the organisation’s activities in the state.

Noted social activist of Jharkhand Shri Ashok Bhagat was also present as special guest. He stressed the need to bring a change in the mentality of the people towards the differently-abled people as such people also have extraordinary talent.

Kshetra Pracharak Shri Shiv Prakash inaugurated the exhibition on November 5. The exhibition showcased different activities of Saksham. Speaking on the occasion, he said the work being done by Saksham is very important, as it aims at eradicating the sufferings of the largely neglected section of the society.

Handicapped Malaysian Couple Among Millions Of Haj Pilgrims

2011-11-04T13:13:00.000+05:30

MECCA, Oct 29 (Bernama) - Shopping for souvenirs for loved ones back home is a must for the millions of haj pilgrims and a handicapped Malaysian couple are no exception.

Abdul Rahman Abdul Majid, 55, and wife Salmah Saad, 53, who have hearing and speech disabilities were seen haggling over the price of a carpet using sign language.

The graphic designer with Karangkraf Media Group is sponsored by his employer to perform haj in appreciation of his 25 years service with the company.

Met at the hotel lobby here, Kuala Kangsar-born Abdul Rahman said he started saving 20 years ago and the savings are used for his wife's trip here.

The trip was from savings of about RM100 monthly via salary deductions and from his wife, a support staff at Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas, Setapak.

He said physical disabilities did not hinder his commitment to perform haj and advised other disabled perosns to follow his example.

The couple who have three children aged 24-18 years arrived here on Oct 19 with eight other Karangkraf staff.

Karangkraf corporate communications manager Hashim Anang said the company plans to send 20 long serving staff to haj annually.

Last year, Karangkraf sent six staff for pilgrimage, one more than the previous year.

Manual Wheelchairs Offer The Handicapped More Physical Activity

2011-11-02T13:11:00.000+05:30

Well technology may not be of ultimate ... all the time, sometimes mechanicals, and self effort mostly do..

Source: drcutler

People who are confined to wheelchairs need to stay physically fit like everyone else. A new study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, suggests that a manual wheelchair is more conducive to this goal than one that is motorized.

Scientists at UT's Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies compiled data that they hope will one day help people interested in developing fitness guidelines for individuals living with disabilities.

Physical activity "might be simply wheeling their chair along while taking their dog for a walk or playing wheelchair basketball," said author David Bassett, Jr. "You can still burn a significant number of calories."

Bassett co-wrote the "2011 Compendium of Physical Activities," which lists the energy expenditure of certain physical activities, but only for people without disabilities. This prompted him to create a similar guide for people living with a handicap.

Part of the data collection compared activities performed in a manual wheelchair against those done in one that is motorized. When it comes to moving at two miles per hour, the former burns 120 calories, which is three times what is expended in the latter, as published in the journal Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly.

The federal Department of Health and Human Services recommends that all people, with or without a disability, should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, the researchers said.

Many abuse handicap parking spots

2011-11-01T13:11:00.001+05:30

A little more of heart and mind from so called normal people towards the differentlyabled will help make it better.. dont you think...?
Source: thetimesherald
The TalkBack phones are ringing. Let's see what's on your minds.
Talk to me:
» No Name from Kimball Township: "I have something to say about people who improperly park in handicap parking areas. I don't think the police ever check those spots. In Florida, the police regularly go through the parking lots, and you get a ticket if you don't put your handicapped sticker on your mirror or have a handicap license plate. We had that happen to us and the ticket could have cost us as much as $500. I think the police could enforce the law in these areas a lot better."
It's too bad more people don't respect parking spaces reserved for the disabled.
» Donna from Port Huron: "Perhaps you could use your resources to explain why the police department has business hours. If you call before 8 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m. there are no sergeants or lieutenants available. The dispatcher is busy and you're put on hold. There are many serious situations between barking dogs and body bags. I thought the police department was to stay intact. Apparently not."
Port Huron police Chief Michael W. Reaves: "Donna raises a good point. After normal business hours we do not have staff present to answer general citizen calls; but there is the ability to speak with a command officer. When the Central Dispatch Authority is called -- the caller can request to be transferred to the shift commander. The call will then be re-routed to the police department duty command desk. The on-duty command staff will either answer the call, or respond to a message left on the answering service voice mail system. The Central Dispatch Authority answers calls on a priority 911 basis. So at times, the callers may be placed on hold for a period of time. I do not control that procedure.
"The Port Huron Police Department is intact. We have been undergoing internal reorganization on a variety of different programs and department procedures, all with keeping the premise in mind that we need to be as efficient and effective as possible with the resources we have. I look forward to citizen contact regarding the Port Huron Police Department, so feel free to contact the department at (810) 984-9710, or drop me an email: reavesm@ porthuron.org."
» Rick from St. Clair: "Maybe I have a screw loose. Please correct me if I'm wrong. The St. Clair City Council wants every resident to fork over several hundred dollars each year to pay for the paving of city streets -- so much for the Social Security raise. Residents who live on gravel roads won't see them paved -- but they will be paying for someone else's street to be paved. Does that sound fair?"
The three-year, $7.5 million bond request goes to street repair, not paving per se . Some streets will be replaced, which means they will be repaved.
» Opera Lover: "At 12:55 p.m. Saturday, the classic Mozart opera 'Don Giovanni' will appear at the Krafft 8 Theater in Port Huron. This is not a movie. It is a live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. For those of us who have not had a chance to attend a New York performance, this is a wonderful opportunity not only to see and hear the opera with subtitles, but also to see the inside of the Metropolitan Opera House, orchestra pit musicians and backstage interviews with the stars. This is the third opera of this season, and there are several more scheduled. Thanks to Krafft 8 for bringing the opera to our area."
Sounds like an exciting Saturday afternoon.

Will the Database of disabled in six coastal dists help the needy ?

2011-11-01T13:08:00.001+05:30

Source: TOI

BHUBANESWAR: The state government will create a database of the disabled persons in six coastal districts, which are vulnerable to natural disasters. It is aimed at streamlining the search and rescue operations of the weaker sections of the society during the crisis.

The government has engaged Handicap International, a voluntary organization, to record the population of the physically-challenged persons and their nature of disability. "Since the disabled people are the worst sufferers during calamities, they need better facilities to overcome the emergency," said Abhay Nayak, an officer of state-run Orissa State Disaster Management Authority ( OSDMA).

The convenience of the disabled people will also be given prime importance at the state-level function of the Orissa Disaster Preparedness Day to be observed here on Saturday. This year's theme revolves around "mainstreaming persons with disability in disaster risk reduction practices". The day is observed to commemorate the super cyclone that wreaked havoc on several coastal districts on October 29, 1999.

To ensure that the physically-challenged persons make comfortable access to the cyclone shelters, the state government has decided to make necessary modification in the design of the existing as well as the upcoming cyclone shelters in the state.

The state has 203 multi-purpose cyclone shelters at Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghur and Ganjam districts. Another 164 is in the pipeline. Though the existing shelters have a few facilities for the disabled persons, that have not caught the fancy of the beneficiaries.

"While the existing cyclone shelters will be structurally redesigned for the convenience of physically handicapped people, the proposed ones will be equipped with all facilities for the disabled," Behera said. "Basic aids and appliances like crutches, walking sticks and glasses (for the visually impaired persons) should be provided to cyclone shelters. For the convenience of persons with low vision, colour specifications should be created on wall or floor to help them avoid obstacles in the cyclone shelters," said Kasturi Mahapatra, state commissioner for persons with disabilities.

Differently abled and their social integration K. Wijayaratnam

2011-07-22T10:54:00.000+05:30

Source: dailynews lanka

Differently abled or disability is defined as limitation of a person’s ability to carry out the activities of daily living, to the extent that he or she may need help in doing so. The American Disabilities Act of 1990 defines disability, as ‘physical or a mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of life abilities’.

Such impairment may include physical, sensory and cognitive or intellectual impairment. Mental disorders, such as psychiatric or psychosocial disability or various types of diseases such as TB, HIV, stroke, spinal cord injuries, Arthritis, Alzheimer may be also considered as disabilities.

A disability may occur during a person’s lifetime or exist from birth. The WHO define it as a “restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range of considered normal for a human being” - a functional limitation or activity restriction by an impairment.

Impairment would mean “any loss or abnormality caused of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function such as loss of limb, organ or other body structure, as well as defects or loss of a mental function.

The definition of ‘disabled person’ according to the Declaration on the Rights of the Disabled Persons proclaimed by the United Nations Assembly on December 9, 1975 is: “any person unable to ensure by himself, wholly or partially, the necessities of a normal individual and/or social life, as a result of deficiency, either congenital or not, in his or her physical or mental capabilities.”

General

The World Health Organization estimates that about 650 million (about 10 percent of the world population) around the world are differently abled people and of this it estimates, 80 percent live in developing countries. In a number of countries, people with disabilities are entitled to a range of benefits, such as, attendance and mobility allowances, free medical facilities, concessions in parking and on public transport. Many countries have enacted ‘Equal opportunities legislation’ to ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against, in the workplace.

According to the Sri Lankan National Census 2002, the number of people disadvantaged due to disability stands at 1,629,000. This may not be a correct figure now, as the ‘civil war’ that ravaged the country, during the last few years had affected many mentally and physically. Number of people, both civilians and fighters, on both sides have been affected physically and psychologically. Many have lost their limbs due to artillery fire and due to bombardment from the air and many have become mentally deranged having witnessed the loss of their kith and kin.

Many of the disadvantaged are hidden from society - they shy away because a large section of the society shuns them. Social exclusion of persons with disabilities lies at the core of the problem often defining the path the people take and treated, to how they are perceived and treated. When people are stymied at every turn by social stigma it is difficult for those to survive in society. Anxiety and hopelessness can cripple them more than their physical and mental limitations and dwindling options. Insulting terminology such as nondiya (lame fellow), pissa (mad fellow) used by people, who are fortunate not to be affected by disabilities, add to their suffering. Depression can set in and the spectre of hunger, makes their lives miserable. Most of them live in deplorable conditions owing to physical and civil barriers, which prevent their integration and full participation in the community. As a result they are segregated and deprived of virtually of their rights and lead a wretched and marginal life.

Social stigma

The treatment meted out to the disabled persons, defines the inner characteristics of a society and highlights the cultural values that sustain it. Surely with the great traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism, the major religions of the country, Sri Lankans should be able to play a more vital role in alleviating the sufferings of the disabled?

Social acceptance of these people will do much to pave the way for such persons to interact in society with great confidence to face their problems. Attitudes and traditions have to change for the ‘differently abled’ people to be accepted by society.

Disability related information campaigns and created awareness are important steps towards this end. Today the debate has moved beyond a concern about perceived cost of maintaining dependent people with disabilities, to an effort of finding effective ways to ensure, that people with disabilities can participate in and contribute to society in all spheres of life.

Human rights

People with disability are also human beings and have the same fundamental rights as other citizens of the country (Article 3 of the UN Declaration) to enjoy the right to a decent life, as normal as possible. They have the same civil and political rights and are entitled to the measures designed to become self reliant as possible.

They have the right according to their capabilities to secure and retain employment or to engage in a useful, productive and remunerative occupation and to join trade unions to promote their interests.

According to the UN Declaration the disabled are entitled to have their special needs taken into consideration at all stages of economic and social planning. They have a right to live with their families or with their foster parents and participate in all social, creative or recreational activities. They shall according to the Declaration be protected from ‘exploitation, of all regulations and all treatment of a discriminatory, abusive or degrading nature’.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD) adopted by the assembly in December 2006, and which came into effect in May 2008, draws a lot of attention to the inclusion of people with disabilities in international development cooperation. Article 32 of the Convention stipulates that international development cooperation must include people with disabilities and be accessible to them. In the process, cooperation between the various actors in the civil society and persons with disabilities is decisive. Some donors - including, Australia, Germany and Great Britain - have made disability and development a focal point of their development cooperation.

The Australian government recently (Aus AID) presented its strategy for inclusive development. The guidelines in these papers include:

* Human rights orientation,

* Active involvement of persons with disabilities and their organizations,

* Net working based on co-operation and

* Respect for the needs and potential of the disabled as a heterogeneous group.

The guidelines provide for a twin track approach, which combines advocacy on one hand with specific programmes or the empowerment of persons with disabilities as well as initiatives to include these in other development programmes Article 24 of the Convention emphasizes the right of all children to education within an inclusive system. It is estimated that only three percent of the children with special needs have access to education worldwide, most of them in special as opposed to inclusive facilities. World vision argues that inclusion of children with special needs is crucial if millennium development goals are to be reached. Article 28 speaks of social protection which would mean protection of the following:

* Access to and social transfers,

* The option of receiving micro loans,

* Social protection programmes such as health coverage,

* The right to social services such as benefits.

Economists estimate that the exclusion of persons with disabilities and their family members from productive labour results in economic losses equal to about seven percent of the GDP worldwide (World Bank 2008). Disability and development have become a core issue for the World Bank in the sector of social security. Article 27 of the Convention relates to empowerment of the disabled persons and to the requirement of local support structures. Access to capital is one of the most important requirements. Article 12 of the Convention relates to this issue.

Sri Lanka lags behind in the rehabilitation and in the integration of the disadvantaged persons. The government should lay down strong national policies and take active interest in the welfare of the disadvantaged.

It should ratify the UN Convention on the ‘Rights of the Persons with Disabilities’ which had been ratified already by more than 88 countries. There exists in Sri Lanka a strong stigma against those disadvantaged by disability. The government should take active steps to change these attitudes and to remove the stigma by educating the public, by awareness campaigns throughout the island. Disability related information campaigns and awareness rising are very necessary to change attitudes.

Awareness campaigns

Persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka are entitled to special grants from the government for projects, to start small-scale businesses, but very few of the disadvantaged are aware that such schemes exist. Awareness campaigns therefore should not only to educate the discriminatory and insulting attitudes of the general public but also educate the disadvantaged on the social welfare measures available to them.

The two major religions can also play important role in creating a more congenial atmosphere to the disadvantaged, by reminding the people of the teachings of the Buddha and of the great Hindu philosophers that disable people are also human beings and should be treated like normal people.

Another important step that should be taken is to make public transport or the disabled less cumbersome by providing the disabled, easy access to those vehicles. The provision of reserved seats is just not enough as most of the disabled - the blind and the disabled find getting in and getting out of public transport very difficult. The disabled also find access to public buildings difficult.

Regulations on the accessibility of public and private buildings were tabled in Parliament in 2007, but its progress had been slow and to date there is no mechanism to facilitate the enforcement of these regulations. Lack of resources and shortage of physical and rehabilitation services, absence of coordination between Colombo and the provinces are some of the other problems confronting the social integration of the disabled in our country.

Self-employment

To improve the quality of life of the differently able people and their families, there should be projects focusing on their physical rehabilitation and their social integration. Good practices for the economic inclusion of people with disabilities in developing countries, speaks of use of micro credit and start of financing, to promote the independence and entrepreneurship of persons with disabilities. Often self-employment is the only way for the affected to earn their livelihoods. Access to capital is therefore is very crucial (Article 12 of the Convention).

There is some reluctance in our country both by public and private institutions, to give loans to people with disabilities. The government should ensure that equal opportunities to micro credit are given to the disabled. Free financing and subsidized loans should be only an initial step and be reserved for people in extreme poverty.

Women and girls face tremendous disadvantages. Article 6 of the Convention, speaks of multiple discriminations of women and girls. Gender based vocational training programmes leads women with disabilities, exposed to poor labour conditions, lower paying jobs, and lack of opportunities for advancement.

The ILO’s Wedge team (Women Entrepreneur Development and Gender Equality) focuses on women with disabilities (ILO count us in - 2008) and should be of assistance.

Finally the private sector which is said to be the ‘engine of growth’ together with the government should open their doors for the disabled, with suitable employment and help to erase the prejudice that the disabled are unwanted and should be left to suffer because of their ‘karma’.

The writer is a Member Institute of Personnel Management

Chris Brown: Neighbor From Hell Accusations Are So Childish

2011-07-22T10:33:00.000+05:30

Source: aceshowbiz
Hitting back at the allegations, the 'Next 2 You' singer claims it was his neighbor who scratched his initials into an elevator door before explaining why he parks in handicapped spaces.

Photo credit: Beiny/Slater/WENN

Chris Brown is firing back at his neighbors' allegations that he is the neighbor from hell. After TMZ brought out the reports that his neighbors accused him of parking in handicapped spaces, blasting music, and racing dogs in hallways, the "Beautiful People" singer took to Twitter to claim his innocence and brand the allegations "childish".

"So this is cleared up... My neighbor has a problem with me (as do some people)so this whole tmz story is a way to continue...," the R&B singer began sharing his side of the story. "The bs. My neighbor carves my name in our elevator to incriminate me so it looks like I'm a reckless 22 your old."

Breezy then addressed the photos that show him parking in handicapped spaces. "My parking spaces in my building that were assigned to me when I [bought] this crib are painted over with handicap and no Parking signs," so wrote the singer who collaborates with Justin Bieber for "Next 2 You".

In a series of following tweets, he ranted, "A person should be able to live in his or her own company of their house! I'm barely home so these stories and accusations are so childish! My neighbor also calls the parking enforcement everyday so I get a 360 dollar ticket for each of my cars. (everyday)"

Breezy went on to add, "I feel I have to explain myself because my brand/life is always being slandered and tampered with! ITS GOTTA STOP! I love all my fans, thx for understanding." He later concluded, "No need for me to play the victim. Just wanna live my life and just make music!"

Andrew Bynum finds himself in another bad spot

2011-07-22T10:31:00.000+05:30

Source: LATIMES

Lakers center Andrew Bynum sits on the bench during a game against the Detroit Pistons in January, 2010. Bynum was caught parking in a handicap spot. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times /January 4, 2010)

By Bill Plaschke

July 21, 2011, 7:51 p.m.

His conscience is paralyzed. His sense of entitlement is blinding.

So, no, actually, I wasn't surprised to see this week's photos of Andrew Bynum leaving his convertible sitting across two handicapped parking spaces while he shopped at an upscale grocery store in Westchester.

If there's one Laker who suffers from a disability of maturity, it's him.

The sight of this strong, able-bodied basketball star exploiting a benefit belonging to the physically challenged would have been only sad, if it weren't also so expected. The photos, unveiled in an NBC4 investigation, did not result in a ticket because there were no parking cops around. However, this was the latest in a string of incidents that have left the big man looking small.

A couple of months ago, Times columnist T.J. Simers stopped fawning over Bynum long enough to write about an emailed photo from a reader who claimed the image was of Bynum's sports car parked in a handicapped spot at a Playa del Rey bank.

A few weeks before that, Bynum ended the postseason with a disgraceful clothesline cheap shot of Dallas' Jose Barea, knocking the guard to the court in a heap. Bynum was ejected from the game, but not before he tore off his shirt in a crude gesture of retribution, stalking away half-dressed while appearing half-crazy.

The Lakers had a meeting with him after that incident. They reportedly had another meeting with him earlier in the year about other questionable community behavior.

This is a guy who blew off knee surgery last summer to travel to South Africa, forcing the Lakers to start the season without him, causing Pau Gasol to be overworked perhaps to a point of playoff exhaustion.

This is a guy who, while sidelined from a knee injury two years ago, was photographed at the Playboy Mansion playing hula hoop and carrying a scantily clad woman around on his shoulders.

I've spent two years practically pleading for the Lakers to trade him because he'll always be such a physical risk. The Lakers have always resisted because of the potential of his size and his youth.

Well, right now, he's nothing more than a big dummy who, at age 23, is old enough to know better. Right now, his supporters in the Lakers front office are dwindling to the point where they can probably all fit under Jimmy Buss' baseball cap.

The only thing that Bynum seemingly understands less than respect is remorse. It took him two days to apologize for the nationally criticized clobbering of Barea, and it will take at least that long for him to apologize for this handicapped-parking incident.

I gave him a chance Thursday, but his agent David Lee said Bynum could not be reached for comment. In fact, the only sounds we've heard from Bynum since this disclosure was the slamming of his car door on an NBC4 reporter who ambushed him earlier this week.

Well, that, and a Thursday afternoon tweet from Bynum describing how he has arrived in Las Vegas for the weekend.

The Lakers' front office could not address the issue because they cannot talk about any players during the lockout, so I spoke to another guy who wears a similar jersey. His name is Alvin Malave, one of the captains of the Fast Breakin' Lakers wheelchair basketball team.

Yes, the Lakers actually sponsor a wheelchair basketball team, providing them with Lakers uniforms and everything. I'm guessing Bynum didn't know, or maybe he would have been warned about the handicapped parking spaces from rugged shooting guard Malave, 31, a Woodland Hills man who was paralyzed from the waist down a decade ago when he was hit by a car.

"Not a lot of stuff bothers me, but this is a big, big deal," Malave said. "For someone like Bynum to not take it seriously, he has no understanding of our situation."

Malave is fit enough to easily roll his wheelchair from any spot in any lot, but he parks in the handicapped spots because he needs the space to enter and exit his car.

"Those spots aren't only close, they're wider than regular spots, that's why they're so important," he said. "I need to have my door fully open to get my wheelchair out and put it back in."

Malave remembers times when he has been forced to park his car in a regular space, only to return to find it hemmed him by two other cars.

"I'll have to wait in the parking lot for 10 or 15 minutes sometimes for someone to come back my car out for me," he said. "It's very frustrating, and Andrew Bynum should know that."

Bynum should also know that there was once a very good college football coach in this town, UCLA's Bob Toledo, whose tenure here began to unravel in 1999 when 22 of his players were involved in a handicapped parking scandal.

"It's a shame a superstar like that couldn't use better judgment," Malave said. "Hopefully, he'll at least apologize."

Here's an idea, Drew. After your apology, why don't you show up at the Maywood Park and Recreation Center one Saturday morning before the end of summer to cheer on the Fast Breakin' Lakers as they play other teams in a wheelchair summer league?

The handicapped parking spots will be filled, but that's OK.

You can walk.

bill.plaschke@latimes.com

Orissa Project Samarth to the aid of differently-abled

2011-07-22T10:25:00.000+05:30

Source: IBNLIVE

BHUBANESWAR: Project Samarth, a special drive to identify the differently-abled persons and provide them with necessary assistance will be launched by the government.

A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik decided to organise block-level Samarth camps for differently-abled persons from October. To be called Bhima Bhoi Samarth� Abhijan, beneficiaries will be provided disabled certificate, pension papers, bank passbook and special aid at the camp.

�Arrangements will be made at the camp for corrective surgery and medical services for the beneficiaries below 16 years. For those unable to attend the camps, government officials will visit their home to extend necessary assistance.

�According to a Government estimate, there are 10 lakh people in the State who are physically challenged. It has been targeted to provide Government assistance to at least four lakh people this year.

�For students, two pairs of uniforms will be provided to those attending special schools and special industrial training institutes (ITI) for the physically challenged. Ten new trades will be opened for them in two ITIs in KBK districts to begin with. It was also decided to construct a separate hostel for differently-abled working women in the city.

�A monthly scholarship of ` 350 for college students whose father or mother are physically challenged has been announced. A high-level committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary BK Patnaik will be constituted to monitor the programme.

�Women and Child Welfare Minister Anjali Behera, Development Commissioner RN Senapati and secretaries of different departments were present.

HC grants relief to blind person

2011-07-22T10:21:00.000+05:30

Source: ibnlive

PTI | 11:07 PM,Jul 21,2011

Mumbai, Jul 21 (PTI) Granting relief to a 24-year-old visually challenged boy, the Bombay High Court today directed 'Home for the Blind' in suburban Mumbai to allow him to continue with his workshop training and grant him accommodation. A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Girish Godbole asked the M N Banajee Industrial Home for Blind at Jogeshwari to let Gopal Wankhede continue with his training at their workshop. Wankhede had approached the court after he was stopped from attending the workshop for unaccounted absence. Wankhede took 12 days leave in April to visit his hometown as his relative was unwell. Before his leave got over, the relative passed away and he suffered from Jaundice. "Due to circumstances he was unable to return to Mumbai on April 25 and came only on June 7," his lawyer Uday Warunjikar argued. On his return, Wankhede was asked to give a written application and was stopped from attending the training. He was even removed from the hostel premises. "He is too poor to go back home and make a living.Since his removal, he has been staying outside the hostel," Warunjikar said. The court today asked the Home to accommodate Wankhede till his petition is decided and posted the matter for hearing on August 12.

Special engineering college for visually challenged

2011-07-22T10:17:00.000+05:30

Source: TOI

HYDERABAD: In a novel initiative that will help visually challenged students, the city-based 'Devnar Foundation for the Blind' is planning to start an exclusive engineering college for them.

Despite being visually-impaired, many students are highly motivated to pursue engineering courses and there are several success stories, A Saibaba Goud, Devnar Foundation's Managing Trustee, told PTI here today.

"Some of our children are highly motivated to follow engineering courses. One of our students is employed in a multi-national company and four others are studying B Tech in different colleges recognised by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU)," Goud, a recipient of Padma Shri and several other awards, said.

"One of our students is studying engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology( MIT), Boston. All of them have motivated more children, who are asking for engineering courses," he added.

The visually-challenged children are often denied admission in polytechnic and engineering colleges, but many of them have managed to get admissions after taking legal recourse, he said.

Though the courts have given permission for the entrance test and subsequent admission, the competent university authorities were not convinced in the beginning and the problem continues every year, he said.

"This has made us think of starting a separate engineering college for the visually challenged," he said.

Replying to a query, Goud said it is possible to get necessary permissions from authorities concerned to start the college

A dream visualised, minus eyesight: Visually impaired Pune man clears CA exam

2011-07-22T10:14:00.000+05:30

Source: Daily Bhaskar

Pune: Visual disability did not stop Bhushan Toshniwal from realising big dreams. The 24-year-old visually challenged youth from Chinchwad has cleared the chartered accountancy (CA) examination in his first attempt.

He scored 55% despite the fact that no books on the subject are available in Braille. Bhushan used to devote up to 14 hours a day in preparing for the exam. Novel group, an educational institute in Chinchwad, felicitated the youth for his success.

"My mother (Vijaya) used to read out the books to me all day, so that I could memorise it," said Bhushan, who was inspired by his father, Nandakishore, who is also a CA, to take up the exam.

A singer par excellence, Bhushan is an alumnus of Jai Hind College in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area. He had done exceedingly well in the High School Certificate (HSC) examination.

Bhushan lost his eyesight when he was only 20 days old due to retina detachment.

Training for visually challenged

2011-07-22T10:12:00.000+05:30

Jorhat, July 19: A workshop to train the visually challenged on mushroom cultivation will be held at Khanapara in Guwahati on July 21, opening up a new vista for them.

The workshop is being organised by the Guwahati-based NGO, Mushroom Development Foundation.

This is the first time that the foundation has developed a module for the visually challenged. Till date, it has held such training programmes for jail inmates, school and college students, and the physically challenged.

The general secretary of the foundation, Pranjal Baruah, said designing a module to involve the visually challenged in the cultivation of mushroom or in any other part of its production as an income-generating activity, was a challenge. He said the greatest difficulty lay in the identification of mushrooms. “The greatest difficulty they will face is to differentiate between edible and non-edible mushrooms as there is a level of contamination and the risk factor is high,” he said.

“We were approached by Montu Bhuyan, a blind teacher from Nalbari, who showed keen interest in taking up mushroom cultivation and helping others like him. This was a challenge but we have prepared a module which will enable them to participate in different processes if not in the actual plucking,” he said.

The mushroom entrepreneur said the core focus of training in the workshop would be the concept of cluster model, controlled by communities by using mushroom cultivation as a tool.

“Training in post harvesting technologies, supply chain management and marketing will all be part of the daylong programme. The new products and services, which can be brought under the control of the community-based organisation, will be also incorporated,” he said.

Explaining the benefits of the cluster concept, Baruah said co-operation among the cluster members could foster innovation, increase incomes and improve livelihoods.

Bhuyan said there were many visually challenged persons who were unemployed and he hoped that the training would enable them to set up units of mushroom cultivation.“If the plucking stage entails a risk factor, maybe we can involve those who can see to do the plucking for us.”

Bhuyan has volunteered with his group to take up the challenge of starting an income generation activity for the visually challenged.

The foundation has contacted the disability studies department in Gauhati University for further guidance.

Mukul Wasnik to inaugurate job fest for differently abled

2011-07-22T10:09:00.000+05:30

Source: Newstrackindia

New Delhi, July 19 (ANI): Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Mukul Wasnik, will inaugurate job fest for differently abled here tomorrow.

Candidates from prestigious institutes such as JNU, Delhi University All India Federation of the Deaf, Blind Relief Association of India as well as vocational Rehabilitation Centre and Employment Exchange are expected to participate in the fest.

Most of the candidates belong to the disabled group of visually challenged, deaf and dumb and ortho disability.

The job festival would provide a platform for the employers and the physically challenged and will give them an excellent opportunity to avail a job in the private sector.

This is an occasion for the corporate organizations to show their commitment towards social inclusiveness by recruiting differently abled people, an official release said.

Three-percent of all Government jobs in India are reserved for people with disabilities and India's Disability Act includes affirmative action for people with disabilities.

This means that the allotment of land in India is made at concessional rates to people with disabilities for housing , business, special schools, factories with entrepreneurs who experience disabilities and recreation centers. It also means that people with disabilities have, 'appliances,' and, 'aids,' made available to them. (ANI)

Udupi: Handicapped and Handcuffed Swimmer Creates Record of Sorts

2011-02-11T17:56:00.000+05:30

Source: Daiji world
Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Udupi, Feb 8: Prakash Kharvi, a handicapped swimmer from Kody Kanyana, who has two records under his belt, created a new record on Monday February 7, by swimming from St Mary’s Island to Malpe beach in about seven and half hours.
Both the hands of Kharvi, whose right leg has no strength, were bound in the back with the help of handcuffs, plunged into the sea water at 7 am. For seven and half hours, he swam against a choppy sea, and covered the distance of 15 kms, and reached Malpe at about 2.30 pm.

Prakash, son of Soma and Sharada Kharvi, had covered 25 kms distance between Hangarkatte estuary and Malpe beach in four and half hours on December 31, 2007. On December 31, 2008, he swam 56 kms from Gangolly estuary to Kodi Kanyana beach in seven hours.
Amidst bursting of crackers and congratulations from his fans and friends upon completion of the feat on Monday, Kharvi said he faced difficulty in swimming directly between St Mary’s Island and Malpe beach because of turbulent sea and heavy winds. He said he had to swim four extra kilometres because of these problems, but for which, the timing would have been much better. “I am handicapped. Because of this, I was driven to achieve something in life. My father and friends inspired me in my quest. However, neither the government, nor the district administration, has recognized my achievements so far,” he revealed. He nurtures a hope of bagging a government employment.
Leading entrepreneur, Pramod Madhwaraj, who was on the spot to congratulate Kharvi, said that apart from extending help personally, he would try to secure a government employee for Kharvi. He expressed his dissatisfaction about the absence of people’s representatives or the officials of the district administration to encourage the spirited youth.
In the morning, Kota police station house officer, Mahesh Prasad, had extended best wishes to Kharvi before handcuffing him in the back.

Lawmakers consider higher handicapped parking fines

2011-02-11T17:54:00.000+05:30

Source: mccookgazette
Thursday, February 10, 2011

Emily Nohr / Nebraska News Service

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Handicapped parking is frequently abused in Nebraska and higher fines for illegally parking in those spots would help curb the mistreatment, says a state senator from Omaha. But some Nebraskans -- including wheelchair users -- are skeptical that the bill would make an impact.LB438, sponsored by District 9 Sen. Gwen Howard, would raise the maximum fine for illegally parking in handicapped stalls to $1,000.
The current law carries a maximum fine of $150 for the first offense in a calendar year. After that, fines can rise to $300 for the second offense and $500 for the third offense.
"People see it as a flexible guideline if they're feeling rushed or running late," Howard said at the Feb. 1 hearing on the bill. "All too often, the space is unavailable to a person who really needs it."
Joan Naber of Waco has been a wheelchair user for the past 15 years. Even in her small town of about 250 people, Naber has problems finding open handicapped parking spots. She thinks some of those spots are taken by people who park there illegally for their own convenience.
But she is unsure whether higher fines will help, she said, because she remembers when fines were raised in 2008. Naber said she saw no change in people breaking that law.
"I don't know if the threat of a large fine will deter people from saying, 'I'm just going to run in real quick and park right here,'" said Naber, who was named Ms. Wheelchair Nebraska in 2010. "There's so little chance they're going to get caught. For someone in the public to call and report it, and by the time an officer would get there, those people will be gone."
Law enforcement officials across the state say they cite people who do not properly display stickers or license plates with handicapped credentials.
Bruce Papstein, Brown County sheriff, said he hasn't written a citation for handicapped parking abusers in four years only because the law hasn't been abused.
Norfolk Chief of Police Bill Mizner said that illegally parking in handicap spots isn't a big problem in his city, either.
"Most people feel that the current fine structure is pretty severe," he said.
Mizner said he doesn't think increasing the maximum fine would have much of an impact on Norfolk, if any.
North Platte Chief of Police Mike Swain agreed, adding that his staff takes an aggressive stance on the issue and listens to the public when they call in instances of people parked illegally in handicapped spots
Yvonne Stuhr, who has been a wheelchair user for 25 years, said she thinks the bill does not address the real problem with handicapped parking: misuse of handicapped stickers and license plates.
Often, she said, she sees people who do not appear to be physically handicapped displaying stickers that may be from a handicapped relative or friend. Those people will park in the handicapped spots and it appears they haven't broken the law, she said.
"And sometimes people will park on the stripes between two handicap places," said Stuhr, also of Waco. "If I happen to be driving without my husband, there's no way I can get into or out of my van."
Naber said she thinks awareness about people with physical disabilities, rather than higher fines, is key in addressing the issue.

Moving toward the 'Light'

2011-01-22T01:44:00.000+05:30

source: bhpioneer

Physically and visually impaired skiers will take to the slopes Sunday for the 32nd annual Ski for Light. Pioneer file photo

32nd annual Ski for Light takes to the slopes Monday

By Jaci Conrad Pearson
Black Hills Pioneer

LEAD -- For the 85 blind, visually impaired and physically challenged participants and 100 volunteers who will help guide them, there's a bright light at the end of the Terry Peak ski runs they'll conquer this week. An inner light illumined by personal accomplishment.

Monday through Thursday marks the 32nd annual Black Hills Regional Ski for Light event at Terry Peak Ski Area and Wharf Resources Area, featuring four powder-packed days of guided cross-country and downhill skiing for the vision and mobility impaired.

“The challenges our participants sometimes face are hard to conceive when you're able-bodied,” said Ski for Light board member and volunteer Tracy Perdue. “This event is greatly anticipated by participants and for some, it's the main thing they get to look forward to every year. It's a good feeling to be able to celebrate their successes with them.”

Beginner to advanced skiers will attend the event, some skiing in adaptive skis and special sleds, some skiing independently and/or with guides.

Downhill skiers make their runs at Terry Peak, while cross country participants make their way around Wharf Resources mine reclamation area.

Monday and Tuesday feature mostly ski days, with a bonfire at the Wharf cross country site Wednesday and the grand finale -- fun race day on Thursday.

“They actually race against themselves,” Perdue said. “For example, on the downhill side, they'll make two runs and try to shorten the difference between the two times as little as possible.”

Perdue's husband handcrafts the trophies participants win from retired donated skis.

She describes her involvement as “purely a selfish thing.”

“I do this to see the look on these peoples' faces when they come down the mountain. Their expressions are filled with pure enjoyment. I like being a part of making that happen,” Perdue said.

While many Ski for Light participants' stories are filled with tragedy, the event can replace feelings of helplessness with hope.

“This is the largest gathering of people with disabilities in South Dakota,” said participant Brad Morgan, who after sustaining injuries in a 1988 automobile accident became a wheelchair user.

But due to his friend, Dallas Dietrich's, Ski for Light involvement, didn't miss out on a season at the slopes.

“I got hurt in July, but by January Dallas had me in a sled powering down the mountain,” Morgan said.

With several years of involvement under his belt, Morgan, a resident of Lead and an avid downhill skier, recently purchased his very own adaptive sled, called a mono-ski.

“It allows you to ski on your own. Pretty soon you're on blacks, double blacks,” Morgan said.

But the sleds are sort of pricey.

“This one was $6,300 and was purchased partially with a grant from the Challenged Athlete's Foundation. But I'll never have to buy another one,” Morgan said.

Ski for Light owns three different kinds of 15 adaptive sleds and participants rotate them during the week.

Ski for Light participants are known for their enthusiastic participation in all downtown Deadwood has to offer. Following ski-filled days, they return to their respective bases in Deadwood for the night life.

Poker runs, slot tournaments and karaoke are all evening events that will be there for the taking this week.

“The city of Deadwood, the city of Lead and Terry Peak, the relationship that Ski for Light and this community have had is simply remarkable,” Morgan said. “It's these towns that have made the event so successful. It's not only Ski for Light volunteers. There aren't many towns that can accommodate that many people with disabilities. It's truly amazing.”

Ski for Light has grown from 62 attendees at the first event, held in 1978, to its current size of close to 200 participating and/or guiding. People from throughout the United States, from other countries, and from all walks of life come to enjoy the unique camaraderie of Ski for Light.

A 17-member board of directors, largely from the Rapid City area, is responsible for the management of the organization.

For more information or to register for Ski for Light, call Perdue at 605-341-3626.

“Our goal is to get people who are visually and physically impaired outdoors so they can enjoy some skiing,” Perdue said. “We want them to be as independent as possible.

Visually-impaired navigate to success at car rally

2011-01-22T01:41:00.000+05:30

Source: TOI

JAIPUR: To prove that disability is no deterrent to achieve one's goal, a car rally with visually-impaired persons as navigators was organised on Sunday.

Forty-five of them navigated cars using a route map in Braille for the 70-km rally.

The rally was flagged off from Jai Club at 9 am by rural development minister Bharat Singh, Jaipur Citizen Group chairman Rajiv Arora, Diya Kumari and other eminent personalities of the city.

A part of the Jaipur Heritage International Festival, the rally was organised in association with various city-based organisations including Eye Bank Society of Rajasthan, Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh, Rajasthan Netraheen Sewa Sangh, Drishti Viklang Sangh.

Other top officials present at the rally were collector Naveen Mahajan, RIICO MD Rajendra Bhanwat, income tax commissioner Sunil Verma.

"Disability is never an obstacle. A person should have confidence in his abilities," said Prince Barjaitya, one of visually-impaired participant at the rally. He said the use of Braille for navigation would encourage other visually-challenged people to learn Braille, he added. Barjaitya also pens poems in Hindi.

Additional advocate general RP Singh who participated in the rally said, "These events show that visually challenged people are not helpless. They are no way less than others, and are one amongst us."

The rally finished at Desert Trail resort near Kukas. The first prize went to Anand Mishra (driver) and Ishaq Mohmmad (navigator) while Arun Mehta (driver) and Zamila Bano were first runners-up. Avnish Kasliwal (driver) and Jitendra Nath (navigator) bagged the third position.

Viklang Melo benefits 21,000 differently-abled in Gujarat

2010-12-06T23:57:00.000+05:30

Source: DNA
Over 21,000 differently-abled people have been provided supplementary organs and aid worth Rs2.5 crore at a Viklang Melo organised at five talukas of Patan. The Mela was organised jointly by the Patan District collectorate and Ratna Nidhi Trust, an NGO.
The trust has organised camps at Patan, Siddhpur, Radhanpur, Harij and Sankheshwar under the private-public partnership programme of the state government.
Giving details of the camps, JG Hingarajia, collector of Patan said, "We have covered almost all orthopaedically handicapped and hearing impaired people in the Viklang Melo-2010 that was held from November 17 to 30." Hingarajia added, "The workers of the NGO along with the government staff prepared a database of differently-abled people and then invited them by putting up notices at the panchayat office, anganwadis and other public places."
Mahendra Mehta, trustee of Ratna Nidhi Trust, said, "We provided custom-made clippers to polio-affected people, Jaipur foot prosthetics to people with amputated legs, tricycles, wheel-chairs and hearing aids to the differently-abled people."
The NGO arranged for special vans with expert doctors to provide treatment. They have also prepared computerised data base of all the beneficiaries of the camp. The data will be useful to identify people for other future benefits of government or NGOs.
The Ratna Nidhi Trust has already held camps in Bhavnagar and Banaskantha districts. This was the trust's third project in Patan.
The Mumbai-based trust will organise a similar project in Jamnagar this month.

‘Differently-abled persons are not victims’

2010-12-06T23:54:00.000+05:30

Source: morung express
ndent | Kohima | December 3

A special children cheer with media friends during the prayer service for differently-abled people and their families on the occasion of World Disability Day. (Morung Photo)

“Differently-abled persons are not victims; they are victors,” said Rev. Zotuo Kiewhuo, senior pastor, Koinonia Baptist Church and Principal, Kohima Bible College. Joining along with the rest of the world in celebrating World Disability Day, Nagaland state observed prayer service for differently-abled people and their families at Red Cross building here today organized by Enable. More than 30 ‘Special children’ took part in the prayer service.
Conveying a message to the gathering, Rev. Zotuo, who broke down emotionally seeing the special children, said the differently-abled children are not victim but a victor. Considering the fact of the situation of the parents, he said they are specially blessed parents as they have the love of God. Lightening the hearts of the parents, Rev. Zotuo said, “Have faith in God, you will surely see the change in the life of the special child, be it you sister, brother, son or daughter.” While calling upon the parents not to shy away from the society, Rev. Zotuo also said that disability is not a curse. He also urged to have love and faith in God as “God will intervene in your situation and you will see changes in your and children’s life,” echoed Rev. Zotuo.
Chairperson, Enable, Neikule Doulo, in her introductory note said Enable is been initiated with few people with an aim to bring changes in Nagaland for disabled children.
Colors of Children, the special children did a ramp show, representing from different schools and centres. Tears of love filled the conference hall when Meribeni Ezung performed a song “Message through Music” where the singer also broke down emotionally.
Daniel Thong, Educational Consultant, Enable took the charge of finding a special friend.
Kulima Apon and Ruokuowetuo, of St. Josephs’ School enlightened with a special number while Sunday school superintendent, City Church invoked the function. Reining Miss Nagaland, Easter Natso, spoke on behalf of BASN said, “Society is there to show it cares” and contestants of Miss Nagaland 2010, who were also at the function, presented gifts to the differently abled children. The 18 contestants also interacted with the special children after the prayer service. The Parents of Disabled Parents Association also presented gifts to all the special children. St. Joseph’s School, Kohima ushered through out the service.

Need for right direction & facilities

Changtongya, December 3 (DIPR): Speaking on the occasion of World Disability Day, DIS, Changtongya, M. Tinutemsü said that the day is observed to remember the disabled person of all age. Stating that the Central Government has approved the policy of right to education to all disabled children between the age group 6-14 years, he said that parents, teachers, society should extend all help and support to the disabled children by showing and providing them the right direction and facilities with immediate relief for their self sufficient and to bring them out of their disability.
World Disability Day and distribution of aid and appliance 2009 and 2010 celebration programme was held at Educational Block Resource Centre, Changtongya town on December 3, organised by District Mission Authority (SSA) Mokokchung with the theme ‘We Care.’ The programme was chaired by Assistant Coordinator EBRC, Changtongya, N. Themsü Longkumer.
During the programme 58 spectacles were distributed to school children which was earlier prescribed by a team of doctors from Mokokchung during free eye screening camp. The spectacles were donated by District Mission Authority (SSA) Mokokchung. Welcome speech was delivered by Coordinator EBRC, Changtongya, P. Onen Longkumer and invocation was pronounced by Administrator Nehemiah India, T. Temsu Jamir.

Physical rehabilitation centre in Dimapur

Dimapur, December 3 (MExN): On the occasion of the International Day of Disabled Persons, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), with support from the District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC), an organisation run by the Indian Red Cross society of Dimapur, has re-launched a physical rehabilitation centre in Dimapur, Nagaland.
“Injuries inflicted by anti-personnel mines or other explosive weapons can lead to amputation, severe disability and psychological trauma. These casualties require specialist surgery and post-operative care in the first instance and rehabilitation and psychological support in the longer term,” said Achilles Otou-Essono, an ICRC physical rehabilitation programme manager. “The best way to overcome these medical challenges is to have highly-skilled, professional personnel and to use suitable materials. This is clearly what we aim to achieve in Dimapur,” he also added.
ICRC New Delhi in a press release informed that the work carried out in cooperation with the District Disability Rehabilitation Centre will result in improved care for patients. The centre is stocked with the latest machines and equipment for people who have lost their limbs in accidents or who have been injured by anti-personnel mines or other types of explosive weapons. Patients will be provided with prostheses, orthoses, crutches and wheelchairs and will also receive physiotherapy.
“This centre is aimed at helping all those in India’s north-east in need of medical devices, mobility aids and physiotherapy,” said François Stamm, head of the ICRC delegation in India. “Hopefully it will attract patients from Nagaland and nearby states like Manipur, Arunachal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.”
The ICRC has been running a physical rehabilitation programme for disabled people in India since 2004. Currently, the organization supports two facilities in government-run hospitals in Srinagar and Jammu. In addition, the ICRC is planning to develop another centre in Chhattisgarh.

Differently abled woman traces her journey

2010-12-06T23:52:00.000+05:30

Source: ibnlive

Click to play video

New Delhi: On World Disability Day, Malini Chib, who hasn't let cerebral palsy stop her from an active life, releases her autobiography.
Forty four year old Malini Chib is more than used to different reactions, as people register the fact that she has cerebral palsy. A disease that leaves parts of the brain- that control muscles and movement- damaged.But that does not hinder her spirit and Chib is far from shy. Always willing to communicate she said, "I never thought I would write a book." When probed why she wrote 'One Little Finger' Chib revealed she wanted to share the that her life has been a good one.

There is no dearth of challenges in her life but she fights on. Sathi Alur, Malini's adoptive father said, "people are nervous when they see something different, they don't want to embarass themselves, don't feel like they're insulting.

The nervousness in others needs to go. Generally Malini breaks the ice herself- she'll go to a pub, order a glass of wine.

Malini talks about the journey of her life in this book. From a diagnosis of brain damage and mental retardation, to the formidable fight that she and her parents put up over the years.

In fact, Malini has two master's degrees, and has lectured from Paris to London.

It should be "Malini's book was released in New Delhi on world disability day, and there's no doubt she has a strong message..."

2010-09-16T02:21:00.000+05:30

People With Disabilities Make Able Workers

Richmond, Va. --

Twenty years after President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, workers with disabilities still face the daunting challenge of finding and keeping a job. While we lament a national unemployment rate that's now approaching 10 percent, imagine facing a job market that has a 63 percent to 69 percent unemployment rate.
Sound unbelievable? According to employment data released by the U.S. Department of Labor in late 2009, just a little over one third of men and women with significant disabilities were in the work force.
Despite tremendous advancements in equality and opportunity that have been made since this important act was signed into law in 1990, 65 percent of people with disabilities are without jobs at any given time.
While in many respects these individuals are just like the rest of us "abled" folks, they face employment challenges most of us can't possibly imagine.
Dr. Suzanne Smeltzer, professor in the college of nursing at Villanova University, told The Christian Science Monitor in July that there is a general lack of understanding and appreciation in our society toward people with disabilities. Far from being a drain on the system, "they are raising families and taking care of children and parents while holding very responsible positions."
Indeed, we need to look only as far as Virginia's former lieutenant governor, John Hager, to understand and appreciate the amazing contributions to family, to public service, and to our communities that are made by individuals with significant disabilities.
Stricken with polio in his mid-thirties as his corporate career was on the rise, John and his wife, Maggie, raised two small boys into successful young men as he continued his rise in the business world and, later, in politics. He remains one of the most energetic and driven people I've ever met, despite being wheelchair-bound for more than 35 years.
But what about others with disabilities - intellectual as well as physical - who face the challenges of landing and keeping a job despite the odds?
While successful, the interpretation of the ADA law often depends on the attitude of supervisors and the workplace culture. In this sense, the law helps but doesn't ensure employment for people with a variety of disabilities; it's up to individuals, families caregivers, and advocates to provide assistance to those with disabilities so they can find and keep meaningful jobs.
At the Greater Richmond ARC, we look forward to celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October. But truth be told, we actually celebrate the month year-round.
The Greater Richmond ARC provides training, coaching, and work on-site at our production facility in north Richmond and off-site throughout the community for more than 220 individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities.
A short drive down U.S. Route 1 past the Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) reveals the results firsthand: tidy grounds stemming directly from ARC efforts that include lawn mowing, leaf disposal, and general upkeep of more than 600 acres.
In addition, ARC performs recycling services and daily custodial work for approximately 143 buildings at DSCR. We also have employees at Fort Lee, the Navy Reserve Center, and the Army Reserve Center in Richmond.
But federal installations aren't the only places you'll witness ARC's handiwork.
Visit local Richmond retailers and you might see brightly-colored wrapping paper that we've packaged or famous brand musical instruments we've bundled. If you're participating in the SunTrust Richmond Marathon this November, you'll receive race information in an ARC-assembled runner's packet. Traveling through Henrico County one afternoon, you might find ARC workers collecting trash along the side of the road.
Training and helping individuals with disabilities find and keep jobs is one of our top priorities at the ARC. Employment increases an individual's perceived quality of life, builds self-esteem, and fosters a sense of independence, not to mention the benefits of bringing home a paycheck. And since more than half of individuals with disabilities reside with family members, providing work opportunities allows family and caregivers to work outside the home so that they can contribute as taxpayers, too.
Statistics show that providing employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities allows their caregivers to earn $1.5 million over the course of a 45-year work life. In addition, gainful employment for individuals with disabilities saves more than $7,000 per person in government subsidies, according to the Social Security Administration.
But there's a lot more to the benefits for prospective employers than just hard numbers. For instance, ARC boasts a dedicated and enthusiastic workforce, as Mike Foley, head of new business development, can tell you. A few years ago, he was nearly bowled over - literally - by one of our clients who was anxious to get to his job at our Northside production facility.
"It really made me appreciate just how much our folks' work means to them," recalled Foley. "It was truly a teachable moment."
What's more, using local outsource services allows area businesses to be socially responsible by providing jobs rather than simply contributing funds to a local charity. It contributes to the well-being of the company, the individual, and the community.
The results of ARC's employment training programs can also be seen long-term. Our organization provides on-the-job training, coaching, and assessment that help individuals achieve their fullest potential, focusing on the strengths, needs, and preferences of individuals who are developing job skills.
From light assembly to document imaging and storage to janitorial and landscaping services, ARC provides hands-on training that matches the individual with the right job based on his or her abilities.
We are constantly seeking ways to assess and train ARC workers to perform a job. Some tasks require more effort than others, so when we find the ideal "fit" it is a rewarding experience for everyone on the team, from the individual themselves to the job trainer and production facility coordinator.
The outcomes are statistically impressive: 90 percent of our folks seeking competitive wages in community businesses were placed in 2009 and 82 percent retained employment for a year or more. But it's the stories of our client-employees that tell the simple truth.
Robert Redden, an ARC employee at DSCR, is undoubtedly one of the best workers in grounds maintenance at the federal facility. Despite learning and memory impairments as the result of a childhood car accident, Redden was twice named as DSCR Employee of the Quarter in 2009. Recently, he was promoted to Lead Recycle Worker and has taken on his new responsibility with great enthusiasm.
Armed with a strong work ethic, ongoing job training and support, Redden also exhibits something that anyone in today's work force can relate to: appreciation for the opportunity to achieve and contribute.
"I am very grateful to have a job," he says.

2010-09-16T02:20:00.000+05:30

Khadka, Adhikari bag best player awards
Source: republica

REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, Sept 14: Cricketer Paras Khadka and karate player Ganga Adhikari on Thursday won accolades at the Bajaj Pulsar Sports Award 2066 at the Nepal Academy Hall. The award function was organized by Nepal Sports Journalists´ Forum.

Deepak Bista of taekwondo, Binita Maharjan of wushu, Santosh Sahukhala of football, karate coach Deepak Shrestha, differently abled athlete Arjun Sapkota, Debu Thapa of judo and Rubina Chhetri of cricket received awards in different categories while veteran athlete Komal Pandey won the lifetime achievement award amid an extravagant function.

Award winners from each category received a purse of Rs 25,000, a Samsung digital camera, free installation of Dish TV, gift hamper from 100 Plus energy drink, free mountain flight from Buddha Air and room carpet from New Horizon. The nominees received gift hampers from 100 Plus and Timex wrist watches.

Khadka who won the Male Player of the Year award had guided the national cricket team to ICC World Cricket League Division-5 victory at home under his captaincy, which is one of the major feats of the senior national cricket team. He had scored 250 runs and hauled a wicket on the occasion.

Similarly, he had guided the team to the final of the ACC Trophy in Kuwait after eight years in his captaincy.

The other nominees in this category were the gold medalists of the 11th South Asian Games (SAG) -- Binod Shakya (karate), Rajendra Bhandari (marathon), Sunil Lama (karate) and Angbabu Lama (wushu).

"We could not have achieved success without the support of my team. The credit for this award goes to my team, family, coach and friends," Khadka said.

Ganga Adhikari won the Female Player of the Year award. She had won a gold medal in karate kumite at the 11th SAG. Adhikari dedicated the award to her parents, friends and coaches. Nary Thapa of cricket, SAG gold medalists Ayasha Shakya (karate), Jamuna Gurung (football) and Muna Basukala (table tennis) were other nominees in the category.

Binita Maharjan of wushu bagged the Youth Player of the Year award for her outstanding feat. She had bagged gold in thaulow tai chi chuan in the 11th SAG. She credited her father for her achievement and also thanked friends and coaches.

Anu Adhikari of karate, Nischal Pandey and Rahul Kumar BK of cricket and Anu Lama of football were nominated in this category.

Karate coach Deepak Shrestha took the Best Coach award. Shrestha was the coach of the Nepali team that won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the 11th SAG. He specially thanked his wife Sunita and the APF Club of the Armed Police Force on the occasion.

Other coaches nominated in this category were Roy Luke Dias of cricket, Narayan Yadav of athletics, Prakash Lama of wushu and Kyon Young Dal of taekwondo.

Footballer Santosh Sahukhala won the Popular Player of the Year award. Sahukhala was selected through SMS voting. He received 74,814 votes out of the total 154,062 votes cast.

Striker Sahukhala, currently enrolled with Manang Marshyangdi Club, is the highest paid player in Nepal. He had scored 19 goals in the last season of the Martyrs Memorial A Division League Football Tournament.

Ayasha Shakya of taekwondo received the second highest vote. Sahukhala thanked his family, friends and all his well-wishers for their support. Ang Babu Lama (wushu), Rajendra Bhandari (athletics), Rupak Acharya (golf), Sharad Vesawkar (cricket) and Jamuna Gurung (football) were the other nominees in the category.

Arjun Kumar Sapkota who won gold in the differently abled international table tennis tournament held in Bangalore, India was given the para-athlete award added in this edition of the award function.

Sapkota had won gold in men´s singles and bronze in men´s doubles in the 40-nation contest. He had lost one of his hands in a road accident during his childhood.

Judoka Debu Thapa won the bravery award. Thapa, a gold medalist hopeful in the 11th SAG, won bronze despite being hospitalized following a lift mishap in Dhaka. Thapa´s husband Machakaji Maharjan received the award on her behalf, as Debu is currently in Tokyo, Japan to participate in the World Judo Championship.

Rubina Chhetri of cricket was given the surprise magical performance award. Chhetri became the first Nepali cricketer to complete a hat-trick in the international level and claim five wickets in one over against Singapore in Malaysia during the ACC Women´s Trophy.

Singapore, needing only two runs for victory with five wickets in hand, could manage only one run as Chhetri took five wickets in the over to draw the match. Nepal won the match in the bowl out.

Meanwhile, the award ceremony also featured players walking the ramp. Likewise, artistes also performed dances and b-boying at the event.

2010-09-16T02:19:00.000+05:30

eBay And National Federation Of The Blind Enter Into An Alliance To Increase Ecommerce Job Opportunities

eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) is the world’s largest online marketplace. In a joint announcement with National Federation of the Blind (NFB) the company announced today that they have entered into an alliance to create more opportunities for the visually challenged in America to access eBay as buyers as well as sellers. As a part of their alliance agreement, ebay has now included advanced features for users to buy, bid, and sell using just the keyboard and also compatibility with certain screen access software that assist the visually challenged to navigate on-screen content. This is a phenomenal news for the visually challenged community in America as they can now connect and network with 92 million users and 200 million listings across the eBay website.
eBay is known to be a good platform that creates the opportunity for self-employment across America. Reportedly, over seventy percent of the visually challenged people in America are either unemployed or underemployed, job creation has become a fundamental requirement. Apart from creating this congenial platform the NFB and eBay are dedicated to support the community by providing funds for promising entrepreneurs, recruiting them as eBay trainers to educate other aspiring sellers from the visually challenged community, and developing an NFB ecommerce store on eBay.

2010-09-16T02:17:00.002+05:30

Pioneering facilities for the visually challenged
M. Lavanya Photo: M. Vedhan

LANDMARK:The Braille section of the library. — The Braille section of the Anna Centenary Library to be opened soon will help people with visual impairment access books.
“This is one of the first public libraries in India to have these facilities introduced for the visually challenged, particularly with reference to books in Tamil,” said G. Arivoli, Director of Public Libraries.
“We have secured five Braille Displays, that will cover around 1,000 books in both Tamil and English initially,” he added. Using the equipment, the reader can go through the text, line by line, once the soft copy in the required format has been loaded to the instrument.
“The introduction of the Braille Display in Tamil is of great value. It will help save space, paper and energy,” said R. Jayachandran, associate professor in Tamil, Presidency College, and a person with visual impairment.
“The equipment in the Braille section cost a total of Rs. 15 lakh. We also have plans to procure the OpenBook software that converts printed pages into an electronic text format for the visually challenged.” said Mr. Arivoli.
The computer-supported audio facilities give audio lessons for students from class I to Bachelors level. Close to 370 such CDs have been secured. The library will also be equipped with two new Braille embossers that render text as Braille. The library also has a collection of Braille books in Tamil and English and there are plans to provide better access to journals and newspapersOfficials also said ramps would be provided to enable easy wheelchair access to persons with disability.

2010-09-16T02:16:00.000+05:30

Amway Opportunity Foundation Sets Up Computer Centre For Visually Challenged

Source: India PRWIRE

Reiterating its commitment to the holistic growth and development of the visually challenged in India, Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) a registered non-profit organization, which looks after Amway India's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives for Amway India partnered with the National Association of Blind (NAB) here in Mumbai to establish a computer centre for the visually challenged.

Mumbai, Maharashtra, September 9, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- Reiterating its commitment to the holistic growth and development of the visually challenged in India, Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) a registered non-profit organization, which looks after Amway India's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives for Amway India partnered with the National Association of Blind (NAB) here in Mumbai to establish a computer centre for the visually challenged. This is the eleventh computer center for visually challenged by AOF after successfully launching in Gurgaon, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Kolkata (2), Patna, Ahmedabad, Pune, Trivandrum & Hyderabad. Apart from this, AOF has also set up a vocational training centre for the visually challenged at New Delhi.
Christened "AOF - National Association of Blind - Center of Excellence", this computer centre located at Reay Road, will provide basic computer education & vocational training to the visually challenged. The centre was inaugurated by Mr. William S Pinckney, Chairman - AOF. Also present on the occasion were Mr. Suhas V.Karnik, Hon.Secretary, National association of Blind, Mr.Achinta Banerjie, Vice President, Amway India (west), Mr. Shishir Jha, Area Manager Amway India, Maharashtra & Goa, Mr. Mangesh Borgoankar, leading Tellywood singer, Ms. Palavi Kadam, Deputy Director, NAB Employment Department and Amway distributor leaders.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. William S. Pinckney, Chairman, Amway Opportunity Foundation said, "we at Amway are extremely proud to be associated with NAB. Our relationship now has become even stronger today with a clear focus of enabling the visually challenged children to have a better future. A future that is full of empowerment and self-dependence." He added, "It is very well understood now that business cannot succeed in a society that fails. Achieving inclusive and sustainable development can be realized only if different sectors of the society work together harmoniously"
Spread over the area of 350 sq feet this centre has 10 computers with headphones & software. All 10 computers installed at the centre are equipped with special software for the visually impaired namely JAWS that will enable them to use computer effectively. This talking software facilitates in 'hearing' the function of the particular key/command simultaneously with the click of the key thus enabling the visually challenged person to hear what they are typing.
AOF had organized a Charity Musical Evening program in May 2010 with the objective to institute this computer center for NAB. Celebrity Tellywood singer Mangesh Borgoankar (Sa Re Ga Ma Finalist) was the lead singer for the musical show then. AOF specially invited him as guest of honor to witness this memorable moment. A delighted Mangesh opined, "it's my privilege to be here on this occasion. This gesture of AOF will surely go a long way in shaping the future of the visually challenged in the world of IT"
Commenting on the occasion Mr. Suhas V. Karnik, Hon. Secretary, National Association of Blind said, "It is important in today's time to be technically strong. This effort by Amway Opportunity Foundation will surely help these visually challenged children to learn with technology & upgrade their skills."
The centre will provide a basic computer course for 6 months and a vocational training course for a duration of six months in which students can learn Jaws, MS Windows XP, MS Office, C++, Java_Advanced Java, MS Internet Explorer.
About NAB-Mumbai
Incepted in 1952 NAB- National Association for Blind begun its journey with a vision to work towards an environment where each and every blind person of this country will be able to lead a life up to his optimum potential and be so empowered as to be able to work towards his own growth and Development. Since the NAB has been relentlessly working for the welfare of visually challenged people. It is has successfully significant projects like Braille Productions, White Cane Day, Talking Library for blind, Louis Braille Memorial research center which does study in the field of blindness, IDBI Polytechnic etc.
Notes to Editor
About Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF)
AOF is a registered non-profit organization looks after Amway India's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and has been actively associated with several projects dedicated towards child welfare across the country. One of the biggest challenges in education of visually impaired children is to make books available in Braille, text or audio described format so that students can read themselves. Under the National Project for the Blind, AOF with its partners AICB and NAB has ensured making available Braille textbooks to over 85,000 school-going visually challenged children in 15 states.
Another project that AOF runs is Project Sunrise - a project which envisages partnership with needy children's home / orphanages to support their educational, health & medical requirements. AOF has partnered with 54 such orphanages across the country.
AOF's Vision: To enable the lesser-privileged child to lead a better life.
AOF's Mission: To be the front-runner in providing opportunities in child education and health to attain economic independence, with special focus on the blind child

2010-09-16T02:14:00.000+05:30

Can you help?

Source: The Hindu

Mangai Krishnaswamy, Usha Balasubramanian, Jeeya Wolhak and S. Sadasiva walk into the MetroPlus office with a simple request. Could we find them volunteers? They are desperately seeking people who could help them help the visually impaired student community in Coimbatore.

Mangai has worked with blind students for more than two decades. She was part of Darshini, (run by the Adyar Exnora Women‘s Guild) a charitable trust that serves visually impaired students. Usha has been working with school and college students for many, many years too. A lion’s share of their service was with students in Chennai and now they find themselves in Coimbatore where they want to continue the good work. Visually challenged students in the city would hugely benefit from their guidance.

Jeeya and Sadasiva know just how much. Visually impaired himself, Jeeya is now working on his M Phil in Tamil Literature from the Government Arts College, and he is doing it with Mangai’s help. Jeeya is from Mettupalayam, and he recounts how in his undergraduate days, he had to make several trips to Chennai to get help. Not every one can do that, and many students like him have just given up on studies only because they have not found people to read to them or write exams for them. Sadasiva, also visually impaired, says how good scribes and readers could make all the difference between a bright future and no future at all.

“We want volunteers who can read and write Tamil. This, so they can read out the question paper during exams, and write the answers for the blind students,” says Mangai. While the job requires no special skills, volunteers should understand that the students will take their time to assimilate the questions, organise their thoughts and then call out the answers. This takes time, and an impatient or irritable volunteer could wreck the self confidence of the student, not to mention unnerve him completely. Patience and sensitivity are the only qualifications one requires, says Usha.

Usha, Mangai, Jeeya and Sadasiva are hoping to build a bank of volunteers that can help the students. There is no organized set up as yet in Coimbatore, that can be relied upon to provide scribes. Exams are round the corner and students in both schools and colleges could do with their help.

Apart from helping out during the exams, volunteers could also record text books, reading material and so on. “We have recorded whole books, lesson by lesson. We have taped questions along with the answers, so that the students can revise their lessons as many times as they want,” says Mangai.

Mangai says how the back bone of their effort in Chennai was the housewife. “Many women have time on their hands, but are unable to leave their homes. Work like this can be done at their own pace and convenience. They don’t have to step outdoors ”. She cites her own example. Jeeya comes home to her twice or thrice a week for help with his thesis.

Jeeya and Sadasiva say visually impaired students like them could benefit immensely from this. Usha and Mangai bring with them valuable experience in working with such students. Together, they want to bring about a change for the better in the lives of the visually challenged students in Coimbatore. They need you in order to do that.

If you want to volunteer your services or need to know more, call: Mangai 9840020241/Usha 9566158108/Jeeya 9443936086 or Sadasiva 9003836412.

2010-04-28T16:20:00.000+05:30

Now, the differently-abled can click to find their match online

A leading matrimonial website has launched an online platform exclusively for the physically challenged to find their match. The website, www.abilitymatrimony.com, will serve as a platform for the differently-abled to connect with one another and find their life partner.
"The website might prove to be very beneficial for the handicapped. Having a partner is a basic need for every human being and being handicapped should not act as an obstacle in a person's life. It's time we break such a mindset," said Sheetal Dhanak, executive committee member, fellowship of the physically handicapped (FPH).
According to Dhanak, just like a healthy person would want a partner who is fit and fine, a disabled person also needs someone who is comfortable with their disabilities. "In a way, such site is empowering the disabled to choose," added Dhanak.
Bharat Matrimony founder and CEO Murugavel Janakiraman said the company had decided to launch the exclusive online platform with a view to make it easier for those who are willing to marry the physically handicapped to find such people.
"This is a socially responsible corporate move to facilitate marriages in all sections of the society. This move will change the attitude of the society towards the social rights of differently-abled persons," Janakiraman said.
However, such alliances also depend a lot on the degree of handicap in a person.
"If a person's handicap is such that he/she needs help in daily chores then I would not recommend such alliances,"said Mansi Mehta, who is attached to the Access Awareness Cell that works for advocacy of the handicap.
"However for people with a certain degree of handicap, such bonds may be very fruitful."

2010-04-28T16:18:00.000+05:30

World wide web at the fingertips of the visually challenged

Mumbai: At the St Xavier’s Resource Centre at Fort, a visually challenged group of boys and girls sits before computer screens wearing headphones. But, before you mistake them for a bunch of students bunking classes to surf the net, you can spot them taking printouts in Braille.

The centre that started in September, 2003 has helped the visually challenged make significant in-roads into the web world, sparing them exclusion from the e-world of books, email, social networking sites and search engines. “You cannot change every obstacle but you can start by filling small gaps,” said Dr Sam Taraporevala, director of the centre.
Taraporevala, visually challenged himself, is a professor of sociology at St Xavier’s College and has been instrumental in setting up the centre for creating an inclusive environment for the visually challenged. He, however, makes it clear, “This is not a talking cyber cafe. We aim at the holistic development of the visually challenged.”
Taraporevala said, “The facility is not restricted to students of the college alone.” Of the 100-odd people using the facilities at the centre, only 30 are students of the college. Visually challenged students from other colleges are also trained at the centre.
With the latest screen readers that read aloud computer applications, screen magnifiers to facilitate people with low vision, optical character recognition software, Braille printers and cellphone screen readers, the virtual world is no longer a strange place for the visually challenged. “Apart from training in using various software, we also give lessons in English,” Taraporevala said.
Prashant Naik, who conducts training programmes for the visually challenged said the centre, with the help of a software named Daisy Book Production, a number of textbooks, with permissions from their publishers, have been translated from their printed forms to computer formats that suit the print-disabled. “With this a visually challenged person can turn to any page or paragraph on the page of the book just like sighted people,” Naik said.
Mohammed Ashfaque, an FYJC student from Bhavan’s College, was seen reading from a textbook on a computer at the centre on Tuesday. “I started coming just yesterday. But I like it here as I get to learn a lot,”
The centre is funded by several organisations and public trusts. It is also pursuing the issue of more accessible banking with the Reserve Bank of India.

2010-04-28T16:17:00.000+05:30

Visually challenged face difficulties in finding scribes

The Hindu A senior citizen helps students revise their subjects, under an initiative of the Rotary Club of Madras Coromandel, in Adyar recently. Photo: M. Karunakaran

Visually challenged A. Raja is determined to clear the BA (History) examinations, beginning on May 24, with high marks. The student of Annamalai University is, however, in search of a volunteer who could read the lessons for him. “There are nine papers that I need to take, and many of us come to Chennai as there is more help available here,” says Mr. Raja, a resident of Cuddalore.

Hundreds of visually impaired graduate and post graduate students take their semester examinations this time of the year. Though there are volunteer organisations that help the visually challenged students find volunteers or scribes, the demand is huge.

Disability activists say some educational institutions in the city find scribes with the help of the database of students with disabilities enrolled with them. “More than finding a scribe the challenge is in getting volunteers who could revise for them. Only if the visually challenged has prepared well can he or she make it easy for the scribe to write,” says E. Rajeswari, vice-president, Tamil Nadu Association of the Blind.

There are over 20 students in the Association's girls' hostel in Tondiarpet who would be appearing for various graduate exams until May 4. “Most colleges have some system to call in for scribes but for reading purpose there are hardly any,” adds Ms. Rajeswari.

Some use recorder or CDs to learn lessons if no volunteer is available. In a large way voluntary organisations have streamlined the process by connecting people who want to be scribes, who need a scribe and who need people to read. Disha Foundation, for instance, through its network of coordinators in colleges ensure the drop out rate is minimal as well as there is no duplication of the same request at other portals. Besides, it helps conduct reading sessions twice a week. “Nearly 30 visually challenge students have signed up on our website and every person has at least 10 papers to write,” says a volunteer with Disha Foundation.

Even a group reading session is welcome for many visually challenged. There are some who prefer to visit the home of the volunteer or it is vice-versa, according to members of organisations working in this area.

A coordinator with iScribe, an endeavour of VidyaSagar, says some of the volunteers, who sign up on their website, also write that they could do reading sessions.

“A Commerce student, for instance, needs an M.Com or B.Com graduate to help in reading. Spending two hours once or twice a week is enough if the student is regular with the studies,” says N. Maheswari, coordinator, iScribe.

VSCRIBE, a branch of Chennai Social Service focusing on the educational needs of visually impaired students, says it is easier to find scribes to write examinations as one can locate people working on shifts or college students.

Others organisations such as Rotary Club of Madras Coromandel, who has been conducting reading sessions for years, say a good number of senior citizens volunteer for its reading sessions for the visually challenged students.

2010-04-28T16:15:00.000+05:30

Elderly abuse: Handicapped parking spat and card game dispute lead to Clay County charges

Posted: April 26, 2010 - 5:22pm

Source: Jacksonville

By Beth Reese Cravey

On Saturday in Orange Park, a 58-year-old woman shoved an 88-year-old man to the ground during an argument between the two strangers over a handicapped parking place, according to a police report.
The shove came after the man spit on the woman's car.
On Sunday in Middleburg, a 32-year-old woman tried to pepper spray her 71-year-old mother over a dispute during a recent card game.
Both cases resulted in arrests, according to Clay County Sheriff's Office reports.
The 58-year-old Orange Park woman was charged with battery of an elderly person. The man's elbow was slightly injured, but he declined medical treatment.
The 32-year-old Middleburg woman was charged with assault on an elderly person, for threatening to carry out a threat. Her mother was not directly pepper sprayed -- she grabbed her daughter's arm, directing the spray in another direction -- but had difficulty breathing later because of the amount of spray in the air, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

hey welcome back

2010-02-16T06:47:00.000+05:30

Its been a long time and am Back...

2010-01-26T18:18:00.000+05:30

SBI Plans 7,000 Voice-Enabled ATMs For Visually-Challenged

Source: RTT NEWS

1/8/2010 12:09 AM ET

(RTTNews) - State Bank of India, the country's largest lender, is installing, from the next month, 7,000 voice-enabled Automatic Teller Machines or ATMs in the country for its visually-challenged customers, report media.

During a CII-seminar on Thursday in Mumbai, bank General Manager of Alternate Channels, Amitabh Kumar said in Mumbai enabled for visually-challenged persons. He said that these ATMs customized with headphones and braille key pads would offer services including funds transfers and downloading of account statements.
He said that SBI was testing voice-enabled ATMs with its partners, NCR and Diebold, and was expecting these to be operational within a month. These ATMs would be installed in metros and urban towns.

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by RTT Staff Writer

For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com

2010-01-26T18:16:00.000+05:30

Visually challenged students allege apathy
Source: Assam tribune

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 21 – In the year 1985, Md Imran Ali, a visually challenged student of Class X had submitted a scholarship form in his district’s Social Welfare office. In 1986, he along with his uncle went to the same office to inquire about the form as it was pending for more than a year. The form was lying unattended.

Ali is now the vice-president (East Zone), National Federation of the Blind. Ali has complained that the kind of harassment, which was an irritant to the visuallychallenged students that he had faced a couple of decades ago is still faced by the visually challenged students of the State.

“There is no change in the situation. The visually challenged were deprived of their dues before, and at present also they are a deprived and ignored lot,” alleged Ali, adding that the visuallychallenged students of the State were facing great inconvenience as the scholarship forms are not available at times.

“Students have complained to us that when they went to the concerned office to get a form, they were told that there were no forms,” said Ali.

A student of Cotton College, Nilotpal Baishya, while regretting the alleged apathetic attitude of the authorities concerned towards the visuallychallenged students, said that when his father went to get a scholarship form, he was given a xerox copy. “I however did not submit the form. Blind students come from distant places to get a form. But they return disappointed. The office should keep sufficient scholarship forms,” he said. He further said that the poor but meritoriousstudents would heave a sigh of relief if they get the scholarship forms on time and the money, too.

On the other hand, Ali said that the government should revise the rate of scholarship, which was low compared to other States like UP, Haryana, etc.

“The rate of scholarship in the State has not been revised for a long time. We feel it is time to treble the existing rate of scholarship,” observed Ali.

Ali stressed that the rate of scholarship should be enhanced as per the norms of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India.

“The amount of scholarship should be paid in the middle of the academic session so as to provide financial relief to the blind students,” insisted Ali.

2010-01-26T18:15:00.000+05:30

Amputees in Haiti face a tough road

The Haiti of tomorrow reveals itself in earthquake news photos and videos that show doctors performing innumerable amputations of hands and feet.

By John Barry

St. Petersburg Times

PREV of NEXT

DAVID SWANSON / MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Darslin Launa, 10, screams in pain as her bandages are changed last week at a hospital in Jimani, Dominican Republic. Her right leg was amputated at the scene of a building collapse in the Haiti earthquake.

The Haiti of tomorrow reveals itself in earthquake news photos and videos that show doctors performing innumerable amputations of hands and feet, some of them with toolshed hacksaws. The images unveil a new mass population of amputees in a country where the able-bodied barely get by, where begging is the occupation of amputees, where the disabled are judged a burden, even a curse.

An hour's flight away, the United States boasts amazing new prosthetic technology, including bionic hands and feet powered by tiny motors, microprocessors and sensors that adjust to stairs or hills. It's a country where amputees dare to compete in Olympic track events. It has manufacturers who are eager to help.

But our technology won't do much good in Haiti, say prosthetists and doctors who work there. Microprocessors fizzle in water, and exotic alloys shatter on rocks. It's little things that matter most: Is the foot the right color? Does it look like a foot? Does it have toes?

Can its owner, asks one physical therapist, "beat the daylights out of it?"

The Red Cross has a foot that's almost indestructible. To make it requires a hunk of plastic, an oven and a pocket knife.

Before the earthquake, Haiti had two shops that made prosthetic hands and feet.

One has been run by Healing Hands for Haiti for 10 years in Port-au-Prince. The other was run by the St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children, established in 1945. The earthquake claimed both shops. Healing Hands has seven workers unaccounted for and 75 percent of its compound in ruins. At St. Vincent's, six were killed.

Executive Director Eric Doubt said Healing Hands may be starting again from scratch.

Before the earthquake, Doubt estimated Haiti had 800,000 disabled people, but no one has ever counted. "The handicapped are a huge burden for families and usually abandoned," he said. "Government focus is zero. They are the bottom of the pile."

Many U.S. organizations are gearing up to offer aid. The Hanger Orthotic Group announced an initial donation of $250,000 in cash and equipment. It's the same company that developed new materials and technology to create a prosthetic tail for the injured dolphin Winter at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida.

Well-meaning mistakes

But in poor countries, infusions of technology and expertise sometimes backfire.

David Lawrence is a physical therapist and amputee specialist in Richmond, Va., who works for Physicians for Peace. He co-founded that organization's Walking Free program to help amputees in poor countries, including Haiti. Its philosophy is to train local people to make and repair prosthetics.

He tells a story about a donation of 500 wheelchairs for the handicapped in Belize. Because the wheelchairs were designed for tile floors, they fell apart on rocky roads. But the donation of all those wheelchairs had caused Belize's only wheelchair-repair shop to go out of business.

"If well-meaning people come in, donate prosthetics and leave, what happens when a component breaks?" he said. "It's almost more damaging to give a child something that can't be replaced."

Jeffrey Bigelow, a resident neurologist at Yale University who surveyed the needs of Haitian amputees for Healing Hands in 2004, said even simple, locally produced devices have to be skillfully made or they're just too painful to wear. In his survey, only 25 percent of amputees ever wore a prosthetic. Crutches were more common.

Better solutions

A famous success story involves a prosthetic called the Jaipur Foot, designed in the 1960s by a semiliterate craftsman in Jaipur, India, out of rubber, wood and tin. It could be worn without a shoe, could be used for squatting or for climbing trees, and it had toes. A half-million people began wearing it. It revolutionized prosthetics in poor countries.

One successor is a Red Cross design called the ICRC Foot, made from plastic. An Internet Red Cross manual shows how to make one, including how to shape the foot with a pocket knife and warm the pieces in an oven (to 250 degrees). The Red Cross says the foot is durable, easy to fix, adaptable to any climate and compatible with prosthetics standards.

2010-01-26T18:13:00.000+05:30

Recruitment drive for physically challenged

Source: Express Buzz
Express News Service
First Published : 22 Jan 2010 03:16:00 AM IST

CHENNAI: A special recruitment drive would be launched for the physically challenged in the State, said Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Thursday at a thanksgiving function organised by the Federation of Tamil Nadu Physically Handicapped Associations.

This is for first instance in recent times that a recruitment drive is being launched for the physically challenged. It may be recalled that the Central government made a special drive in the late 90s.

The chief minister stated that the monthly pension of Rs 400, now being given to the visually challenged and handicapped, would be extended to the deaf and dumb also. It will cost the government an additional expenditure of Rs 23.93 crore. The government has also decided to raise the number of beneficiaries of marriage assistance from 490 people to 1,110 people and this will cost the government Rs 2.2 crore, he added.

He also hinted to the gathering, which included a la rge number of visually, physically challenged people, that the budgetto be presented at the new Assembly building will have new schemes for them.

He gave appointment orders for a couple of visually challenged teachers.

It may be recalled that The New Indian Express had published reports on their plight some time back.

2010-01-26T18:11:00.000+05:30

Disabled seek equal rights under NREGA

Source: Live mint

West Bengal, Chhattisgarh are the best performers in providing jobs for the disabled, says govt data

New Delhi: Bishnu Chaudhary and his wife Vijaya Devi, both stricken by polio, have been waiting for work for the past two years. But on 2 October, Chaudhary and others like him picked up the shovel to show that they too are able.
“We wanted to show that we can also work, just like everyone else can,” said Chaudhary, who hails from Dausa district in Rajasthan.
Chaudhary and others like him from nine states have formed a group, called Viklang Manch, to demand that disabled people be treated equally for eligibility under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), the country’s flagship welfare programme which promises 100 days of employment a year to poor rural households.
While the Act is neutral on giving work to people with disabilities, certain aspects, if amended, can aid states in identifying what jobs can be sanctioned for the disabled, according to the group.
“There is nothing certain written in the rules as to what kind of disabled person is eligible for what kind of work,” said Sonu Golkar from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, the national coordinator for the group. “That should really be the first step.”
Works such as arranging for drinking water, computer training and teaching can be undertaken by disabled people, he said.
On 2 October, when the disabled workers dug a water tank for Atun panchayat in Rajasthan, they earned Rs75 each for the day’s labour, more than the Rs66 per head able-bodied workers doing the same job earned.
The Union government in 2008 circulated an order listing jobs that can be sanctioned for disabled people, but only one state, Madhya Pradesh, has notified it.
The notification says that the Act does not differentiate differently abled people from the rest and specifically mentions what sort of work can be assigned to whom.
“But the Centre can only recommend in such a case and not force the states, as finally, the states are the implementing agency,” said Mihir Shah, member, Planning Commission, India’s apex planning body.
The informal group has framed its own set of suggested amendments, which they claim will help them get employment. It submitted this proposal to C.P. Joshi, minister for rural development, during the first social audit of NREGA in Bhilwara.
Joshi had said at a public function that disabled people should be treated as one separate family unit when job cards are issued, which was one of the demands.
Among other demands, the Viklang Manch has suggested that 3% of the expenditure in each district be reserved for the disabled, new kinds of work be included in the schedule of works, and jobs specific for particular disabilities be included.
“An official from the social justice and empowerment department should be made a part of the implementation committee of NREGA,” said Navin Narayan, programme officer, Action Aid International, a non-profit body operating in around 40 countries.
“Although the Act is friendly in terms of moving decisively (on including the disabled), very little has happened,” said Pramathesh Ambasta, national coordinator, civil society consortium on NREGA, a loosely federated collective of civil society organizations to support NREGA.
“Except Madhya Pradesh, which has clearly categorized the works. This needs to be up-scaled.”
“States need to be convinced that reforms are required and should see the merit in this, as there is lack of an enabling framework for such people,” Ambasta added.
For disabled people, access to work under NREGA is not the same story everywhere.
According to the data released by the rural development ministry, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh are the best performers in this regard, providing jobs to 30,903 and 14,122 disabled people, respectively, between April and September.
Bihar provided jobs to a mere 41 disabled people in this period.
“We face discrimination at every step and this issue is considered too small,” said Golkar. “But till a person doesn’t have work, he doesn’t have dignity.”

2010-01-26T18:09:00.000+05:30

Govt websites yet to ease access for disabled

Source: Mint

Universally accessible websites are those that allow people with disabilities access online content without difficulty, with help from easily available, specialized software.

New Delhi: Despite India’s various e-governance initiatives, government websites are still inaccessible to citizens with disabilities, barring one recent example.
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The ministry of social justice and empowerment last month revamped its website by following global norms of universal accessibility set down by the World Wide Web Consortium.
Universally accessible websites are those that allow people with disabilities access online content without difficulty, with help from easily available, specialized software.
With the penetration of Internet and availability of wide range of information technology (IT) devices, it is likely that government websites are the first point of interface between citizens and the administration.
“We believe it is the right of the person with disability to have an unhindered access to information and knowledge,” said Mukul Wasnik, minister for social justice and empowerment. “We sought to lead by example by being the first government ministry to make our website special, people-friendly.”
The website, www.socialjustice.nic.in, allows visually impaired people, such as those with colour blindness or limited vision, to easily navigate the content. It also provides on its home page links to free software that enables the blind to access the site.
“It is easy and a blessing for people with blindness,” said Dependra Manocha, who is visually challenged and associated with Saksham, a charitable trust that works for the empowerment of persons with disabilities.
The accessibility features in the ministry’s website include alternate text for images, flexible text spacing and size and liberal use of easily understood icons for slow learners, options to skip links, and videos with transcripts, said Neeta Verma, senior technical director at National Informatics Centre, the government’s Web services organization.
Verma and her team played a key role in helping the ministry design and implement the revamp.
The website has also been designed in a way that it can be navigated entirely through a keyboard, aimed at people who have difficulty in using a mouse, she said.
Although activists working for rights for the disabled welcomed the ministry’s initiative, they said much more needs to be done.
“We talk of the IT age and think of the country to be in the information highway, but of the more than 5,000-odd public sector websites, only one has till now come forward to make a beginning,” said Javed Abidi, honorary director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for the Disabled. “In a vibrant democracy like India, the physically challenged cannot approach vital sites like that of the Information Commission, Parliament or the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).”
Disabled people staged a large demonstration to voice their rights on world disability day on 3 December 2008 and some representatives were asked to visit PMO for discussions, said the wheelchair-bound Abidi. PMO subsequently instructed the communications ministry to prepare guidelines for government websites to be universally accessible.
“It took a year after the guidelines were laid down for the first universally accessible website to see the light of the day. The rest seem to be unresponsive,” Abidi said. “We have submitted a list of 50 important public utility websites to the government but none of them have responded yet.”

2009-12-29T04:24:00.000+05:30

Mentally handicapped Chinese trafficked, killed - report

Source: Reuters

Mon Dec 28, 2009 9:35am GMT

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese traffickers have deliberately targeted mentally handicapped people from the Sichuan countryside, luring them into dangerous employment contracts and sometimes even killing them in mine accidents to get compensation, a newspaper reported.
At least 20 people over the past two years have died in suspicious pit accidents, after which their "relatives" from the remote mountainous county of Leibo have blackmailed coal mine owners into paying compensation, according to a story in the Chutian Metropolis Daily in central China's Wuhan (www.cnhubei.com).
China's mining industry is the world's most dangerous, with about 3,000 people killed in accidents, floods, cave-ins and explosions last year. Mine owners often quickly give hush money to relatives to avoid publicity and safety oversight.
The traffickers, all from the remote town of Leibo, in southern Sichuan province, capitalised on that practice, according to the report.
They lured mentally handicapped people from mountain villages with food, then contracted them out to construction or mine sites.
More than 40 such people from the region's deep mountains were rescued by police in June last year, the newspaper said.
A propaganda official surnamed Xue in the Leibo government did not deny the report, but told Reuters he did not have any more information on the case. A fax to the Ministry of Public Security was not immediately answered.
The report echoes a major scandal in 2007, when Chinese media found least 1,000 people forced to work as slaves in brick kilns in Shanxi province, following a father's desperate search for his missing teenage son. Many of the brick kiln slaves were mentally handicapped people, some of whom were so confused they did not know where they had come from, media reported at the time.
(Reporting by Huang Yan and Lucy Hornby; Editing by Alex Richardson)

2009-12-24T13:01:00.002+05:30

For the Blind, Technology Does What a Guide Dog Can’t

Source: NYT

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

T. V. Raman of Google is a pioneer in customizing technology for blind users. His own PC reads text aloud at triple normal speed.

By MIGUEL HELFT

Published: January 3, 2009

T. V. RAMAN was a bookish child who developed a love of math and puzzles at an early age.

That passion didn’t change after glaucoma took his eyesight at the age of 14. What changed is the role that technology — and his own innovations — played in helping him pursue his interests.

A native of India, Mr. Raman went from relying on volunteers to read him textbooks at a top technical university there to leading a largely autonomous life in Silicon Valley, where he is a highly respected computer scientist and an engineer at Google.

Along the way, Mr. Raman built a series of tools to help him take advantage of objects or technologies that were not designed with blind users in mind. They ranged from a Rubik’s Cube covered in Braille to a software program that can take complex mathematical formulas and read them aloud, which became the subject of his Ph.D. dissertation at Cornell. He also built a version of Google’s search service tailored for blind users.

Mr. Raman, 43, is now working to modify the latest technological gadget that he says could make life easier for blind people: a touch-screen phone.

“What Raman does is amazing,” said Paul Schroeder, vice president for programs and policy at the American Foundation for the Blind, which conducts research on technology that can help visually impaired people. “He is a leading thinker on accessibility issues, and his capacity to design and alter technology to meet his needs is unique.”

Some of Mr. Raman’s innovations may help make electronic gadgets and Web services more user-friendly for everyone. Instead of asking how something should work if a person cannot see, he says he prefers to ask, “How should something work when the user is not looking at the screen?”

Such systems could prove useful for drivers or anyone else who could benefit from eyes-free access to a phone. They could also appeal to aging baby boomers with fading vision who want to keep using technology they’ve come to depend on.

Mr. Raman’s approach reflects a recognition that many innovations designed primarily for people with disabilities have benefited the broader public, said Larry Goldberg, who oversees the National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH, the public broadcasting station in Boston. They include curb cuts for wheelchairs, captions for television broadcasts and optical character-recognition technology, which was fine-tuned to create software that could read printed books aloud and is now used in many computer applications, he said.

With no buttons to guide the fingers on its glassy surface, the touch-screen cellphone may seem a particularly daunting challenge. But Mr. Raman said that with the right tweaks, touch-screen phones — many of which already come equipped with GPS technology and a compass — could help blind people navigate the world.

“How much of a leap of faith does it take for you to realize that your phone could say, ‘Walk straight and within 200 feet you’ll get to the intersection of X and Y,’ ” Mr. Raman said. “This is entirely doable.”

ADVOCATES for the blind have long complained that technology companies have done a generally poor job of making their products accessible. The Web, while opening many opportunities for blind people, is still riddled with obstacles. And sophisticated screen-reader software, which turns documents and Web pages into synthesized speech, can cost more than $1,000. Even with a screen reader, many sites are hard to navigate.

Last year, the National Federation of the Blind reached a settlement of a landmark class-action lawsuit against one company whose site advocates found unusable, Target. In the settlement, the retailer agreed to make its Web site accessible to blind people. The federation assesses the usability of Web sites and currently certifies only a handful as being fully accessible.

One challenge is that technology often evolves much faster than the guidelines that ensure Web sites work well with screen readers. In December, the World Wide Web Consortium, an Internet standards group, released Version 2.0 of its accessibility guidelines for Web sites. The previous version dated back to 1999, when the Web consisted largely of static Web pages rather than interactive applications.

Obstacles on the Web take many forms. A common one is the Captcha, a security feature consisting of a string of distorted letters and numbers that users are supposed to read and retype before they register for a new service or send e-mail. Few Web sites offer audio Captchas.

Some pages are just poorly designed, like e-commerce sites where the “checkout” button is an image that isn’t labeled so screen readers can find it.

“The overwhelming percentage of the industry really hasn’t stepped up to the plate to provide the blindness community with equal access to their products,” said Eric Bridges, director of advocacy and governmental affairs at the American Council of the Blind. Mr. Bridges and other advocates argue that accessibility should be built into new technologies, not added as an afterthought.

People with other disabilities face similar challenges on the Internet. “On the deafness side, the frustration is huge because of all of the video out there without captions,” Mr. Goldberg said.

MR. RAMAN, who before joining Google in 2005 worked at Adobe Systems and as a researcher at I.B.M., is intimately familiar with accessibility problems, both personally and professionally. In 2006, he developed a version of Google’s search engine that gives a slight preference to Web sites that work well with screen readers. The system had to test millions of Web pages.

“You wouldn’t have found a single page that fully complied with the accessibility guidelines,” Mr. Raman said. Still, the system could detect which pages worked reasonably well with screen readers.

The service is not being used as widely as he had hoped. Still, it has had an impact. Several Web site operators whose sites weren’t showing up prominently in Google search results asked Mr. Raman how they could fix their sites so they would rank better.

The service includes a screen magnifier that enlarges individual search results. Mr. Raman says the feature is intended to help low-vision users, but it could also prove useful to a much larger population, especially on cellphones and other devices with small screens.

For his own use, he has built a highly customized system that allows him efficient access to much of what he needs on his PC and on the Web, stripping out anything that could slow him down. For instance, the system goes directly to the article text on the news sites he reads regularly, bypassing navigational links and other features found on most Web pages.

On a recent day, Mr. Raman was working on a research paper about the future structure of the Web. A monitor hung above the desk. It is usually turned off, unless he wants to show a colleague or visitor what he is working on. He typed at his keyboard, his head slightly tilted to one side, listening to his screen reader through a pair of wireless headphones.

The screen reader is calibrated to speak at roughly triple the speed of a normal voice. To the untrained ear, the output is incomprehensible, but it allows Mr. Raman to “read” at roughly the same speed as a sighted person.

Processing information quickly is a skill he has developed over the years: a video onYouTube shows him solving his Braille Rubik’s Cube in 23 seconds. When he is not typing, Mr. Raman, who wears large sunglasses, is often folding and unfolding pieces of paper into tiny, origami-like geometrical shapes at prodigious speed.

He shares a work area at Google with Charles Chen, a 25-year-old engineer, and Hubbell, Mr. Raman’s guide dog. (Hubbell has his own Web site.)

Mr. Chen, who is sighted, developed a free screen reader for Web pages that works with the Firefox browser. Working together, the two recently added keyboard shortcuts that help blind and low-vision users navigate quickly through Google’s search results. They’ve also developed tools to make sophisticated Web applications, like e-mail and blog readers, suitable for screen-reading software.

Now, much of their effort is focused on touch-screen phones.

“The thing I am most interested in is all of the stuff moving to the mobile world, because it is a big life-changer,” Mr. Raman said.

To show their progress, Mr. Raman pulled his T-Mobile G1, a touch-screen phone with Google’s Android software, from a pocket of his jeans. He and Mr. Chen have already outfitted it with software that speaks much like a screen reader on a PC. Now they are working on ways to allow blind people, or anyone who is not looking at the screen, to enter text, numbers and commands.

That development would complement voice-recognition systems, which are not always reliable and don’t work well in noisy environments.

Since he cannot precisely hit a button on a touch screen, Mr. Raman created a dialer that works based on relative positions. It interprets any place where he first touches the screen as a 5, the center of a regular telephone dial pad. To dial any other number, he simply slides his finger in its direction — up and to the left for 1, down and to the right for 9, and so on. If he makes a mistake, he can erase a digit simply by shaking the phone, which can detect motion.

He and Mr. Chen are testing several other input methods. None of these technologies have been rolled out, but Mr. Raman, who is already using the G1 as his primary cellphone, hopes to make them freely available soon.

(Few screen readers are available for smartphones today, and they can often cost as much as a phone itself.)

What may become the most life-changing mobile technology — a phone that can recognize and read signs through its camera — may still be a few years away, Mr. Raman said. Already, some devices can read text this way. But because blind users don’t know where signs are, they can’t point the camera at them or align it properly, Mr. Raman said. Once chips become powerful enough, they will be able to detect a sign’s location and read skewed type, he said.

“Those things will happen,” he said. When they do, sighted users will benefit, too.

“If you have the technology that can recognize a street sign as you drive by it, that is helpful for everyone,” he said. “In a foreign country, it will translate it.”

Mr. Raman’s innovations have already made their way onto millions of PCs. At Adobe in the 1990s, he helped to adapt the PDF format so it could be read by screen readers. That was required for PDF to be used by the federal government, and it eventually led to the technology’s being embraced as a global standard for electronic documents.

“It was incredibly important to us as a business, and to the blind,” said John Warnock, the chairman and founder of Adobe.

Mr. Raman says he thinks he has the largest impact when he can persuade other engineers to make their products accessible — or, better yet, when he can convince them that there are interesting problems to be solved in this area. “If I can get another 10 engineers motivated to work on accessibility,” he said, “it is a huge win.”

2009-12-24T12:52:00.000+05:30

Technology and the handicapped; talking computers help blind students hear what they cannot see

Source: Find articles

Jeane Blazie and John Eulenberg are among many nationally known computer scientist developing talking microprocessors and terminals so that blind, visually impaired, speech impaired and other handicapped people can receive an education regardless of the severity of their disability. Their efforts are paying off, but there is still a long way to go.

"Many people believe that the synthetic speech used in talking terminals, typewriters, calculators, microprocessors and other talking products has been around for about a decade. Actually, synthetic speech was developed about fifty years ago. It has only been within the last ten to twelve years, particularly the last five years, that there has been a rising demand from teachers and teaching institutions who have seen for themselves the multiple benefits that synthetic speech offers to blind and visually impaired students. In future years, the demand for these products will rise more dramatically," says Blazie, president and co-founder of Maryland Computer Services, Inc., Forest Hill, Maryland.

Eulenberg, director of the Artificial Language Laboratory in the Computer Science Department at Michigan State University, adds, "Synthetic speech is producing a revolution throughout our entire educational system."

Teachers of handicapped children agree. "Synthetic speech has had tremendous impact in recent years in making it possible for our blind or visually impaired students to go through the same educational system that nondisabled students participate in," says Mrs. Phyllis Brunken, Communications Specialist, Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped in Nebraska City.

The Nebraska School for the Visually Handicapped was founded in 1875 by Samuel Bacon, who stated, "Education for the blind should provide not just for a living but a life." The school continues to work toward that goal. It is a pioneer in the use of electronic equipment for visually handicapped persons. Through vocational grants, donations, trust funds, business grants and general funds, the school has developed a program to meet the following goals:

* Using the equipment tutorially to provide drill and practice in areas such as mathematics, spelling, social studies, science, and language arts;

* Using the equipment in the instruction of a computer literacy course;

* Teaching the skills for a career in computer technology;

* Career planning through the use of computer career searches; and

* Applications of technology, especially synthetic speech, to personal use to enhance the independence of the visually handicapped person.

To achieve these goals, the school purchased a talking terminal to interface with the computer. The talking terminal is also used as a talking typewriter to reinforce accuracy in typing. In one particular instance, a young man with motor disabilities would type "kkk" rather than a single "k." After 20 minutes of using the terminal, this problem was eliminated.

The school serves as a resource to blind and visually handicapped people in Nebraska and surrounding states. They come to test the types of equipment being developed for use by blind and visually handicapped students and adults to see if it will meet their needs or solve some of their vocational problems. Other schools interested in starting similar programs have often sent their representatives to observe the students and the school's program.

How speech is produced

Some talking terminals and computers are programmed to speak in much the same way a child is taught to read phonetically. Its speech is produced by a synthesizer board which is capable of producing 64 different phonemes (a sound that distinguishes one utterance from another, such as "th" and "sh", and long and short vowels). A microprocessor converts letters and groups of letters into digital codes corresponding to the phonemes. The result is synthetic speech.

Talking computers and terminals are meeting the demands of blind and visually impaired students in record numbers. As the need increases, they will become an even more effective way for handicapped people to have independent access to information.

"Our blind and visually impaired students have the same access to information as our nonhandicapped students at Catonsville Community College (CCC), and now have many more opportunities available to them in education and other careers because of the talking products we have at the college," says Bill Hadlock, coordinator of Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Students at the college in Catonsville, Maryland.

The Baltimore County Board of Education established CCC in 1956. Its 26 blind and visually impaired students use a variety of speech products to help them with their class work. CCC's Board does what it can to encourage the use of such products and to purchase them.

"The synthetic speech used in our talking terminal enables me to hear what I cannot see," says a blind CCC student. "When I leave here to further my education, I am confident I will be competitive with the other teachers when we graduate, because synthetic speech--or rather talking computers--eliminates the traditional reasons employers have thrown at blind people for not hiring them. The most obvious one is, 'How can you work if you cannot see?'"

More than 2,300 miles away from CCC at Arizona State University (ASU), blind and visually handicapped students, as well as those with either learning disabilities or orthopedic impairments, are using talking products.

"Students, particularly disabled ones, have to learn to view technology as their equalizer or compensator. They have to embrace it and master it. Having done so, they are the equal of nondisabled people," says B. J. Maxson, counselor for Visually Impaired Students, Disabled Student Services, at ASU. "Our students are working very hard and very well with technology. Many of them have an easier time with it than nondisabled students. This is attributed to their individual drives and because they have more at stake than nondisabled people do."

Last summer, ASU purchased a talking computer which has become a marvelous, productive tool for the students who use it. "I have more versatility than I would have if I were using a non-talking computer. I can write, edit and proofread my own reports with it," says a blind student.

"There are a number of features that people should look at when they go out and purchase a talking computer," says Maxson. "Good speech quality, user definable speech, intelligent terminal capabilities, information retrieval capability, the number of languages that can be used with it, such as COBOL, BASIC, FORTRAN, Pascal and others, storage capability, and the flexible disk drives it can use. Also very important is whether it can produce braille."

Maxson believes that the technology must be made known and utilized in more schools. ASU, for example, has developed a statewide information program on the technology it has for disabled students, particularly its talking computer, to attract more blind and visually impaired students.

Spreading the spoken word

As more talking computers are being used with favorable results, teachers and administrators are looking for support from teaching organizations to help them to persuade other teachers to investigate the use of talking computers and to incorporate them into their curriculum. One such organization that has taken a leadership role in this area is the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

The Council for Exceptional Children is a strong advocate for the use of synthetic speech in all educational grades to help handicapped or gifted children, or both. "Synthetic speech has a unique and expanding role in assisting blind, visually impaired, and especially those students with communication disorders," says John Grossi, project director.

CEC believes that it is everyone's responsiblity to meet the challenge that computer technology presents to special education. They stress that a cooperative effort must be initiated among administrators, teachers, school boards, and the community at large to see that computer technology is utilized in their schools to achieve the maximum benefit for disabled or gifted children.

"In no other field does the state-of-the-art promise so much or change so rapidly. Existing uses are almost limitless, and new ones are being created all the time," adds Mr. Grossi.

He is aware of workshops being held across the country on various uses of talking computers. Two that he would recommend are: "Making Microcomputer Talk for Blind and Speech Handicapped Students," by Peter B. Maggs, University of Illinois at Champaign; and "The Microcomputer as an Efficient Speech Output Communication Aid," by G. Evan Rushakoff, Department of Communication, New Mexico State University at Las Cruces.

"John Eulenberg is another person people should contact," adds Mr. Grossi. "His work in developing talking computers is phenomenal. The benefits to speech-impaired people are a major breakthrough. His artificial language laboratory is amazing."

The Artificial Language Laboratory, established in 1971, is a research laboratory within the Department of Computer Science at Michigan State. Its program of multidisciplinary studies is aimed at researching particular applications to address human communication needs. The lab has been involved with mass market applications of computer-based processing technology, such as two-way interactive cable television. The bulk of the lab's efforts are directed at meeting the needs of persons with severe communication handicaps. It is supported by local foundations. United Cerebral Palsy of Jackson County, and some of the school districts in the state.

More and more research is being done in colleges and universities on applying synthetic speech to assist handicapped people. Colleges and universities are also buying talking computers, terminals, typewriters, and calculators to help handicapped students get the most out of education. Those colleges and universities are:

California State University at San Diego Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia/Pennsylvania Arizona State University at Tempe California State University at Long Beach Cuyahoga Community college, Cleveland, Ohio Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington Highline Community College, Midway, Washington Memphis State University, Memphis, Tennessee Catonsville Community College, Catonsville, Maryland North Carolina State University at Raleigh Stanford University, Palo Alto, California University of Wisconsin at Platteville University of Central Florida, Orlando University of South Florida, Tampa Taft College, Taft, California Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee University of Illinois at Champaign Valencia Community College, Orlando, Florida Another leader in this area is the federal government, which has historically funded projects dealing with different applications of talking computers.

Federal involvement

Dr. Paul Andereck, Education Specialist, Special Education Programs with the U.S. Department of Education, describes the work the federal government has undertaken to promote and fund research programs in the area of synthetic speech to assist handicapped people. He cites the results of three cases:

The work of Dr. David Lunney of East Carolina University in North Carolina involved analog instruments in a chemistry laboratory. For example, ph meter readings were hooked to a microcomputer which changed the readings to a synthesized voice so that a blind student could hear the instrument readings. Similar kinds of changes from analog readings to auditory signals for blind persons can be generalized from Lunney's work.

Dr. Wesley Wilson of the University of Washington worked with non-vocal paralyzed people who learned the Morse Code and then could signal either a dot or a dash by any two body parts that could move. If necessary, this includes inhaling and exhaling through a straw. The Morse Code was converted by a microcomputer to printer language, or to synthetic voice, or to signals that turn a switch on or off on lights and radios. He programmed his computer to guess ahead, so that the subject seldom has to complete a word or a sentence.

Wilson's procedure has been tested on a variety of non-vocal children who used other ways of communication before this development. His method has proved clearly superior.

Dr. Peter Maggs of the University of Illinois uses a microcomputer to take digital data and drive a commercial voice synthesizer. His software permits such readily available equipment to be used as talking terminals for blind people in many computer terminal situations, whether for education, business, or social purposes. His work also involves translating to foreign languages. Such a talking terminal has wide usage in the lives of young blind adults.

Andereck sees the role of the federal government as continuing to lead in this area. He says, "The federal government will continue to explore new educational delivery systems from high technology tools available. To make them affordable and versatile is very important to handicapped persons."

Synthetic speech will play a major rule in reshaping the lives of disabled people. Properly used, it will open up career opportunities for them in business, government, education, and in other professional and nonprofessional fields.

Of course business is the major leader in this field, working with disabled people, special education teachers, and researchers to produce the best synthetic products. Business is also working to bring down the cost of the products. Talking computers or terminals can run from $3,000 to $11,000, depending upon the brand name and the peripherals accompanying it--including software.

"Businesses have discovered there is a market out there, particularly in the education area. Education is the place to start to shape the lives of disabled people so they can become active citizens," says Blazie.

2009-12-24T12:46:00.000+05:30

Library for Blind and Physically Handicapped Announces New Digital System

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) has announced it is beginning distribution of new digital audio books and digital players to its customers. The digital books and players will eventually replace the now outdated analog audio cassette books and cassette book machines which library customers have used since the 1970's.

LBPH loans audio books, audio players, and large print books to approximately 10,000 readers with visual and physical disabilities in 36 Western Pennsylvania counties. The books are sent through the mail to library patrons postage-free.

LBPH is a member library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), part of the Library of Congress. After years of planning, testing and soliciting feedback from users, NLS has developed a digital system that marks an exciting new phase for readers with visual and physical limitations.

The digital system has many advantages. Slightly larger than a credit card, the digital audio book is a flash cartridge that provides clearer sound quality. Most books will fit on a single cartridge that will play to completion without flipping sides. The format is highly reliable since the cartridge has no moving parts that can break or tapes that can tangle.

Smaller and lighter than the audio cassette machine, the digital player is more portable. The player has an internal battery that holds a charge for 30 hours as compared to 6 hours with the cassette player. It also has enhanced navigation features that allow the reader to jump to various sections. Consumers who tested the digital player appreciated its superior sound quality, tone, volume responsiveness and variable speed capability as well as its index and bookmark features.

LBPH Director Kathleen Kappel explained, "Digital talking books are the most revolutionary change to LBPH services since Thomas Edison's 'talking record' in 1934. Readers get better sound, the ability to skip to other sections and a practically indestructible format. We hope to attract thousands of eligible Pennsylvanians. No one should be denied reading."

To utilize LBPH services, readers with disabilities must first register with the library. Individuals who cannot read standard size print, hold books steady or turn pages qualify. Many LBPH customers are older adults with illnesses such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, macular degeneration or severe arthritis. Those with reading disabilities caused by conditions such as dyslexia or stroke also qualify. Nearly 160,000 Pennsylvanians with disabilities are eligible for these library services, and the number will increase dramatically as the baby boomers age.

Residents of the western half of Pennsylvania can learn more about LBPH and its new digital services, by calling 800.242.0586 or e-mailing lbph@carnegielibrary.org. They may also visit the LBPH Web site atwww.carnegielibrary.org/lbph or stop by the library located at 4724 Baum Boulevard in Pittsburgh. Residents of the eastern half of the State can obtain the same services by calling the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, part of the Free Library of Philadelphia, at 800.222.1754 or emailing them at flpblind@freelibrary.org. Their Web site ishttp://lbph.freelibrary.org and their address is 919 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.

About Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

To Engage our Community in Literacy and Learning

Established as a public trust in 1895, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh serves the citizens of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County with a distinguished history of leadership among the country's great public libraries. Through its 19 neighborhood locations, including Main Library and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the region's most visited asset, with 2.6 million visitors in 2008. Each year the Library provides valuable resources, programs, classes and training opportunities that engage the community in literacy, and life-long learning.

About Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (LBPH)

Provides free library services to eligible Western Pennsylvania residents with visual or physical disabilities.

Audio books and magazines, equipment to play the recordings, large print books, described videos and Braille materials are mailed and returned postage-free to registered readers.

SOURCE Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

2009-12-08T12:33:00.000+05:30

Rajapaksa hails role of disabled soldiers
Source: PTI
STAFF WRITER 15:2 HRS IST
Colombo, Dec 4 (PTI) Hailing sacrifices of security forces personnel who became disabled during country's civil war, the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has thanked them for their contribution in defeating LTTE.

"Though you are physically handicapped, you are stronger than most of the others in our society and I am eternally grateful to the strength you all gave me to defeat LTTE," Rajapaksa said here yesterday.

"You are the only ones who can hold your head high and live with dignity and self respect." he said at a function to mark the International Day of Persons of Disabilities.

"What you ask is not sympathy but the right to exist. I like to remind you that I will always respect and pay heed to this request," he said.

"There were also those who sacrificed their legs so that we can today walk freely on our soil.

2009-12-08T12:32:00.000+05:30

Disabled employment foundation making a difference to the handicapped (Part I)
Source: little about
Published on : Thursday 03 Dec 2009 14:43 - by ANI
By Sandeep Datta

New Delhi, Dec.3 - ANI: As the nation takes its time in realising the sensitivity of the disabled citizens even after half a century since gaining freedom, the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) is making a difference to their world as a Woodpecker in a forest.

Describing the role this non-governmental organization is playing, NCPEDPs Director Javed Abidi says the organization is primarily an advocacy organization and plays a crucial role towards creating a better environment for the disabled to live in.

It looks at various policies in three ways. First, if there is no policy we would advocate for a policy. Two, if there is policy but thats an old policy, we look at or its an archaic policy, we would argue that it should upgraded, should be changed, should be improved. Third, when there is policy and its a good policy like its good for the nation, good for the disabled people of India and then its not being implemented then thats where we focus on the work. We focus on advocacy on implementation. That broadly classifies the work we do, says Mr. Javed Abidi, Director of NCPEDP in the national capital.

Javed tells that the organisations paradigm, its theory is that employment is not possible without education. And both are not possible without access. And, none of them is possible without legislation.

Till there is no law, things will not change. We are working in all these areas and not just employment, he says.

He tells how despite it being a 21st century and the country being on the information highway there has been least concern for the disabled in this steady development.

We have got more than 5,000 Govt. websites, excluding private sector. We are living in an age where you can buy you cinema tickets on a website, book rail ticket on a website, apply for passport , and can do all sorts of things including filing of income tax return. But none of the websites were accessible to the blind!, Abidi informs.

He tells today technology is there. The speech software with which blind people can operate like they can send E-mails, they can type or do anything. Similarly, they can excess the websites too.

2009-12-08T12:16:00.000+05:30

Speech and mental disabilities added to ministry list

2009/12/06

Source: New strait times

KUALA LUMPUR: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has introduced two new categories for the handicapped in the registration of disabled people, namely speech disability and mental disability.

Speaking after launching the "Day For The Handicapped" at the national level here yesterday, Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the new categories were introduced after obtaining approval from the cabinet recently.

She said the two categories were created after taking into account the feedback from government agencies, non-governmental organisations and the disabled.

The disabled had wanted a more comprehensive category to be introduced in line with the requirements and definition adopted in the Persons With Disabilities Act 2008.

"Handicapped people categorised under speech disability are those who have difficulty speaking to the extent of hindering communication.

"These handicapped people may have aphonia (not having any voice) and dy-sarthria (unable to speak)."

Mental disability refers to people suffering from schizophrenia, mood disorder and serious and chronic organic mental disorder and have undergone psychiatric treatment for at least two years.

The existing categories used in registering the disabled were multiple disabilities, people with impaired vision, hearing disability, physical impairment and learning difficulty, said Shahrizat.

In the 2010 Budget, the government had allocated RM224 million for the handicapped.

She presented the Handicapped Excellent Award to Godfrey Ooi Goat See who represented the impaired vision category, Razani Ramli (impaired hearing), Datuk Zaharul Lail Awang Lateh (physical disability) and Johari Jamali ( learning difficulty).

Each received RM3,000, a trophy and a certificate of appreciation. -- Bernama

2009-12-08T12:14:00.000+05:30

Clear disabled-category backlog while making appointments, says Niwas

Source: indian express

UT Home Secretary Ram Niwas today advised all the departments to restrain from making any fresh appointments or give any promotions, until the backlog in quota of recruitment for the handicapped was cleared.
Strongly advocating for handicap-quota recruitments in the departments, Niwas passed the advisory during the meeting of the departments convened to ensure that the departments clear the backlog of the direct recruitment and promotions meant for the disabled.

At the time of review, the departments informed that though they have the backlog of quota posts, but no vacancy existed, to which Niwas directed that “whenever any new vacancy arises, the same should be fulfilled from the category of handicapped persons to clear the backlog”.

Some of the departments expressed difficulty that inspite of three advertisements, they were not able to find suitable candidates for the posts. Niwas informed the heads of the departments that as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, wherever needed, the qualifications can be relaxed for filling up the vacancies under the handicap quota. He also directed the departments that they can also change from one category of handicapped person to another category of handicapped if they are not able to find suitable candidates even after three advertisements.

He also directed the Municipal Corporation, Transport Department, CITCO, Health Department and Engineering Department to expedite the recruitment process as these departments had the maximum backlog.

In case of Transport Department, there is a backlog of 24 posts for direct recruitment and 11 posts for promotion. The Home Secretary directed Director Transport that he should recruit the conductors, who are handicapped, but are visually sound for new buses under JNNURM. Similarly, the Engineering Department should expedite the recruitment process,” he added.

All the department heads were asked to give affidavits about the status of backlog, existing vacancies and the steps taken by their respective departments by December 12.

2009-12-08T12:12:00.000+05:30

Bangalore firms turning disabled-friendly
Source: ET
8 Dec 2009, 1038 hrs IST, IANS

BANGALORE: Nisha P, 22, brews coffee at a popular coffee outlet here. Murali C, 28, works as systems operation lead specialist in an IT company

in this tech hub. Not a big deal unless one realises Nisha is hearing impaired and Murali, visually challenged.

They also reflect a bigger trend: that Bangalore, often referred to as India's own Silicon Valley, has begun employing an increasing number of physically challenged people, not out of charity, but on account of their talent.

"Of late, Bangalore's private firms, including IT companies, are showing considerable amount of interest in training and recruiting persons with disabilities," said M Srinivas, chief executive of the Karnataka chapter of National Association for the Blind.

"However, one thing has to be kept in mind -- companies don't recruit disabled people out of sympathy, but because they are efficient," Srinivas said.

The association's Karnataka chapter became the first organisation in the country to provide computer training programmes for the visually challenged in 2000.

Karnataka is home to one million disabled people -- 400,000 of them visually impaired --out of a total population of around 60 million, according to the state government.

There are no statistics on the number of disabled persons employed in various corporate houses in Bangalore, but activists say the private sector is making a genuine effort to employ them.

"In the past two years, around 100 visually challenged people through our employment and placement cell have got jobs in IT companies including Infosys, Oracle, IBM and Cisco," said Srinivas.

Shanti Raghavan, founder of the NGO EnAble India that works with 149 corporate firms across India to get jobs for the differently abled, also said the private sector was keen to employ disabled people.

"It is ready to provide training to persons with disabilities, and are trying to provide disabled-friendly atmosphere for them," Raghavan said.

Added Mamatha Sharma, a manager at IBM: "It is not out of sympathy that we're employing people with disabilities. In fact, they are some of the most skilled and hard working people whom the IT industry badly need."

IBM, which has around 200 disabled employees across India, has been conferred two awards for its efforts -- the national award from the central government, and the Helen Keller Award given by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People.

Incidentally, according to the Disability Act of 1996, it is mandatory for all government departments to reserve three percent of jobs for handicapped people.

2009-12-08T12:08:00.000+05:30

Don't handicap disabled
Source: app
DECEMBER 7, 2009

Here it is, the holiday season — a time of goodwill and kindness. Except in Bradley Beach, where officials are considering a parking crackdown on the lame and the infirm.

Charles Dickens' Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit would have had to hoof it to their digs if the Borough Council went ahead with its plans announced earlier this month to eliminate the 50 or so special parking permits on its streets, which guarantee spaces to residents who are physically unable to walk long distances.

In response to negative feedback about its Scrooge-like behavior, the borough has softened its stance. But not enough. On Tuesday, the council will introduce an ordinance that will charge residents an initial fee up to $400 to keep a permitted spot, as well as a $100 yearly charge to maintain it. It also plans to phase the program out by issuing no new permits. It needs to rethink its plans again.

The suggestion to scrap the permit program came from the borough's Zoning and Planning Commission, which was created about a year ago to examine old ordinances and cut costs in the borough.

Commission chairman Harvey Rosenberg said many people who have special permits don't need them. Some don't have major disabilities and others have driveways where they can park, he said.

If there are abuses, address them. But don't scrap the whole program. If people with permits have a driveway, rescind their street parking privileges. If handicapped residents want permits, require that they have disabled parking privileges from the state. And if the borough wants to charge for the permits, make it a nominal fee — $100 a year sounds about right. The earlier figures were way out of line.

Abandoning the program altogether or even phasing it out is overkill. Accommodation should be made for those with legitimate special needs — now and in the future.

2009-12-08T12:06:00.000+05:30

The Kindle Will Soon Be Handicapped-Accessible

Source: i4u

Back in November, Several schools rejected the Kindle due to the fact that it was not handicapped accessible. Any e-reader that hopes to become standard-issue among public schools is going to need to be useable for everyone. While the Kindle has text-to-speech options and a selection of font sizes, it also lacks several features needed to make it useful for certain students.

Amazon heard the school's criticisms and are working to address them. They've just sent out a press release confirming that they are at work on a new set of features that will meet the educational needs of disabled kids. The two features specifically mentioned were an audible menu system for blind and vision-impaired readers, and a new "super-size" font style. This new font will be twice the height and width of the current font.

Will these changes be enough for the schools? We'll know in Summer of 2010, which is when this update is scheduled to hit.

Kindle is on sale on Amazon.

2009-12-04T12:05:00.000+05:30

Disabled Olympian aims high, becomes champion shooter

Satyarth Prakash Nayak /
Source: CNN-IBN
Published on Thu, Dec 03, 2009

New Delhi: Naresh Sharma defeated his handicap to become an international shooting champion.

Sharma has been a national and international shooting champion for 15 years. He was afflicted by polio 36 years back due to a gross medical error.

"I got polio due to wrong vaccination. It happened at Safdurjung Hospital," says Sharma.

Despite his handicap, Naresh ventured into the shooting arena in 1994. But that was the era when no federation or rules had been laid down for the disabled and Naresh had to face his share of humiliation.

"People laughed at me. They said when able-bodied find it difficult to shoot how can disabled do it," he says.

Today he has proved all of them wrong.

Winner of more than 50 international medals, Naresh was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1997.

That was the year when he was pitted him against heavyweight Sachin Tendulkar.

In the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, Naresh captured the fifth position among 40 shooters from around the world.

Naresh is also an active member with the Swabhiman Group for polio patients where people like him contribute to the lives of similarly challenged people.

"There are many stories like him on our blogspot. It inspires people and creates awareness," says Swabhiman member Nymphia Vishin.

As Sharma himself says, no matter the handicap, he will continue taking shots at greater fame and glory.

2009-12-04T11:54:00.000+05:30

Govt reaches out to the disabled

Source; TNN 4 December 2009, 03:39am IST

BANGALORE: The disabled in Karnataka have a ray of hope. Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday announced the setting up of Disabled Development Corporation and Disabled Development Board for their welfare.

He was speaking at an event organized by the department of welfare of disabled and senior citizens on the occasion of International Day for the Disabled. "In 2010, we will initiate welfare programmes in the state. There are over nine lakh disabled people here, of them 4 lakh are visually impaired. At present, we are issuing 1 lakh free passes at a cost of Rs 7.5 crore for the disabled. By increasing the funding to Rs 15 crore, we are planning to reach out to 3 lakh more.''

The CM said employment reservation for disabled as per the Act will be effectively implemented in the state. "Government funding that is limited to 25 special schools will be extended to more. And soon, proper land through BDA and funds will be allocated for the Disabled Development Board in the state."

Several individuals and institutions were felicitated for helping in empowerment of the physically challenged in Karnataka. Some of them are Kasturi, a visually impaired music teacher, along with Sister Elikutti, a hearing impaired person who received a special teacher award.

A braille calendar was released and wheelchairs were distributed to the participants.

Children starve

Mentally challenged 18-year-old Ammu, along with a team of friends, arrived as early as 8 am at Bal Bhavan to participate in a cultural programme to celebrate International Day for the Disabled. But even at 12 noon, more than 1,000 children from various organizations were made to wait without food, water or even a place to sit. Ammu and her friends went without breakfast and had no proper rest. "We've got food for them. But to avoid disturbance during the programme, we kept them waiting," the organizers admitted.

More than 1,000 children from various organizations had to wait without food, water and place to sit at the event.

No job security

Disabled staff at KPTC and Bescom are in distress, for they have no job security. Six hundred disabled personnel recruited as revenue assistants in KPTC staged a protest at the event. Though all of them were appointed on contract basis two years ago, their employment is yet to be regularized. Most of them are orthopeadically handicapped, work from 9 am to 5.30 pm, sometimes till 8 pm, and are paid Rs 2,500 per month.

"With job insecurity and low salary, it is very difficult. At least if our jobs are made permanent we'll be relieved. Though we are differently abled, we haven't compromised on our work. When the government can consider regularizing contract doctors, they shouldn't neglect us. We have submitted repeated requests to the government, but are still awaiting a reply," said Jagadesh, a KPTC employee.

They demand more vocational training

Joint action committee of All District Association of Karnataka submitted a charter of demand to the chief minister. Their demand concerned the technical training centre for the deaf (TTCD), which is the only ITI training centre for hearing impaired in the state. Due to lack of proper funding, maintenance and management of the institution has gone awry. And TTCD training is limited to a few trades. There is need to include computer education, electrical fields and increase employment for hearing impaired.

"It is very difficult to converse with people, specially in the government. So if a short-term training programme in sign language is organized for those working in Vidhana Soudha, it will help the hearing impaired communicate their problems effectively," said Manohar, from the association.

2009-12-04T11:52:00.001+05:30

Disabled sailor completes Mumbai-Goa voyage

Source: IANS
3 December 2009, 05:01pm IST

PANAJI: Triumphing against all odds, TV actor and writer Salil Chaturvedi, who is paralysed below the waist, led a four-member sailing expedition from Mumbai to Goa in a campaign for equal access for the disabled.

The Godrej Brighter Horizons expedition arrived here on Wednesday on the eve of the World Disability Day. The expedition that covered a distance of some 240 nautical miles was flagged off from Mumbai on Nov 24 by Adi Godrej, the chairman of the Godrej Group.

Chaturvedi -- who currently acts in, and writes scripts for the Indian version of "Sesame Street" "Galli Galli Sim Sim" -- was accompanied by a crew of three that included his wife Monika Kshatriya, as also Umaji Chowgule and Shaunik Chaturvedi. They sailed in the Bombay Harbour Seabird, a 21-ft sloop. Designed in 1920 by Derrick Morgan Giles, an English naval architect, the boat had no modern amenities, apart from a motor, in case of emergencies.

Through the Godrej Brighter Horizons sailing expedition, Chaturvedi and his team intended calling attention to the potential of persons with disabilities and the power of collaborations.

"I wanted to demonstrate that magical things can happen with partnerships," said Chaturvedi. "At the same time, I hope to draw attention to the dismal situation of access in India. A disabled person can still not go out and do the most basic of things independently, such as shop, board public transport, go to places of leisure and entertainment such as parks and cinema halls, or government offices," Chaturvedi said.

"It's really surprising that in a nation that is trying to become an economic powerhouse, more than 10 million of its disabled population find themselves largely under house arrest," he added.

The expedition, Chaturvedi said, "was meant to showcase what can be achieved when people join hands and things are made accessible. It's been 240 nautical miles for me, and India needs to travel many miles to empower its disabled citizens".

Chaturvedi is not new to adventure, though he said that he has not undertaken anything as risky before. He has represented India at the Wheelchair Tennis Tournaments in Melbourne and Japan in the early 1990s.

Chaturvedi is is also a proficient writer, having won several awards for his short

stories and poetry, the latest being the Commonwealth Short Story award of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association in 2008.

Despite all the planning, the crew knew they were at the mercy of the natural elements. The schedule was totally dependent on the winds and was, therefore, kept flexible. The expedition had to face several hours of lull (no breeze) but never motored once despite the heat and tough conditions.

In fact, the earlier estimated 15-hour legs stretched to 27 hours and were trying for everyone on board. But Chaturvedi said what kept them going at such times was Adi Godrej's advice to him when he set sail. "Mr. Godrej's words 'Make sure you enjoy yourself' kept ringing in my ears!" said Chaturvedi with a bright smile. "And I did just that."

The sail was sponsored by the Godrej group. Through the "Godrej Brighter Horizons Expedition" the group urged Indian citizens, corporates and governments to provide support and equal opportunities to people with disabilities.

2009-12-04T11:38:00.001+05:30

Handicapped Palestinians rally in Gaza for more protection

GAZA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Tens of handicapped Palestinians have demonstrated Thursday in front of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' office in Gaza City to mark the international day of the disabled.

The demonstrators called for jobs, protection and integration in the working Palestinian society which is crippling due to Israeli blockade and a military offensive that took place last winter.

"The Palestinian disabled individual still has the capacity to be creative and to participate within his or her community," said Lateefa Nassar, a participant at the rally.

"I personally was fortunate enough to finish my studies and now I work for Afaq association that cares for the disabled," he said.

Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian non-governmental organizations network (PNGO), called for lifting the Israeli siege, imposed sine 2007, "to enable the disabled live in freedom and dignity."

"The closure prevents the disabled in Gaza from their simplest rights like treatment and supportive tools," al-Shawa added.

In the Gaza Strip, 70,000 people of the coastal enclave's 1.4 million population suffer from various levels of disability, said al-Mezan Center for Human Rights.

After the Israel's military operation, some 600 people were added to the disabled list, and the majority of them have lost limbs.

2009-12-04T11:37:00.000+05:30

Disabled in India-controlled Kashmir call for gov't support

SRINAGAR, India-controlled Kashmir, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- A group of physically challenged persons in Indian-controlled Kashmir Thursday evening staged a candle light protest demonstration to highlight their problems on the World Disability Day.

The members took organized a sit-in demonstration amid burning candles and holding placards in a public park at the heart of Srinagar city, the summer capital of India-controlled Kashmir to impress upon the local government to address their grievances.

"We demand proper infrastructure so that we can prove ourselves. We're able to do anything in case you give us proper environment. We are asking for special schools for the people with different kinds of disabilities. Our concern is to see all the buildings, transport, parks and other places in the region barrier-free," said Shahleel Ahmad, a disabled person.

According to census of India report 2001, the population of disabled in India-controlled Kashmir is 300,000, 3 percent of the total population. However, the non-governmental organizations put the figure somewhere around 800,000.

The members of the disability community in the region allege government apathy for their plight. There are no special schools for the disabled people in the region.

The Social Welfare Department officials maintain that they are providing a monthly disability pension of 9 U.S. dollars to disabled persons registered with their department.

But the activists say government assistance reaches only to the handful.

"As per government figures only 58,000 people get this meager assistance," said Javed Ahmad Tak, an activist fighting for the cause of disabled in the region.

Tak is running a NGO, Humanity Welfare Organization, catering to the educational needs of physically challenged children in Anantnag.

Earlier the day, members of Handicapped Association were baton charged and detained by police while they tried to present a memorandum to a United Nations Office in Srinagar.

The members are eager to seek attention of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, for early implementation of rights of disabled in the conflict hit India-controlled Kashmir.

The members were shouting anti-government slogans and accused region's Social Welfare Ministry of breaking its promises made to them from time to time.

"Our demands include implementation of reservations rules in favor of handicapped, enhancement of monthly disability pension from 400 to 1,500 rupees a month, free education to children of disabled up to university level, loans at low interest rates, separate counters in government and semi-government offices, reservation for handicapped employees in promotion quota, allotment of residential plots and shops, 50 percent concession in electricity fees, re-advertisement of backlog vacancies," said Mukthar Ahmad, a community member.

Experts in the region underline the importance of survey in the region to know the exact data about the nature and number of disability affected people.

"There is a need to undertake a survey in order to collect the data in respect of the disabled persons district wise in the region. We are hopeful to start it soon and complete it within a stipulated time so that we can design possible solutions on need basis," said Sakina Itoo, Minister of Social Welfare in Indian-controlled Kashmir while addressing a function on World Disability Day.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in 2006 is also pending in the region's High Court seeking of emphasis on social and medical rehabilitation for the disabled persons.

Every year on Dec. 3, World Disability Day is observed to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.

2009-12-04T10:48:00.000+05:30

Some food for thought

Source: TOI
TNN 3 December 2009, 11:07pm IST
HUBLI: Karnataka Balavikas Academy president Shankar Halagatti has regretted that the money provided by the government towards the mess fee of disabled children has remained unchanged since 1985.

Speaking at a function to mark International Day of Disabled Persons here on Thursday, he said each disabled child gets Rs 400-600 depending on whether the Centre or state is funding his/ her food expense. While the Centre gives Rs 600, the state provides Rs 400.

Halagatti said that the purpose of celebrating International Day of Disabled Persons is to introduce the pain and sufferings of the disabled to the society. "But it is still unknown whether people have been able to understand their problems," he said, highlighting the need for bringing them into the mainstream with the help of the government.

He said opportunity will be provided to over 1,500 disabled children to take part in state-level children's convention to be held in Hassan in January.

2009-12-03T11:16:00.000+05:30

'Physically-Abled' Abusing Facilities For The Handicapped

By Zulkiple Ibrahim

This the final part of a three-series feature inconjunction with the International Day of Disabled Persons on Dec 3.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- Awareness of facilities provided for the disabled is still lacking among some members of the public based on the abuse made against such facilities.

Among the most glaring of these abuse cases is the use of parking lots designated for the disabled by members of the public who are physically normal.

The management of hypermarkets and shopping complexes as well as the Rest and Service (R & R) stops along the highways have provided designated parking spaces for Persons With Disabilities (PWD).

These parking spaces, usually located near the entrances to the hypermarkets and shopping complexes, are supposed to assist the disabled to have easy access to the premises while that at the R & R stops meant that the disabled to easily go to the shops or toilets.

Despite the presence of signs depicting the 'man on wheelchair' symbol, there are still a number of vehicles that carried the able-bodied persons being left at these parking spaces.

SELFISH ATTITUDE

First incident.

At a hypermarket in the city, a car with a physically-fit family simply rolled to a stop at a parking space reserved for the disabled.

When queried by this writer who is physically-disabled and who happened to be there, the driver of the car retorted: "Only for a short while, anyhow this space is vacant...".

The driver gave this writer a rather sinister glare before walking away.

Second incident.

Recently this writer had stopped at the R & R area at the Ayer Keroh lay-by of the North-South Highway.

When he wanted to use the 'OKU' toilet, he had to wait for several minutes as the toilet was occupied by someone else.

He was later surprised to see a physically normal person walking out of the toilet.

When pointed by this writer that the toilet was meant for the disabled, the other person angrily replied: "I can do whatever I wish!"

"It is difficult. There are many people who are still selfish. Despite the presence of notices that this facility is for the disabled, there are many who simply ignored it," said a maintenance worker at the R & R stop on many highway users who abused the facilities for the disabled.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

In Malaysia, there is the Persons With Disabilities Act. But is the Act sufficient to protect the interest of the handicapped?

"This Act is good for the disabled but it does not spell out the specific penalty for those who committed abused of the facilities for the disabled," according to lawyer Nordin Shanmugam Abdullah.

He said the Act refrained from outlining the provisions that spell out the punishment for offenders who abused facilities meant for the handicapped and as long as there was absence of such provisions many would take the Act lightly.

"For them (public), using facilities meant for the handicapped is not an offence. The act provides no remedies for this. Hence, there is no offence and offenders simply escape punishment.

"Only that the abuse of facilities designed for use by the disabled is morally wrong. There is nothing else that can be done as there is no enforcement and no fines (for doing the abuse)," he said.

SENSITIVE AND DISCIPLINED

For social activist Gurmukh Singh, the PWD Act is 'toothless' as there is no enforcement unit.

"If you throw rubbish, there is a fine. Smoking at public spots also draws a fine, so the abuse of facilities for the disabled also deserves a fine.

"The problem is that we do not have an enforcement unit on the abuse of such facilities. As long as this situation persists, the abuse would go on," he said.

On facilities for the handicapped at buildings and premises, Gurmukh Singh said there were still many of such structures like shopping complexes and banks that failed to provide the utilities for the disabled.

"As if they are not sensitive and concerned against the plight of the disabled. There are no provisions in the PWD Act that warrants building owners to provide special lifts, ramps and paths for the wheelchairs of disabled.

"They did not commit any offence if they failed to provide such facilities," he said.

Gurmukh Singh said the government had put in much effort to protect the interest of the disabled, hence the society should join in to assist this cause.

"It is not difficult to show some concerns and sensitivities on the disabled," he added.

-- BERNAMA

2009-11-26T19:08:00.000+05:30

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY: Middleboro activist fights for handicapped access

By Alice C. Elwell

Wed Nov 25, 2009, 09:46 PM EST

Source: Wicked local

Tim Correira/The Enterprise

Kenny Cieplik sits outside the Flat Iron Cafe in Middleboro with his mother, Paula Cieplik. Kenny runs a Web site where he rates the handicapped accessibility of local buildings.

MIDDLEBORO - He uses a wheelchair, locked inside a body that barely responds, and many who pass by don’t see the spark of intelligence in his eyes.

But Kenny Cieplik, 34, also known as the “traveling wheelchair,” is making his presence known in Middleboro and beyond as he goes about living a full life and fighting to make local buildings accessible to disabled people.

It is a battle he continues as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 approaches its 20-year anniversary.

He uses his blog — www.thetravelingwheelchair.com — to rate handicapped access at local businesses and to bring attention to the challenges faced by disabled people.

“I’m just a regular man that is fighting to make the world more accessible and sensitive,” Cieplik said. “Sensitive, safer and respectful.”

He’s also a man who enjoys himself, taking in a Patriots game, a whale watch, a ski lift and even traveling to the nation’s capital for President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Cieplik started life with no disabilities, but suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage at age 11.

“A time bomb that I never knew I had exploded in my brain,” he writes in his blog.

He was in a coma for eight months, and when he woke up life had totally changed. He was legally blind, his left side was paralyzed and his speech reduced to a slur.

Living in a nursing home, for years Cieplik would roll up the street from the Greenery Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing Center to visit downtown businesses.

One of his favorite haunts was the now-defunct Farrah’s in Everett Square, where he was reduced to eating on the sidewalk because he couldn’t get inside with a wheelchair.

Then, the new owner, Debi R. Jenness, renovated with an eye toward the disabled, said Sherri Hartlen-Neely, the restaurant’s marketing director.

Now Cieplik is able to roll into the restaurant, choose any table he’d like and enjoy a meal overlooking the square.

Recently, The Enterprise joined Cieplik for lunch at the Flat Iron Grill, the former Farrah’s. Cieplik rolled through the front door and grabbed a table in the center of the restaurant, flanked by his mother and two medical support personnel.

Speech comes with difficulty, but Cieplik signaled his order by tracing out letters with his finger on the tablecloth. His family and friends use a multitude of signals to communicate, lots of eye contact, nods, gestures and sometimes just patient listening as Cieplik struggles to make himself heard.

Cieplik has lived in Middleboro for 22 years, 20 of them in a nursing home, the last two in a condo with the assistance of medical support.

He has joined forces on handicapped-access issues with local blogger and activist Mark Belanger, who came across Cieplik on a blog and followed up. Cieplik and Belanger both use their blogs to try and get local merchants to make their businesses more accessible.

“It’s the right thing to do,” said Belanger.

His sentiment is echoed by Town Manager Charles J. Cristello, who sent out a letter last month asking Middleboro businesses to voluntarily comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Cristello said.

Cieplik’s mother, Paula, said it might not be easy — structurally or financially —for some businesses to comply with ADA rules, but others could install a portable ramp to help people in a wheelchair to get inside. They have no patience, though, with taxpayer-funded government buildings that drag their feet about providing handicapped accessibility.

Cieplik reviews accessibility at local businesses and some government buildings — such as area post offices — with a five-star rating system, and posts them on his Web site.

“It’s amazing the hassles we run into,” said Paula Cieplik. “Everyone needs to use a post office, it’s every United States citizen’s right.”

But there are natural obstacles that Kenny Cieplik doesn’t want to change.

The terrain at Plimoth Plantation, for example, or waves on a beach.

Last year, he tumbled from his wheelchair when a wave knocked him over at Old Silver Beach on Cape Cod. The spill sent him to the emergency room, but he was undaunted.

Cieplik traveled to Washington for the Obama inauguration, took in a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium, which he gave a five-star rating for handicapped access, has taken a whale watch on the Captain John in Plymouth, ridden a chairlift to the top of Gunstock Mountain in New Hampshire, and attempted a helicopter ride at Edaville Railroad.

“We try everything,” said Paula Cieplik.

Belanger said Cieplik opened his eyes to the world of the handicapped, admitting he had little contact with disabled people until they teamed up.

“Fortunately, on Kenny’s blog, he had some links that had guidelines explaining how disabled people want to be treated,” Belanger said. “I was way over-thinking things. It was all obvious stuff that boils down to treat everyone the same.”

As Thanksgiving approached, Cieplik reflected on the progress made — in part from his efforts — so the world is accessible to disabled people.

“I am grateful to be able to go out in the community,” he said.

2009-11-26T19:04:00.000+05:30

Handicapped Persons association to hold rasta roko
Source : TNN
25 November 2009, 09:41pm IST

MANGALORE: Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District Physically Handicapped Persons Association will organize a rasta roko (road blockade) demanding a

solution to the problems faced by the handicapped in Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, at Thokkottu junction near here on November 30.

A release by association president V Muralidhar Naik stated that various problems related to the issuance of bus passes to physically challended persons have been unsolved for long. Referring to the problems, he said the pass holders are allowed to travel up to 100 km from their destinations and have to pay full fare for the remaining distance for long journeys. The pass holders are eligible to travel only in ordinary busses and not in other buses. Further, the pass facility was not available in inter-state bus services. There have been many instances where the bus conductors have behaved in an inhuman manner forcing the handicapped to get down half way, he said.

He said the conditions laid down by the government for issuing the handicapped bus passes are not applicable to senior citizen passes. Hence, the facilities available to the senior citizens should be extended to the handicapped persons. All handicapped persons with bus passes should be allowed to travel any distance in all types of busses throughout the state and those who have not obtained passes should be allowed to travel with 50 per cent concession by producing identity cards issued by the government. The bus pass facility should be introduced in inter-state buses too. The state government should take some constructive steps to solve these problems.

2009-11-26T19:02:00.000+05:30

Library for Blind-Physically Handicapped will Offer Holiday Event Dec. 3

Source: honolulu advertiser

"'Tis the Season," a free Holiday Season program, will be presented at Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) on Thursday, December 3 at 10 a.m.

A musical performance by pianist Ron Miyashiro and Friends will be featured and the audience will also have the opportunity to sing along and reminisce about Christmas in the past.

The 90-minute program is suitable for all ages. Refreshments will be served.

Contact the Library as soon as possible if a sign language interpreter or other special accommodation is needed.

The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is located at 402 Kapahulu Avenue. For more information, please call the Library at 733-8444.

2009-11-21T17:44:00.001+05:30

About

We are a group of professionals busy in life but taking out some time to place, collect, post, some good news ad some awareness building news articles so that we could make a small difference.

2009-11-21T17:29:00.000+05:30

A doctor is just an iPhone call away

Source: DNA INDIA

Bangalore: In a remote village in Bidar district, pediatricians are replacing prescription pads with mobile phones to connect with Bangalore-based experts who, in turn, armed with Apple iPhones, are able to diagnose the eye condition of three-month-old babies.

Welcome to telemedicine 2.0. "The iPhone's pinch, drag and drop capabilities, coupled with its good image resolution, are capable of detecting Retinopathy of Prematurity (RoP)," said Dr Anand Vinekar, pediatric retinal surgeon at Narayana Nethralaya.
Cashing in on the power of handheld devices, the Bangalore-headquartered institute has tied up with the Karnataka government for a pediatric community outreach programme, which involves screening infants in the rural areas for the potentially blinding condition.
The institute plans to rollout this application in other states as well.
According to WHO, India is suffering from the third epidemic of RoP after US in the 1950s and 70s. And of 27 million babies born, 8.4% weighing less than 2kg may be prone to the deadly condition. The RoP affects the retinas of babies, which can cause permanent blindness if it is not screened within the first 3-4 weeks of childbirth.
The institute has conducted pilot projects in six districts -- Bangalore Urban, Rural, Mandya, Tumkur, Bidar, Gulbarga-- screening 1,600 infants and treated over 160 infants prone to RoP.
Narayana Nethralaya has also tied up with i2i TeleSolutions to provide collaborative software to run the application on i-Phone.
Assisting doctors in their mission of live diagnosis is a RedCam, a retinal camera with a 130 degree field of view, taking snapshots of the child's retinal condition. These raw images are beamed over the internet in an encrypted format that is stored in remote servers in the UK.
The Karnataka government is in the process of procuring two RedCams costing Rs1 crore and laser equipment of Rs20 lakh for the programme run under the aegis of National Rural Health Mission (NHRM).

2009-11-21T17:26:00.000+05:30

You light up my eyes!

Source: TOI

Born with beautiful large twinkling eyes, Padma Devi's newborn son soon became a favourite in her small village in southern

Karnataka.

You light up my eyes!

The baby was born underweight and weighed just about 1.6 kg, but the joy of his birth drove concerns about his weight out of his mother's mind. However, two months later, Padma noticed something strange - his lightbrown pupil had become white and he stopped responding to movement.

A subsequent visit to a primary health centre gave Padma a devastating shock - the child was declared irreversibly blind. He was suffering from Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) - the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness in India.

ROP is a condition that affects up to 47 per cent of the babies born below 2,000 grams in India. Of these, nearly 20 per cent go blind if not treated on time. Interestingly, none of these children are born with ROP. Premature babies actually go on to develop it between one to three months after birth. Strangely, even as vitamin A deficiency and corneal problems have received adequate consideration and funding from the government, retinal malfunctions that account for 22 per cent of the childhood blindness cases in India have failed to draw requisite attention from the relevant authorities.

With the Union health ministry yet to realise the seriousness of this problem, the fight against ROP is now being led by two unlikely heroes in Karnataka - Dr Anand Vinekar, a paediatric retinal surgeon armed with a laser machine and a camera the size of a 165-litre fridge on the backseat of his Qualis, and Krishna, a 25-year-old technician who has barely cleared middle school.

For the past two years, Dr Vinekar, head of Narayana Nethralaya Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology's department of paediatric retina, and Krishna - a lab technician trained to identify various stages of ROP with nearly 100 per cent accuracy by just looking at images - have been traversing the most backward roads of Karnataka for 13 hours a day, stopping at villages, screening newborns for ROP and surgically treating those who need it on the spot with the laser machine.

However, what's creating waves internationally is their latest project - a Tele-ROP model. This is how it works. Trained technicians visit remote villages, capture retinal images with a special portable digital wide-field camera (capable of seeing 130Â° of the retina with one single shot). These are then sent via email to a special server. Retinal experts sitting miles away view the images and give their diagnosis within minutes. The technician then informs the mother about ROP and gets the child treated by a Narayana Nethralaya ophthalmic surgeon.

"India has less than 300 retinal surgeons,"says Dr Vinekar. "That's why we are training common people to become technicians - those who can just look at images and detect stage one to stage five ROP, negating the requirement for a doctor. It is easy to take a retinal image, so we are training technicians to analyse the images and diagnose. Due to the massive number of babies that need to be screened, and the limited number of trained physicians, there is no other way. At present, babies born in rural areas are either never screened or screened too late for ROP, which can be prevented by timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment. That's why we are now creating self-sufficient districts - training ophthalmologists from peripheral healthcare centres to treat ROP besides having two technicians per district. Besides Karnataka , a similar project is underway in West Bengal." Till now, they have screened over 1,700 infants around a 350-km radius of the Nethralaya. Over 155 kids from neonatal centres in 18 hospitals in south Karnataka's seven districts have been treated.

The ministry has finally taken note of their efforts and through a publicprivate partnership decided to incorporate the model in India's National Rural Health Mission. Six more districts in Karnataka are now being added for the out-reach programme, which will ultimately be taken across the country. "A number of Southeast Asian and African countries are facing similar problems with ROP and have a shortage of trained ophthalmologists," Dr Vinekar says. "India has proved that a technician-driven model works. What's worse about ROP is that the retina does not look abnormal from outside till it reaches stage five when the eye looks white in the centre. The blindness is irreversible then. Till now, we have taken 100,000 images. To ensure that data is not lost via transit on the net, we have developed a specialised server where experts log in, see images and give their diagnosis. The software is now also being incorporated in an iPhone so that live images can be transferred via SMS. This will enable the iPhone to allow experts sitting anywhere to access images taken in any part of the country."

Blind spot

India is home to one fourth of the world's blind children, making it the world's blind children's capital Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) affects up to 47% of the babies born below 2,000 grams in India India has 24 million live births annually, of which 8.4% babies are born below 2,000 grams Of these 15-20 % will go blind if not treated in time Blindness sets in when the child is 4-6 weeks old and becomes complete before the tenth week ROP mainly affects premature infants born before 31 weeks of gestation (a full-term pregnancy has a gestation of 38-42 weeks) The smaller a baby is at birth, the more likely it is to develop ROP ROP was first diagnosed in 1942 ROP is classified in five stages, ranging from mild (stage I) to severe (stage V) Babies can be treated between stages II and III ROP occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow and spread throughout the retina. These vessels are fragile and can leak, scarring the retina and causing retinal detachment - the main cause of blindness

2009-11-04T12:04:00.000+05:30

They are blind to perils of unsafe sex

Source: Express Buzz
Express News Service

16 Oct 2009 07:18:44 AM IST

BANGALORE: Most of the visually-challenged persons in Karnataka are unaware of the perils of unsafe sex, according to Indian Disabled League(IDL)—a citybased NGO. In an attempt to increase awareness amongst visually-challenged persons, the NGO conducted a workshop on HIV/AIDS on the occasion of World White Cane Day on Thursday.

PK Paul of IDL told Express, “Many of the visually-challenged come from the economically- marginalised sections of society. Since they have no access to proper education, they can prove to be a vulnerable group for sexually-transmitted diseases.” Emphasising the need for awareness of safe sex among the visually-challenged, Agatha Shekar, an HIV/AIDS awareness trainer from International Services Association (INSA), said, “The blind too live an active sexual life. However, as they tend to live in groups, their chances of indulging in multipartner relationship is also high.” But when it came to basic sex practices such as using contraceptives, the knowledge among the visually-challenged was quite limited, she said.

“Most of the blame should go to the HIV prevention and AIDS outreach efforts that have had no programmes for the disabled as it was assumed that they were at no risk. However, it is not so,” she said. “They are at a higher risk as they have equal or greater exposure to all known risk factors for HIV infection, including physical exploitation,” she added.

As per World Bank data, India has more than one-third of the world’s blind people.

2009-11-04T12:03:00.000+05:30

Grad school will cater to disabled
Source: Japantimes

TSUKUBA, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo) Japan's first graduate school for students with visual or aural disabilities will open next April at the state-run Tsukuba University of Technology in Ibaraki Prefecture, it said Friday.

It will be the world's first graduate school for visually impaired students and the third for hearing-impaired ones, following such schools as Gallaudet University in the United States, according to the university.

"We would like to accept foreign students and expand our capacity in the future," said Yoshinori Murakami, university president. "Also, we would like to open Ph.D. courses eventually."

Master's degrees will be offered in two faculties — industrial technology for visually challenged students and health science courses for hearing-impaired students that will focus on acupuncture and moxibustion as well as physical therapy.

The university is planning to provide various learning aids, including sign language, Braille and magnified letters to accommodate the students' needs.

2009-11-04T12:01:00.000+05:30

The protest by blind graduates in Imo The protest by blind graduates in Imo
Source: Guardian

THE recurring protests by physically challenged persons in some states of the federation with regard to their welfare and official responses are a sad comment on the governance process. This is increasingly the case as this category of citizens who require some form of assistance insist on their right to human dignity. The true measure of a society lies in its treatment of its less privileged members. Unfortunately, such agitation for better treatment in the past by the less privileged met with little or no success. It is time government in collaboration with civil society defined a comprehensive and meaningful framework for addressing the concerns of the physically challenged in our midst.
The latest group of protesters, members of an association of visually impaired graduates and non-graduates, recently disrupted economic activities in Owerri, Imo State, as they marched on the Government House, alleging insensitivity to their plight by the state government. Before the Owerri protest, another group of physically challenged persons had protested on the streets of Jalingo, the Taraba State capital over the failure of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to pay certain grants allegedly promised them at the end of their training in various vocations, to help them set up small businesses.
The key message in these protests is clear. The physically challenged are saying that they deserve the support of both public and private sectors; that they are no longer prepared to be a burden to anybody in spite of life's challenges. Often, both government and other stakeholders treat the physically challenged condescendingly, placing emphasis on charity instead of rights and justice.
The displeasure of the Owerri group centred on the non-provision of employment opportunities for them after graduation. They also protested the alleged stoppage of bursary and scholarship allowances to their members despite several appeals to the state government. Group spokesman Mr. Clinton Amaechi was particular about the neglect by the present administration: "Since this administration came to power, the disabled persons in the state have been experiencing a lot of difficulties. So many of us have graduated and we don't have jobs." Again, that touches on the rather difficult situation the country faces over employment generation initiatives. The unemployment index in the country continues to rise, with many Nigerians placed at a disadvantage.
Amaechi's touching comments in refuting claims of government officials in the media that his association had been taken care of should be investigated by Governor Ikedi Ohakim. The same goes for the disclosure that nobody pays them (visually challenged students) the allowances and bursary any longer "since this administration came on board". The governor was reportedly away at the time of the protest. He should feel obliged to respond to the physically challenged persons' concern. It is particularly not good enough that the protest was brought under control by Government House security staff who raised emergency fund for the blind graduates on compassionate grounds, because no government official was available to attend to them.
Mr. Ohakim should not rule out the possibility of deceit by government functionaries. That, of course, has been the trademark of some government departments or agencies that are supposed to cater for special groups in society. With political scientists, lawyers and other professionals among them, the blind graduates do not deserve the harrowing experiences they are being subjected to (or to be left to moan their fate) after struggling to acquire higher education.
Allowing the students among them to suffer deprivation or ignoring the graduates is a reflection of the poor state of affairs in the country. The resolve of the graduates among them to work, and not to beg for survival, should encourage both the state government and the private sector to consider them for employment.
The incidents in Imo and Taraba states are by no means peculiar. This is a national problem which deserves the attention of the Federal and state authorities as well as the private sector and civil society groups. Bills could be considered as a matter of priority by the various legislative houses to review existing welfare provisions - if they are found inadequate - to address the fears that have been expressed. But in the long run the best approach is to create opportunities for all categories of Nigerians. The environment is hostile for both the able-bodied and the physically challenged raising serious questions about the quality of human life in the country.
The economy should be revitalised, investor-confidence needs to be restored to create an economy where persons can be gainfully employed, including the weak and vulnerable. A social security scheme, once proposed but abandoned, would also prove useful as a means of transforming Nigeria into a citizen-friendly and compassionate society.

2009-11-04T11:56:00.000+05:30

U.K. award for 2 Indian NGOs Hasan Suroor
Source: The Hindu

LONDON: Two Indian NGOs — Mumbai-based “Prerana” and “Sense International India,” Ahmedabad — are to get $100,000 each for their work among disabled and poor children.

They are among the six grassroots organisations from South Asia and Africa selected by Stars Foundation, a London-based charity, for this year’s “Stars Impact” awards given every year to groups which have made a “demonstrable difference” to the lives of disadvantaged children.

In a statement on Thursday, the foundation said “Prerana” was selected for providing night and day care and education/training for children at risk from ‘second generation’ commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking in India.
Recognised
The Sense International India was recognised for supporting hearing-impaired and visually-challenged children and for setting up South Asia’s first teacher training and mentoring course in tackling these handicaps.

Muna Wehbe, chief executive of the Foundation, said the two groups had demonstrated “extraordinary commitment and found inspirational solutions to the challenges facing children in their communities.”

“Over the past three years, our recipients have benefited in many ways from the awards beyond the funding and the consultancy support that we offer. Organisations have secured increased funding, enhanced media profile, and built stronger partnerships with other organisations and local government. As a result, this has benefited thousands of children,” she said.

2009-11-04T11:48:00.000+05:30

Forging a path for the visually-challenged

Source: TOI
TNN 21 October 2009, 02:55am IST

PUNE: After visiting the Wagah Border on World White Cane Day (October 15), Satish Navale and his team are back with plans to produce more radio
programmes for visually-impaired students in Punjab.

Navale is the man behind the Braille Vani Web Radio for the visually-impaired, aired through the University of Pune's Vidyawani community radio.

The Wagah border trip also included visits to the Vocational Rehabilitation and Training Centre (VRTC) in Ludhiana and the Maha Andha Vidyalaya in Amritsar.

Navale and his team demonstrated Braille Vani Web Radio to the students at VRTC, and are now planning to do a radio series on basic English for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students, which will also benefit the students of VRTC. "Work on a series of 15 radio episodes based on the basics of spoken and written English is planned. It will also cover various aspects of English that can be learned by the visually impaired. Students of Pune-based Modern high school are a part of the production team. Once this series is ready, we plan to send it across to VRTC," says Navale.

To begin with, two pilot episodes will be readied and tested some time later this month. "We will air these pilot episodes before the visually impaired as well as teachers who train such students, and seek their opinion for further improvement. We hope to finish the series by the end of the month," adds Navale.

A visit to the Amritsar-based Maha Andha Vidyalaya the first blind school established in India also proved fruitful. "I happened to meet with the principal of this school, Manjeet Singh, and the lacunae in the quality of education for the visually impaired came to the fore. Subjects like mathematics and science are not given priority while teaching blind students, and the blind are deprived of opportunities in higher education. We want to change this," says Navale.

He plans to have a radio programme on a course for "disabled management" that will include content on challenges faced by the blind, finding solutions to their problems, ways of making the visually impaired self-reliant and independent and other aspects related to opportunities for their development. "This series will include practical demonstrations and will be beneficial for all visually impaired students. This series will be made and sent to Maha Andha Vidyalaya by this year end. We plan to broadcast its pilot episode on the University of Pune's Vidyawani (107.4 Mhz) on December 3, which is celebrated as World Disability Day," says Navale.

Due to the high alert at the border caused by the Lahore attacks on October 15, Navale's team couldn't do a live Braille demonstration programme at Wagah or celebrate Bhau-Beej' with them on the occasion of Diwali. "But we did manage to demonstrate Braille Vani Web Radio for a few minutes to the people present there. This was enough for us to get our point across on the occasion of World White Cane Day," says Navale.

And some time in the second week of November, a special Diwali programme Samwad' will be aired on Vidyawani. Produced by Braille Vani Web Radio, it includes programmes on music, education, entertainment, travel as well as interviews. "It's a 45-minute programme and copies of the same will be sold to a few schools at a nominal price of Rs 5," says Navale.

2009-11-04T11:46:00.000+05:30

NGO develops book reader for the blind.....Manasi Saraf-Joshi

Source: DNA India

A Nagpur-based NGO, Saksham, has launched an audio book reader for the visually challenged. The device, priced at Rs5,000, would not only help the visually challenged in their studies but also undertake leisure reading and learn music.

The NGO's national general secretary Avinash Sangvai said that the instrument was developed after carrying out a detailed research on various devices used for the blind. Sangvai and his two friends Sandeep Darwhekar and Mukund Deshmukh designed and developed it.

Elaborating on the features of the audio reader, he said it can read the audio tracks stored in a multimedia memory card of 2 GB capacity, which has a storage capacity of 60 odd hours. "This pocket-size device has only five embossed buttons for browsing the menu," he said, adding that with the buttons, one can navigate through any subject or book. Operations like fast forward, fast backward and pause too can be carried out at ease.

He appealed to various city-based NGOs working for visually challenged to come forward to make the devise available in the city. The instrument can be used by ten people at a time, he said. "We have stored the curriculum from school level till the competitive examinations," he said, explaining that other reading material and music have also been stored.

Sangvai said many people from housewives to a professional voice lender have contributed towards recording the books. "The data was recorded at homes, recording studios, on roads, and other places," he said, adding the idea was to give authentic information to the blind.

The device was initially launched in Nagpur in September 2008 followed by Hyderabad and Kerala.

Last Updated on : Sep 02,2009

2009-11-04T11:43:00.000+05:30

Jeffrey Bigham
Helping the Blind Use the Web From Anywhere ........By JEFFREY THOMAS

Source: Span Magazine on Karmayog

Less than one percent of the 38 million blind people in the world have a screen reader, a software program that reads the contents of a computer screen aloud.

Even those who do, often need to use the Web when they are not at their own computers. There just has not been anything inexpensive that was readily available in a public library or an Internet cafe or on a friend's laptop. Until now.

In May 2008, Microsoft awarded its first Accessible Technology Award for Interface Design to Jeffrey Bigham, a 27-year-old doctoral candidate in computer science at the University of Washington, for creating WebAnywhere, a self-voicing Web browser that enables blind and visually impaired people to access the Web from any available computer.

Bigham was inspired to create WebAnywhere because "Web access is becoming increasingly vital to our lives," he says.

As a researcher in human-computer interaction with a focus on Web accessibility, he had "been looking at how the ideas of community-based content and Web pages as applications can be leveraged to improve access. WebAnywhere was a natural fit," Bigham says. "People talk about how applications [such as e-mail, word processors and spreadsheets] continue to move from the desktop to the Web. I thought: Why can't access technology, like self-voicing Web browsers and screen readers, do the same?"

WebAnywhere-which Bigham is making available as free, open-source software-can be run on most systems, even public terminals on which users have few permissions. Its small size means users can begin browsing the Web quickly even on relatively slow connections.

The system is written in JavaScript that is downloaded from a server, allowing it to run in most modern Web browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari. WebAnywhere can act as a search engine or give voice to all of the text on a Web page. It also learns to take into account the user's past preferences and to anticipate what the user will want.

People who suffer visual impairment short of blindness or who have certain learning disabilities may also benefit from Bigham's system.

He plans to add more features and ensure that WebAnywhere can operate on cell phones and other mobile devices with built-in Web access.

Blind people who evaluated WebAnywhere during its design phase were able to complete the kind of tasks that users may want to do on the go: checking e-mail, looking up a bus schedule and searching for a restaurant's phone number.

Now the alpha version, an early version of the software that may not contain all of the planned features, is available for general use.

"The trial has gone well," Bigham says. "We've had a lot of people visiting the site and giving us feedback, and we've thus far had no major problems.

"...The beauty of the Web is that releasing and distributing new versions is relatively painless. To do so, we just update the site and the next time a visitor comes to the site, they get the latest version of WebAnywhere. In that sense, we're able to make smaller changes quite regularly, and we've been doing so."

To use WebAnywhere, a user visits the WebAnywhere Web site, which provides a screen-reader interface that translates Web-based text to speech and reads the content aloud in English.

The software processes the text of the Web page on a server at the University of Washington and then sends the audio file to play in the user's Web browser.

Because WebAnywhere is free, open-source software, anyone can help improve it or add new features. While at present WebAnywhere only works in English, Bigham says versions in other languages hosted on local servers could also be created.

"We do not currently make WebAnywhere available in any Indian language. ...We would love for someone to work on support for other languages, especially Hindi, as our logs indicate a large number of users from India despite the lack of support for Indian languages," he says.

Bigham says he has been getting "very positive" comments from users. "People get excited when you talk about providing nonvisual access from almost any computer, especially when you say it's open-source and free."

WebAnywhere has been funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and a Boeing Company professorship.

The Microsoft Award included $8,000 and a trip to the software company's Imagine Cup world finals in Paris in July, where Bigham demonstrated WebAnywhere.

"My goals in the future are to continue doing research and working with students, and also to keep doing things that actually help people," Bigham said after receiving the Microsoft Accessible Technology Award. "That has been one of the cool things about this project: It's not like we just did the study, learned some things and that's it. With WebAnywhere, we're actually taking it to the next step and getting it out to people who need it."

Jeffrey Thomas is a staff writer with America.gov

URL: http://span.state.gov/wwwhspjanfeb0959.html

2009-11-04T11:41:00.000+05:30

Access to museums for visually challenged people in Japan

Source: Science Direct

Awareness of needs of socially diverse people in

cluding elderly, disabled and people from overseas have been increased in Japan in a decade. The purpose of this study is to share the present state and future prospect of accessibility to museums especially for visually impaired people in Japan. The data was obtained from questionnaire survey conducted by Japanese Association of Museums in August 2004. Results are discussed in two categories: accessibility to facilities and accessibility to services of the museums. In terms of facilities, it is found that access for people with mobility difficulties are more advanced compared with people with sensory difficulties. In terms of services, multisensory approaches have become common in some museums. However, further study is needed to identify the criteria for visually impaired people to touch and how to balance with conservation issues. Since human assistance is important for visually impaired people, the training of museum professionals and volunteers is indispensable. In order to promote disability access to museums in Japan, making a guideline as well as the networking to share experience are required.

2009-11-04T11:38:00.000+05:30

Visually challenged users and need for a universally accessible web site
Source: Awriterz

The idea behind universally accessible web site

Universally accessible web site sounds a little idealistic or unrealistic, and it may strike your mind whether it is really possible. Well, your concern that making a web site accessible to all people across the globe is hard to achieve is perfectly true. Probably, you have taken the notion of universally accessible web site in its extreme perspective.

Universally accessible web site does not mean a web site absolutely accessible to one and all spread over the world. Basically, universally accessible website means designing such a web site which is not only accessible to average Internet users, but also to people with limitations and disabilities. It is held that if the web site will be increasingly made accessible to people with limitations and disabilities, the web site will be on its way to become a universally accessible web site eventually.

Therefore, universally accessible web site can not be thought of in absolute terms but rather be taken as a web site which is more accessible for diverse users as against average web sites thronging the web. They are the web sites which came a bit closer toward the utopian concept of universally accessible web site.
Universally accessible web site and target audience

There are two target audiences for which your web site can be made more accessible: people with limitations, and people with disabilities. People with limitations essentially means those people who are either on the lower end of technology like using small sized screen, older browsers, operating systems, low resolutions etc., or can not use the web site fully due to non-technical reasons like language, situations or others.

People with disabilities mean those people who are visually or otherwise handicapped. This article especially dwells upon needs of visually disabled people and corresponding changes in web design in order to get them as traffic to your web site which might add to your business prospects.

As it is mentioned in the beginning of this article that making web sites work for visually impaired users is not all about incorporating a couple of features in it. More importantly, it is about doing some revamping in the intrinsic web design so that such a design helps in supporting the features especially meant for visually handicapped users.
Visually impaired users and missed business opportunities

Statistics shows that there is a considerably large number of people who happen to be visually challenged. So, it is quite obvious that they do not have an easy access to such web sites as are not designed keeping their special needs into consideration. Nonetheless, they are the people who often use web sites for making their purchases, getting information or very much in the way as normal people do.

Those who are really serious to expand their businesses on the web, and wish to tap visually impaired people as target customers can do it provided they incorporate certain features in their web site which such users earnestly look forward to, and are comfortable with. However, bear it in your mind that making your web site compatible with such people is not only about addition of a few special features but all the intrinsic features in your web site should invariably support them.
Identifying visually disabled audiences and browsing alternatives

Before you go into designing a web site or modifying your existing web site so that it turn out to be accessible and at the same time enjoyable by visually disabled audiences, let’s have a look as to what sort of people constitutes visually disabled population:

* A visually disabled may be a person who is completely or partially blind.
* A visually disabled may be person who cannot read or understand the content of your web site due to medical reasons like dyslexia.
* A person who is color blind also comes under the category of visually disabled.
* A visually disabled may be a person who has a vision of 20/20.
* A visually disabled may be a person who is not able to read small font sizes due to vision defects.

The varieties of visual disability are apparent now. It is quite understandable that web designers should see the bigger picture of disability, and devise technical alternatives that suit most of them, if not all.

Here is a brief exposition on the technological feasibilities that seek to serve the visually disabled on the web.
Browsing alternatives for the visually challenged

In a bid to assist visually handicapped people to have a comfortable browsing experience, several browsers have been developed which are characterized by features like optical character recognition, screen magnifier, screen readers, voice recognition, speech synthesizers, etc.

Here is a few of them.

* BrailleSurf is an especially designed browser for the visually challenged that simplifies reading of the information on the net. With the help of this browser, information is presented on a Braille bar, or it can be delivered by a speech synthesizer. For the partially sighted users information can also be displayed on the monitor to help them read the same.
* BrookesTalk is a development by Oxford Brookes University which is based on function key and provides keyboard only accessibility. This is useful for blind and partially sighted users alike. It offers a large text window which is configurable to suit the need of partially sighted users. Here in this method, prompt views of web pages are flashed using information retrieval and language processing techniques.
* ALVA Braille is yet another browsing alternative which provides screen readers as well as Braille output. Alva Braille backs up navigation on the screen in combination with speech and Braille display.

Web design for visually impaired users: Back to the basics
Deal with issues around voice browsers

Voice browser is all the more important than other features especially for completely visually impaired. Notwithstanding its crucial significance, it causes several problems which have to be dealt with on a proactive basis. Therefore, the moment you are going for using voice browser, anticipate the problems that it might possess, and devise ways and means to encounter them. Here make sure that adding up voice browser in your web site does not end up making browsing fairly difficult.
Do away with your poor design, as this does not support alternate browsing

However candid your intentions may be, you cannot equip your web site with the right alternative browsing unless you make sure that your web is not poorly designed. This is due to the fact browser reads the source code, interprets and displays it in speech or Braille output. Poor design just makes it difficult for browser to deliver the content rightly to the impaired users. In such possibility, output whether speech or Braille, turns out to be confusing and frustrating, let alone what users so earnestly wish to get.
Validating HTML codes helps in interpretation of text

The errors in your source code do not go well with the interpretation made by alternate browser to the impaired users. So, it is advisable to validate your codes in order to get rid of syntax errors in the coding, and make them standardized. By doing so, you are a little ahead in preparing your web site to become compatible with all those features which matter to visually impaired users.
Give due care when you use tables

You are not at all restrained to use any thing on web site including tables and graphics. But the fact remains the same that it should not create any problem when it comes to interpretation by alternate browser. Use of tables does make it difficult because tables tend to cause certain gaps in process of communication flow to the users. Therefore, it is a point to make it sure that every thing goes as intended.
Use ALT and Title attributes with adequate descriptions; Use less graphics

Due to the obvious reasons, visually impaired cannot see images perfectly. Worse still, it is not a good idea to deprive them of the descriptions that can somehow help them sense what the image is all about. Therefore, adding ALT and Title attributes can give visually impaired users an enriching experience.

Moreover, less graphics is more, as the saying goes. In case of visually impaired users: the lesser use of the graphics, the better. Needless to say, it can considerably lessen the load time, thus, making the browsing experience enriching and comfortable.
Lesson: Visually impaired users should be tapped in one’s business interest

Visually impaired people suffer from no faults of their own. This is quite worthy of consideration that a little more efforts toward adoption of certain features in your web site can help them retrieve information in the desired manner. Their ease of accessibility to your web site will not go unrewarded; they can well augment your business interests by turning into your most valuable customers.

2009-11-04T11:35:00.000+05:30

Accessible ATM for visually challenged a reality

MUMBAI, INDIA: In an effort to help the disabled people, especially the visually and physically challenged, to do banking with ease, Indian ATM manufacturers NCR Corporation and Diebold showcased their latest disabled-friendly ATMs in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), a support and advocacy unit within the St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, has worked closely with the banking sector and has interfaced actively with the ATM manufacturers to make ATMs accessible for the disabled people, said a press release.

Both organizations are now ready for testing the ATMs at the XRCVC. These test results will be finally used for feedback purposes and up scaling into final deployment.

Key Features of these Accessible ATM's include:

Audio startups and guide of menu's
Voice output for transaction
Tactile cues for the buttons
Colour contrast and font sizes accessible for low vision users
Cubicle and ATM size accessible for a wheelchair users

Sharing his views, Dr. Sam Taraporevala, Director XRCVC said ATMs will need to scale to meet accessibility standards. "It is time that the international leading players in the ATM industry extend their experience to meet the Indian Banking Industry's recognition to provide accessible banking services for the persons with disabilities. We are happy that Diebold and NCR have taken this initiative," he said.

Sharing his views, Pradeep Sen, managing director for NCR in India said NCR is committed to investing in innovative self-service technologies that would change the way people connect, interact and transact with businesses.

"We are happy to showcase this ATM with features that would make banking easier for the visually challenged, thereby, reinforcing our commitment of making ATMs accessible to all types of consumers," he added.

Talking about the collaboration, Naresh Hosangady, managing director, Diebold India said "Diebold has been providing innovative solutions to the Indian ATM industry and we will continue to introduce newer technologies and solutions for the Indian banking industry. We are delighted to be associated with XRCVC to extend technological benefits for the 'Specially Abled'."

According the to the Global ATM Market & Forecasts 2013 report published by Retail Banking Research (RBR), the penetration of ATMs in India is pretty low compared to other developing countries in Asia, the release pointed out.

2008-10-18T14:52:00.000+05:30

Poster campaign calling for facilities for disabled launched
The Imphal Free Press

Source: kangla online

IMPHAL, Oct 17: With an objective to make possible special facilities for the disabled at various public utility places in the state as per the directive of the Disability Act 1995, the state social welfare cum disability commissioner, Letkhogin Haokip, IAS, launched a poster and banner campaign for the disabled in the state.

During the poster release function held at the office chamber of the commissioner at the Old Secretariat in Imphal, the secretary of the Handicapped Foundation Manipur, S Jasobanta Singh said it was unfortunate for the handicapped people of the state that none of the public utility facilities in the state maintained separate facilities for the disabled.
This could be due to the failure on the part of the state government to issue any serious instructions to maintain separate facilties for all kinds of public utilities at various public places.

The simple release function was attended by the officials of the state social welfare department who made an official appraisal to the commissioner for giving proper directives as per the Disabilities Act 1995.

Meanwhile, a one-day disability assessment camp was organised yesterday at Indoor Stadium, Chandel district headquarters with an objective to enhance proper distribution of disability certificates after official verification.
The disability camp was jointly organised by the state medical board, social welfare department, All Tribal Disabled’s Union Manipur (ATDUM) and Chandel District Physically Handicapped’s Association (CDPHA) at Indoor Stadium, Chandel district headquarters and was attended by 79 disabled persons including boys and girls.

All the 79 disabled persons were diagnosed for the nature of their handicap by a panel of select doctors led by Dr. Th Rabi, Dr. Th Chipson, Dr. M Akeshore, Dr. L Dhaneshore. Many of the disabled persons who turned up were diagnosed with locomotor visual, hearing and psychological disorders.

On the other hand, L Ibomcha, disability welfare officer of the state social welfare department who supervised the camp today mentioned that the assessment camp was conducted to provide certain facilities from the department after identifiying the disabilities officially. He said since there are privileges provided the disabled under Disability Act 1995, section 2 and Sub-section D Government of India and there are provisions for 3 percent reservation in education and other scholarships, it was a must for the department to carry out official assessment of the disabled persons in the district for issuing disability certificates.

Similar assessments would be held in other districts one after the other, he added.

2008-10-18T14:29:00.000+05:30

One lakh jobs for disabled, not a single person gets it

18 Oct 2008, 0144 hrs IST, TNN

Source: TOI

NEW DELHI: The government's ambitious plan to employ 1 lakh disabled persons in the current financial year is yet to take off with finance minister P Chidambaram saying on Friday that not a single recruitment had been made six months after the scheme was announced.

In his Budget speech this year, the FM had said that under the plan, the government would pay the employers' contribution towards provident fund and ESI scheme for each disabled person employed in the private sector. Chidambaram had even made a provision of Rs 1,800 crore for the welfare programme.

The government scheme - which pledges contribution of upto 12% of the salary of an employee on behalf of the employer - has failed to find any takers with the FM saying that in the first six months, not a single employer had registered with the EPFO or the ESIC to avail the benefits.

"It's six months and 17 days and not one employer has made a single claim under EPFO and ESIC. I apologies for the failure of the scheme," he said, resolving to achieve the target in the next six months. "I have set a review meeting for December 31 and again on January 31 by which time we will reach our target," Chidambaram said while speaking at a FICCI gathering in the Capital.

The FM said he had no reason to believe that any employer would decline an amount upto 8.5% of the employees salary by not opting for the scheme. If pension is taken into account, the benefit goes up to 12%, he added, talking about the UPA government's desire to integrate disabled persons in the economic development process.

The finance minister, however, parried all questions on the sensex falling below the 10,000 level on Friday. He was mobbed by journalists when he came out of the FICCI auditorium but the FM refused to take any questions on economic issues.

2008-06-24T17:09:00.000+05:30

Now isnt this is what people say Raining Jobs for the differently abled. Well well well ..... Go getit

Corporates eye special people

Ankita Uniyal / New Delhi June 03, 2008, 4:42 IS
JOBS: The differently-abled are sincere and don't believe in job-hopping, say HR executives.
Romila Tiwari at Barista and Simi Suri at HCL are not even aware that there is something uniquely common between them. Though they work for completely divergent companies, the HR executives have recruited differently-abled people in their organisations.
HCL and Barista are not alone in driving the effort to hire the differently-abled people. Hero Honda, too, has been employing speech and hearing impaired people as machinery operators. Currently, 40 such people are working at its Gurgaon plant and more are supposed to join its new plant at Haridwar in Uttarakhand.
Clearly, companies in the IT, hotel, manufacturing, telecom and banking sectors are shedding their biases and coming forward to employ people with different abilities. Welcoming the trend, Nootan Pandey, a senior psychologist at the Vocational Rehabilitation Centre says, "To find jobs, these people need special training and understanding rather than sympathy."
Luckily, the government-run training centres as well as some NGOs are meeting their special training requirements. After training, their salaries could vary according to their capabilities. While the average salary is usually between Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,000, it could go up as high as between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000.
Employers admit that they do face a challenge when they engage special people, but with a little help from the trainers they are able to overcome their problems. Once they understand their jobs, they prove to be better than other employees as they are focused and the attrition rate among them is lower. "The need is to tap their potential.
They are sincere and do not hop jobs, proving to be an asset to the organisation in the process," says Simi Suri of HCL. Romila Tiwari, who employed 13 such people in Barista in Delhi, recently seems happy with their performance. "The company is planning to look into new areas where more of them can be accommodated," she says.

Manonethra

Support the differentlyabled with Sewa International

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source: bhpioneer

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By Jaci Conrad PearsonBlack Hills Pioneer

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Can you help?

Now, the differently-abled can click to find their match online

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By Alice C. Elwell

Wed Nov 25, 2009, 09:46 PM EST

Tim Correira/The Enterprise

Kenny Cieplik sits outside the Flat Iron Cafe in Middleboro with his mother, Paula Cieplik. Kenny runs a Web site where he rates the handicapped accessibility of local buildings.

A doctor is just an iPhone call away

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