The disabled can contribute to society: PM Lee

SINGAPOREANS who are disadvantaged and disabled should be viewed not merely as people in need of help, but as members of society who can make meaningful contributions, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.




"Our society should value every person, no matter who he is, what he was born with, or without, because every person matters to us," he said at a dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of SPD, formerly the Society for the Physically Disabled.


How Singapore takes care of those with disabilities will show whether it is a "democracy of deeds or a democracy of words", he added, quoting former deputy prime minister S. Rajaratnam.


Groups like SPD play a vital role in providing social support, even as the Government steps up to do more, Mr Lee said in his speech at the Fullerton Hotel.


Such community groups mobilise passionate volunteers, raise funds from the community, tackle real problems of specific groups in need and strengthen the bonds among people.


But beyond these tangible benefits, the groups are also a reminder of what Singapore should aspire to be: a place where "every Singaporean counts" and where the disabled or less privileged inspire others "with their grit, determination and passion", he said.


Mr Lee cited examples such as 28-year-old sailor Jovin Tan, who was born with cerebral palsy and went on to win Singapore's firstever gold medal at the ASEAN Paralympic Games last month together with teammate Yap Qian Yin.


The 200-strong SPD has done much to empower some 4,700 people with special needs and physical disabilities, Mr Lee said.


It helps them pursue their studies and passions, provides rehabilitation and day care, trains them for jobs and supports them in their employment.


On the Government's part, it has launched a series of measures to help those who are disadvantaged and disabled, he added.


These include the Enabling Masterplan - a blueprint on programmes for people with disabilities - and extending MediShield to cover children born with congenital and neonatal conditions.


The Government is also improving special education schools, giving more support to early intervention services for pre-school children, and helping people with disabilities get around by enhancing physical access and offering transport subsidies.


These moves help ensure that those with disabilities can lead a dignified life and have opportunities to succeed, said Mr Lee.


One role model he singled out is SPD president and Nominated MP Chia Yong Yong, who has peroneal muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. Mr Lee said he is confident Ms Chia will inspire others with disabilities to contribute to society.


In her speech at the dinner, Ms Chia, a corporate lawyer, applauded the government initiatives, but said community efforts would achieve a greater effect and prove more sustainable in the long run. She also urged those with disabilities to do their part to make their own lives better so they, too, can contribute to society. "We must take responsibility for the good that we have received and we must learn to give back."


Yesterday, SPD also honoured several organisations for their support of the group. Three companies - Microsoft Singapore, StarHub and Far East Organisation - received SPD Distinguished Patron Awards for donating more than $1 million each to SPD.

E.mail : yuenc@sph.com.sg




Source : Asia One Singapore  , 28th Nov 2014

‘Community can help mentally ill’ - Chennai

The Mental Health Care Bill is expected to be introduced in the winter session of Parliament. Though psychiatrists have reservations about the aims of the Bill, they are looking forward to a framework to provide a starting point.

India accounts for an estimated 11.6 per cent of the burden of neuropsychiatric disorders.


While psychiatrists say the government should invest more in improving the infrastructure, they seek education of the care-givers, doctors and healthcare workers as patients and their families continue to be isolated and only then can the task of rehabilitation be taken up.

They place the onus on the State governments of coming up with workable models that would include community participation with the focus on ensuring that the patient does not suffer for want of treatment. N.N. Raju, general secretary of the Indian Psychiatric Society, says the National Mental Health Programme is aimed at integrating mental health into general health. “But that could not be achieved as psychiatric disorders were positioned in low priority over other national programmes in view of incentives and accountability. So, the State governments have to come up with workable models.”

While there is not enough trained paramedical psychiatric staff, the free helpline 104 has helped to some extent, says Director of Public Health K. Kolandaisamy.

Even if the State manages to get funds from the Central pool, they will be a one-time investment, usually for five years. This could be used to set up smaller centres with trained manpower to offer medical care and help family manage patients, says the former director of the Institute of Mental Health, R. Ponnudurai.


Source : The Hindu , 28th Nov 2014

Misbehaviour with polio workers not to be tolerated, says CM

Lahore - Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that maximum resources are being utilized for elimination of polio and anti-polio campaign should be pursued as a movement. He said that no effort should be spared for saving the children against this deadly disease.

He said that misbehaviour or violence against polio workers is intolerable, therefore, complete security should be provided to them during anti-polio campaign.

He expressed these views while presiding over a high level meeting, which reviewed anti-polio campaign in the province. The chief minister said that new generation will be provided a polio-free atmosphere at any cost and efforts are being made for eradication of polio with commitment and determination. He said that every member of the society will have to come forward and play his role for rooting out polio. He said that disfavour with anti-polio teams securing the future of the nation will not be tolerated at any cost. He said that complete security should be provided to anti-polio teams and the security plan evolved for this purpose should be strictly implemented. The chief minister said that no negligence will be tolerated with regard to eradication of polio and the concerned departments should perform their responsibilities through better coordination.

He further directed that a vigorous public awareness campaign be launched against polio and training programme of polio workers be made more effective. Shahbaz took notice of positive environmental samples in Rawalpindi and Lahore and said that all out measures should be taken in this regard and anti-polio campaign be continued on regular basis. Adviser on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq, chief secretary, inspector general police, home secretary, CCPO Lahore, Lahore commissioner, DCO Lahore and officers concerned were present.

Separately, Shahbaz Sharif expressed deep sense of sorrow and grief over the death of three children due to plunging of a school van in a drain near Kahna. The chief minister expressed sympathies with the bereaved families and directed administration to provide best treatment facilities to the children who were injured in the accident. The chief minister also ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The CM also took notice of the news of kidnapping and gang-rape of a lady teacher in the area of police station Kot Sultan, Layyah district, and sought a report from the DPO. Issuing instructions for strict action under the law against the culprits involved, he directed that justice should be provided to the lady teacher at any cost. He said that the elements involved in the incident deserve no leniency. On the instructions of the chief minister, police have registered a case and arrested four accused.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of Turkey in Pakistan Sadik Babur Girgin met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Matters of mutual interest and promotion of bilateral relations were discussed in the meeting. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that Pakistan and Turkey are bound together in strong brotherly relations and the sentiments of love and brotherhood between the peoples of the two countries are deep-rooted. He said that several Turk companies have made investment in various sectors in Punjab and their number is further increasing. He said that metro bus project is a glorious example of Pak-Turk friendship and more than 150,000 passengers travel by metro buses daily. He said that a state-of-the-art Tayyip Erdogan Hospital has been set up in Muzaffargarh with the cooperation of Turkey and is providing modern treatment facilities to the patients. He said that historic friendship between Turkey and Pakistan is turning into useful economic relations. He said that Turkey has stood by Pakistan in every hour of need.



Source : Daily Times , 29th Nov 2014

Differently-abled students take up cleanliness drive : Madurai

The Prime Minister's Swacch Bharat Abhayan campaign for cleanliness has received the participation of many well-known names. On Thursday, a group of differently-abled children set out on the same drive, under much less media glare, but with a much more powerful message.


Around 35 students from a special school here joined hands with a group of college students to clean an entire road in K K Nagar, besides the surroundings of their school. Around 100 children affected with conditions like cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism studies in the school, which is located in K K Nagar. The campaign was organized by Shine Educational Trust, which was formed by a group of parents with differently- abled children in K K Nagar, along with Santosh College of Physiotherapy.


Supraja Yamini, a 12-year-old student who is affected with rare autism, said, "I have cleaned the road along with my friends. We found a large quantity of garbage on the road. People should come forward to keep their area clean," she said. She can not only talk, but also find the exact day of a date in any year.



According to the representatives of the school, the founders of the school intended to signal to the public that such children too can be brought to the mainstream.


S Visalakshi, a correspondent of the school, commented that it was a message to the other students and public to keep the area around them clean. Administration authorities cannot keep every part of the nation spic and span. It is the people's effort which can really bring in big changes in the society, she said.


The half-day campaign, which began on Thursday morning, collected two trucks of garbage. The school authorities reported that the civic authorities co-operated a lot with the effort, and removed the collected garbage. The children were helped by a group of 40 college students. During the day, the students also took a vow not to litter their streets, and to keep their surroundings clean.



Source : TOI , 21st Nov 2014

A Made in India app recognised by MIT that helps the deaf ‘hear’ and ‘speak’

Living with a disability is not easy, but most people who have some form of disability generally develop other heightened senses and skills, and are able to live an almost normal life and contribute to society.

People who have lost their sight have a heightened sense of hearing and touch, while the deaf and mute are able to read lips and communicate using sign language. But most of the general population do not know sign language and are unable to communicate effectively with the deaf.

So the deaf find it difficult to converse with people on a day to day basis. A doctor from Kerala aims to solve this issue through a smartphone application.

What is the app about?

‘Let Me Hear Again’ helps differently abled users, who are hard of hearing or deaf, communicate with others who do not know the American Sign Language. The app was ideated by Dr. Sharon Baisil and developed through the Google App Inventor platform. The app has been recognised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was also awarded the title of ‘App of the Month’ by MIT App Inventor.

                                          About the Founder

Dr Sharon Baisil is a 29-year-old medical doctor, who is an alumnus of Government Medical College in Thrissur, Kerala. He is currently working at SPM Clinics in Cochin.

He founded Let Me Hear Again Project for deaf and late deafened adults with the aim to provide rehabilitation for the hearing impaired at the lowest cost by providing innovative technologies. Dr Baisil developed the app with the aims to provide deaf individuals with an arsenal of tools, which could help them save money from buying expensive videophones or vibrating alarms or hiring interpreters.He learnt the basics of programming and android development from scratch through online tutorial videos,ranging from those uploaded by amateurs to those uploaded by MIT professors.  At present, over 500 doctors are supporting this cause by recommending the app to their patients.

The future objectives of the project are to create an effective group chat for the deaf, which could enable them to participate in real time group discussions with ‘hearing’ individuals. Another objective is to add sign language support and real-time sign language recognition. Dr. Baisil informed YourStory that he is also working on an improved Graphical User Interface with flat icons, which will be available by the second week of December as part of a major update.

Features

The app consists of five main tools, which have been integrated into one app

Face to face chat

Though most deaf individuals are adept at reading lips, there is a margin for error, so the app recognizes conversations in 41 languages and displays the words on screen and can provide live translation as well.

It has a Talk-Back feature, where the person can type in his or her reply and the phone will speak it out aloud. It includes a full screen speech to text chat with re-sizable fonts and auto speech recognition mode with custom timer.

Virtual notes

This feature can be used to capture speeches and long conversations and save it as words in the phone memory after speech recognition.

The intention is to enable the deaf to save class lectures, to do lists, key points from group discussions and meetings. These saved notes can be edited later if needed, and can even be translated to any language of choice. Notes can also be shared through social media.

Call companion

This tool enables the deaf to make and receive phone calls. It can transcribe phone calls to words in real time and can display it on the screen.

Quake awake alarm

As normal alarms are not effective for the hearing impaired, this custom alarm produces sounds above 100dB (most deaf persons have hearing loss to sounds below 90dB) and vibrates the phone for two minutes. The combination of loud sounds and vibration will make it easier for the deaf to wake up in the mornings.

Guardian angel

This feature was inspired by a real incident in the US where a pitbull saved a deaf boy from a house fire. In case of emergencies it is difficult for a deaf person to be aware of what is going on in his or her surroundings.

The last tool is a personal watchdog for the deaf person and in the app it’s a cat called ‘Angel’. This cat can be turned on by setting the timer and the person can continue with their normal daily routine. It will automatically search for loud sounds in the surroundings at set intervals and if and when it detects something, it will alert the user with high intensity sounds and vibrations until the person picks it up.

Price

There are two versions: Free and Pro: INR 50.

While the free version has access to most features, some of the features like quake awake, guardian angel, the night mode theme, edit and share tool in the virtual notes section are only available in the Pro version. The free version supports only four languages.

What works?

The overall idea and concept works well and the app solves some of the pain points a deaf person faces on a day to day basis. The face to face chat feature worked well and the Auto mode where the app checks for sounds every six or user defined number of seconds is a useful feature. As stated, the app also blocks many offensive words and does not translate them.

Virtual Notes also works well and I was able to translate short notes into four languages, including English, French, Italian and Spanish.Quake alarm works as stated, provided the user follows the instructions and does not close the app.

What does not work?

The UI and UX is average with room for improvement. For example, even after using the app for a while, I could not find a way to disable the popup ‘Help Notification’ that appears everytime one clicks on different features. The Virtual Notes feature worked well for short notes, but I was unable to find the custom timer in this section to try it for longer conversations.

As stated in the app, the call companion feature has a sharp learning curve and is not easy to implement. Simplifying this further could enhance the UI. Users currently have to connect the phone to an external loud speaker to amplify phone calls. Otherwise, the phone’s speaker will not be able to detect the voice in a phone call and thus voice recognition does not work.

YS verdict

With a population of about 250-300 million deaf people in this world, there is a big potential market for such an initiative. This Made in India app is aiming to solve a relevant problem and has succeeded to a certain extent.


Download Link : 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Let+ME+Hear+Again+Apps

Source : Your Story , 21st Nov 2014

NHRC Chair calls for disability-friendly systems - Kathmandu

Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Anup Raj Sharma said disability-friendly attitude, behaviours and laws are necessary to ensure dignified life of people with disabilities.


Responding to a delegation from the National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN) at the Commission on Sunday, Sharma said court verdicts issued in disability-related cases should be thoroughly implemented.


Speaking on the occasion, NHRC Member Govinda Sharma Paudel requested persons with disabilities to give feedback to the Commission for a plan of action aimed at promoting their rights.


The NFDN delegation led by its President Shudarson Subedi had demanded special facilities for persons with psychosocial disabilities, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, and down syndrome.


They also submitted a nine-point memorandum to NHRC, according to the Commission.



Source : The Himalayan Times , 16th Nov 2014

Blind to handicap, lighting up other lives - NAGPUR

His mission in life reads, "To work unceasingly to mitigate pain and suffering of human race." And despite not having seen any light since birth, Rajesh Asudani is lighting up the lives of hundreds of disabled persons through his work. His congenital blindness hasn't stopped him from achieving as many as 19 gold medals at Nagpur University, in the process inspiring thousands to fight against their disabilities.


The 38-year-old took inspiration from his two elder brothers, who too are blind, to make the Asudanis a household name in Nagpur. When information technology was not even heard of, the trio overcame all odds and battled social stigma to show the world that disability of any kind is not a curse and can be defeated with hard work and determination. Fittingly, the Limca Book of Records took cognisance of their achievements, besides other national and international publications.


"I was literally zero till standard IV. This was the time my elder brothers, Ghanshyam and Vinod, inspired me to study. From that day on, I never looked back, of course with a support of my parents — Hardayaldas and Laxmidevi, who took immense pains to raise us while battling financial crunch, since the family had migrated from Pakistan during the partition."


A glance at his biodata and achievements would shame all normal human beings. He was second merit in SSC exam with 93% and first in HSC in handicapped category with 87%. He joined five years LLB course at Dr Ambedkar College and again topped the exam with 75%. He then completed BA (English Literature) and MA (English), again in merit. He cleared NET in three subjects - English, law and psychology - along with SET from Pune University.


"Unfortunately, we didn't have IT at our disposal at that time, else we would have made more progress. We were completely dependent on others. My sister used to record the books on tape recorder and I used to listen," recalls Rajesh, who is also a poet, writer and a social worker par excellence. He has penned a book 'Adhura Asman', an anthology of Hindi ghazals.


Very few know that Rajesh, who is happily married to Nanda and has two kids, also gives free lectures for blind students on how to crack competitive exams, at Seva Sadan School on weekends. "We've lived our lives and it's high time we give back to the society, especially the disabled. I plan to start an NGO - Disability Advocacy, Research and education (DARE), which will extensively work for such persons, especially youngsters, who will be provided free coaching for competitive exams. I am also doing PhD in disability discourse, an untouched area so far," says Asudani.


A senior officer at RBI now, Asudani dreams of opening counselling centres for those who become disabled owing to accidents or health problems, as they tend to go into depression.


The recipient of several awards and first president of Visually Impaired Bank Employee Welfare Association (VIBEWA), Asudani is also instrumental in fighting for the cause of blind persons by approaching the judiciary many times. "I've won a case against Nagpur University, drafted many petitions and also undertake legal counselling for the needy."


Rajesh always aspired to be a lecturer, but laments that there is huge discrimination against the disabled and he couldn't land a job despite impressive academic achievements. "This prompted me to appear in RBI exams, which are tough. I now want to dedicate my life for the welfare of the disabled and fight for their rights," he sums up with a smile.



Source : TOI , 22nd Nov 2014

Bureau Of Engraving And Printing Posts Application For Free Currency Reader To Visually Impaired

Beginning today, all U.S. citizens, or persons legally residing in the U.S. who are blind or visually impaired can request a free currency reader from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) by downloading the required application from the BEP’s website (www.bep.gov). The application must be filled out completely, signed by a competent authority that can certify eligibility, and returned to the mailing address provided on the form.

The BEP’s U.S. Currency Reader Program will officially rollout nationally on January 2, 2015, at which time the BEP will begin processing applications. The estimated timeframe for delivery of readers after the national rollout is six-to-eight weeks.

The currency reader device, called iBill Currency Identifier, provides a convenient means for blind or visually impaired individuals to identify all Federal Reserve notes (U.S. currency) in circulation. iBill uses a single, AAA battery which is included. The denomination can be announced in one of three ways: a clear natural voice, a pattern of tones, or a pattern of vibrations for privacy. The vibration mode also assists people who are deaf and blind.

In September, the BEP launched a four-month pilot program where existing patrons of the National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) are eligible to pre-order currency readers. The pilot program provided an opportunity for the government to test its ordering and distribution process, and gauge demand for currency readers in advance of the January 2015 national rollout. The BEP will begin shipping readers to NLS patrons who pre-ordered a reader during the pilot program in December 2014.

The U.S. Currency Reader Program is a component of the BEP’s initiative to provide meaningful access to Federal Reserve notes. In 2011, the BEP introduced EyeNote, an app that scans and identifies note images on mobile devices operating on the Apple iOS platform. BEP also assisted the Department of Education in developing the IDEAL Currency Reader app for Android phones.

Please direct questions or comments about the U.S. Currency Reader Program to the BEP toll-free number (844-815-9388) or email at meaningful.access@bep.gov. More information about the U.S. Currency Reader Program and the BEP’s meaningful access initiative is available at www.bep.gov.



Source : Vending market watch , 19th Nov 2014

50% seats for PhD vacant at Rohilkhand varsity - Barreilly

As Mahatma Jyotiba Phule ( MJP) Rohilkhand University held the first round of counselling for PhD courses, four years after the Raj Bhawan had stopped research work across state universities, around 50% seats remained vacant.


The authorities had asked applicants to report for the first round of counselling in science. There are a total of 54 seats in botany, 37 in zoology, 18 in plant science, 15 in animal science, 13 in computer science and one in environmental science. However, only half the total number of candidates turned up for counselling

University officials said that the low turnout was a result of the state universities not being allowed to offer PhD courses for the past four years, because of which students wanting to pursue higher studies took admission elsewhere.


"The Raj Bhawan had in 2008 stopped research work across state universities in Uttar Pradesh as it wanted to revise the format for the entrance exams to PhD courses. The new ordinance was introduced last year and the combined entrance examination took place in 2012 while counselling for it has begun now," said Prof VP Singh, chief proctor and dean of department of applied sciences.


He added that many students had applied for the courses before the PhD was stopped, and because of the delay they ended up taking admission in other private or central universities or those based in other states.


The counselling for PhD courses in other stream like commerce, education and law is scheduled for November 28. However, fearing that most of the seats would remain vacant even then, the authorities plan to hold a second round of counselling for all courses in the first week of December, after which the classes will begin.


This time, the university had received a total of 3,730 PhD applications through net, JRF and CET. Of the total applications, 1,705 belonged to the general category, 1,168 to the backward class and other 857 to the SC/ST category.

The PhD admissions have been the centre of controversy lately. Only recently when the authorities had declared the PhD merit list, they ignored the guidelines of the national reservation policy and did not include horizontal reservation in the list. As a result, reservation for women, physically handicapped and wards of freedom fighters and armed forces quota were not considered. After students raised the issue, the authorities ordered an inquiry and the revised merit list was announced.


Source : TOI , 19th Nov 2014

India lacks access to toilets for disabled women, highlights social activist Anjlee Agarwal

Anjlee Agarwal has been advocating for the rights of disabled women to use an accessible toilet since 1992 

Almost 15 % of world’s population is disabled according to the data provided by the World Health Organization. Women are the most marginalized section of this percentage, most having no access to toilets in India. On World Toilet Day, Iamin speaks to Anjlee Agarwal, Director of Delhi-based Samarthyam, National Centre for Accessible Environments, who is leading the advocacy for the rights of disabled women to be able to use public toilets with safety and dignity. Excerpts from the interview:

_______________________________________________________

"If I am not able to access toilets and the government is not offering the services which are required for me, then what is the government doing?"

_______________________________________________________

What led to the inception of your organisation to advocate the rights of disabled women in India?


The idea took shape in 1991 when we saw various issues that deter disabled people to be a part of mainstream society. The Persons with Disability Act came in 1995 and even after two decades, there is clear discrimination towards this section of people. So, personally, as a disabled woman; I want to say that if they want to keep the disabled away from accessing facilities then provision of toilets for the disabled women is more of a personal issue than political issue.

If I am not able to access toilets and the government is not offering the services which are required for me, then what is the Government doing? On the occasion of World Toilet Day, we can’t just forget about people with disabilities, especially women, who have a visible need of accessible toilets.

What was your observation about the access of toilets for disabled women in India?


We started with focus on what could be done to make schools, public buildings, communities as well individual households accessible for disabled women. When we started our advocacy, we found that one basic issue is Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). There are allocated funds, a dedicated Ministry - Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which focuses on urban settlements and Ministry of Urban Development that has a sanitation policy for India.

There is a clear ignorance as far as policies and initiatives for people with disabilities to access toilets and clean and safe drinking water is concerned. Hence, we started doing audits, which is accessibility assessment of environment or a public place, to see the facilities that are accessible for both disabled children and adults, and specially looking at girls’ and women with disabilities because they are severely discriminated, marginalised and vulnerable to different kinds of abuse from society.

What are the issues related to toilet use for disabled women in India?


In our audits with 500 schools in 16 states, we found that less than 60 schools have toilets for girls, which means around 440 schools do not have toilets. Few which are available do not have doors, lights, water and even ventilation. So, the girls defecate in the open in the school premises, compound areas or use the boys’ toilet. In the boys’ toilet, they are scared that there is a man or a boy approaching because most of the male teachers also use the boys’s toilet.

When they attain puberty or start menstruating, they drop out of school due to lack of water and menstruation hygiene management. Disabled girls are the biggest sufferers, because they can’t do anything on their own, they cannot even squat like other girls. Less than 0.1 % girls with disabilities in the schools get to access toilets and less than 0.5% stay in the schools after hitting puberty. The families ask them to stay back at home for 5 days a week, hence, 60 days of the school are left out.

Open defecation leads to diarrhoea, it leads to stunting of growth due to malnutrition problems. Open defecation is a big issue in India. UNICEF estimates that nearly one-half of Indian children remain malnourished. When there are no toilets at home in villages, girls with disability are taken to openly defecate; they have to be lifted by their parents and that’s done early in the morning hours at 3-4 am. The whole family schedule is disturbed, the child is disturbed and also it’s not very easy if there is a medical case or issue like pregnancy or it is an issue that if the mother is pregnant and is not able to carry the child to go for open defecation, then the father is the one who does that. They maybe abused because they go for long stints and far off places. When they dropout and are less educated, they get married very fast in the early stages. When they get married in early stages, their own health and the health of the baby is dismal. The lack of toilets in schools leads to a national problem.

Why is this section of society more vulnerable than others?


Women with disabilities have to find private spots to you know for the open defecation and there are criminal activities, abuse, rape happens because these people tune themselves that this is the time that the women will come out and this is the time she is more vulnerable because she cannot run if she is orthopedically disabled, she cannot see the person who has raped her if the person is blind and if she is healing and speech impaired, then the advantages are much more because then she wont be able to shout or she wont be able to complain.

None of the urban cities call it Delhi, or the metro cities of Chennai, Bangalore or Mumbai, do not have accessible toilets in public places such as a market, bus-stop, terminus, etc. So, people with disabilities cannot access them, if you are not able to access the toilets definitely you are not drinking adequate water, which is required for your good health or you are not eating properly and that leads to kidney stones.

What can be done to facilitate inclusion of accessible places for disabled women in the country?


There is a need to link the accessibility and safety for disabled with the sustainable cities. The latest trend is 100 smart cities by the Ministry of Urban Development. So, any city cannot be smart unless there are adequate public facilities and amenities and especially around places where there are public gatherings. For instance, malls are provided with accessible toilets due to which many people with disabilities and senior citizens have started coming out of their homes to shop. So, this is a lucrative market which has never been tapped. Now, if you don’t provide public toilets, then you are limiting the use of public amenities by these people.

But organisations like Sulabh International do provide toilets in public spaces?


We have not seen Sulabh toilets in public places having accessible toilets for disabled, except for the Delhi Metro stations. An accessible toilet needs to be European-style with running water facility. These toilets have to be a bigger especially for the girls who use wheelchairs, they can go inside the toilet, close the door and then transfer from the wheelchair. It’s a complete design mechanism where the detailing has to be looked into comprehensively to each and every dimension.

The placement of the WC, the height of the WC, grab bars, which need to be provided to see that the girls can hold on to the grab bars, and transfer and then transfer vice-versa and then wash themselves. So, isn’t it Sulabh’s prerogative to provide accessible toilets because there is a law in the country because there is a people with disabilities who want accessible toilets?

A visual illustration of how an accessible toilet for disabled people including women and girls should be.

What are you doing to address these problems?


We have designed a school audit toolkit that looks at important aspects with regards to accessible spaces for disabled children. For the accessible toilets in Delhi Metro, we gave them the design specifications and told them our needs, which have been addressed. We have also got a compulsory clause put into the building regulations or building by laws.

We are working with the Ministry of Urban Development, we worked out the model building bylaws. In the model building bylaws, we enforced that accessible toilets or disable friendly toilet should not be just a toilet but it should be used as a multi-use toilet, where the senior citizens, pregnant ladies, people having medical conditions and even families with young people can use it because these toilets are bigger, spacious, so you can even provide a diaper changing table and all that to make it like a family toilet. There is multi-fold use of this toilet and it will not be locked and it would not be closed and used as a storage system. Even the access to these toilets must be easy, with illumination, even pathway must be provided.

What is your message to people on World Toilet Day?


Accessibility to toilets in public spaces is a basic human need. We must remember that we ageing is a natural process. Ageing and disability have a direct correlation. If you can see things and move around today, you may not because of ageing tomorrow. Disabled people go through thus every day. So make their today better by providing accessible toilets within households and community spaces which can be used by senior citizens, pregnant women and also others without compromising the safety and dignity of the women with disabilities.




Source : I am in DNA of North West Delhi , 19th Nov 2014

Himachal University relaxes norms for exam 'writer' for disabled persons

Vice-Chancellor, A D N Bajpai, has given nod to the new policy which is in consonance with the examination policy, for persons with disabilities. 

In an initiative aimed to provide relief to blind and other persons with disability, Himachal University (HU) has relaxed the norms for providing a 'writer' to such students during examinations.

Vice-Chancellor, A D N Bajpai has given nod to the new policy which is in consonance with the examination policy for persons with disabilities, as circulated by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for implementation across the country.

According to the new policy, which will be implemented in the ensuing examinations, commencing from November 27 this year, there would be no qualification bar for the writers appearing for blind and disabled persons.

As per old rules, the qualification of the writer had to be one class lower than the candidate, but now the condition has been removed and it would be for the invigilator to ensure that no 'unfair' means are used while answering the questions.

The candidates would also get one hour extra time in addition to three hours time for other candidates.

The major relief for the candidates would be that now they can engage any person as a writer irrespective of his qualification, said Ajai Srivastava, an associate professor and member secretary of the committee, which made the recommendations to the vice chancellor.

The procedure for granting permission for getting a writer, has also been relaxed and principals of colleges have been authorised to give permission for availing writers, to save time and energy of the disabled students.

Presently, only Controller of Examination of University is authorized to give permission for engaging a writer.

In case of any emergency, the candidates will be allowed to change their writers.

As per the new policy, the University and colleges will prepare a pool of writers who will write in the examinations for blind and other disabled candidates and will be paid remuneration by the college or university.

The university will also provide alternative questions to blind candidates, in place of map-based questions in some subjects. The deaf candidates will have the option to take objective type questions in place of descriptive questions.

The new policy also provides an option for candidates to take examinations on computer or in Braille, and it would be implemented from the academic session 2016-17. The students, as per their choice, will be provided questions in the soft copy or in Braille.

The university will not charge any fee from candidates for availing the facility of writer.



Source : DNA , 19th Nov 2014

Transport Minister hopes to 'insulate' elderly from transport fare hike

Following the Public Transport Council's (PTC's) announcement on Wednesday that it has started the annual fare review exercise, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said in a Facebook post that he hopes that vulnerable groups like senior citizens can be "insulated" from fare increase.







The PTC said in a statement today that public transport operators can submit their application for fare review by Dec 19, and that it would announce its decisions on applications in the first quarter of next year.



"The PTC will take guidance from the fare review mechanism and fare adjustment formula recommended by the Fare Review Mechanism Committee and accepted by the Government in November 2013," it said. "This will ensure a good balance between meeting the needs of the commuting public and keeping the public transport system financially sustainable."


It also said that it will pay more attention to "fare affordability" for more vulnerable groups.


Mr Lui said in his Facebook post that the "Ministry of Transport will also study how we can similarly enhance the concession schemes the Government introduced for lower-wage workers and persons with disabilities earlier this year".


He said that he had received positive feedback about the new travel concession schemes, including from low-wage workers and disabled people, and students who are benefiting from monthly travel passes.


He also said that he hopes the PTC can consider not raising the prices of adult monthly travel passes for frequent commuters.


Encouraging more people to travel outside of peak hours remains one of the Government's key initiatives to reduce traffic congestion, as Mr Lui said that he has asked the Land Transport Authority to look into the matter, and perhaps "introduce off-peak monthly passes".


Public reactions


Netizens are naturally not-too-happy to hear of another fare review. Comments on Mr Lui's Facebook post point to the frequent transport breakdowns and generally perceived fall in service standards.


One person asked in his comment if the fare review will see fares fall, eliciting great mirth from other netizens.


sinsh@sph.com.sg



Source : News Asia One , 19th Nov 2014

To be differently abled, and gifted - Chennai

                         
                         Sudha Menon - Co Author of the Book
            

Real-life tales depict indomitable spirit of winners who just wouldn't give up



Hans Dalal is affected by cerebral palsy, but he overcame the challenge to become a sound engineer and then followed his passion and became a tiger conservationist. Malvika Iyer lost both her arms in a grenade explosion but with caring, technology and grit, is now doing her Ph.D, apart from continuing her efforts for inclusiveness of the differently-abled. Sunil Desai, who lost the use of his limbs, overcame despondence to start an organisation that provides caregivers for those who cannot look after themselves.

These are just three of the 15 people whose accounts feature in Gifted, a book on people who have overcome their disabilities, written by Sudha Menon and VR Ferose. The stories are honest. Beating the odds came with much despair and frustration at various stages – living among society, during school and college admissions, not being admitted to a course or a job despite having the marks, periods of depression when they almost gave up. But this led to much insight, which is delivered in pithy statements throughout the book.

Success calling

Like Ankit Jindal, in the course of narrating how he came to be employed, says the company did not look at his disability as much as it did at his ability, or George Abraham of SCORE Foundation and Project Eyeway, a partially seeing person who says “disability is God-given but a handicap is man-made”, and that sponsorship recognises ability while donation recognises disability.

One of the threads running through this book is how the differently-abled would like a better quality of support, one that understands and enables, rather than pity. They do not want to be dismissed without being given a chance, and they know that it is a huge task to get the world to give them a hearing. Persistence in the face of several setbacks, telling themselves to get over their self-pity and to keep trying, somehow, is what keeps them going and becoming successful.

As Malathi Holla, a Paralympian and Padma Shri awardee quoted in the book, says: “An inferiority complex can be more crippling than a physical disability.”

Support systems

Gifted is equally a tribute to the parents and friends that stood steadfastly by the people it tells about. The stories and the struggles sound similar, but despite that, the book is an absorbing and thought-provoking read. A facet which the book touched upon, but left largely unexplored, was the issue of marital/romantic relationships – how they found their partners, or did not, and the adjustments they and their partners had to make. This is a rather largely ignored aspect in most discussions on disability.

Authors Sudha Menon, a former journalist at Business Line, and Ferose, a senior vice - president at SAP and founder of the India Inclusion Summit will launch the book in Chennai on Wednesday. All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to Enable India, an organization that works for the development of people with disability in India.


Source : The Hindu Business Line , 18th Nov 2014

Come out to change society's perspectives - Kathmandu

Australian Paralympic star Katrina Webb believed the society would change its perspectives towards differently-able people if they come out and show their talents.




“If the differently-able people come out and show what they are capable of doing, the society will change,” said Webb, who won 100m and 200m gold medals in Atlanta Paralympic Games along with long jump silver in 1996, claimed two silvers and a bronze at Sydney 2000 and 400m gold at Athens 2004.


Webb is in Kathmandu upon the invitation of Childreach Nepal, an NGO working for children. She attended the premier of Hollywood movie Sold on Tuesday and visited Siddhartha Art Gallery during the opening of renowned photographer Lisa Kristine’s exhibition. The Australian athlete was encouraged to visit Nepal by Tshiring Lama, founder of Childreach when they met at a programme in Mumbai, India last year.


“I have been in the family of Paralympics since 1996 and it has become a global platform for showcasing the talent,” Webb told The Himalayan Times. “There are athletes with disability around the world but all are not able to show their talent,” she added. “I have worked as the ambassador of International Paralympics Committee in two different countries — USA and UK.


“With my good relation with the international bodies, I think I can make difference particularly for the young children,” Webb said. “Whether they are in sports or not, I will encourage them to be strong and change the society.” Webb, who was diagnosed with Cerebral palsy, said she used to hide her disability fearing boycott from the society. “If you have disability, the society will treat you in a different way. But you have to come out and cover your disability with your hard work in the field,” she said.


Asked about her success, Webb said: “If you work hard in particular field you will get success and once you start to taste success you want more and you will push yourself.” Webb went through internet and found few Para-athletes in Nepal and was willing to work with them. “I could find few players in this field but I came to know that there are two Paralympic committees in Nepal,” she said. “If these two committees come together and work for the players, the International Paralympics Committee can fund them as they have created a foundation for the developing countries,” she added.


“I am not here to change them but I can help them change,” she added. “I urge them to step up, talk about it and be bold. I did it in my country and ask the Nepali athletes to do the same here,” she added. “I will come back to Nepal in future and help the needy through my international connections,” Webb said.


Webb also met with the officials of Cricket Association of Blind (CAB-Nepal) this morning at the Australian Embassy. “I was inspired by the story of the people running blind cricket in Nepal,” said Webb. “There are more than 20 NGOs workings for differently-able sportsperson in Nepal and I also heard UNICEF is going to do some research in this topic next year. I can see things are going towards positive direction in Nepal,” said the Australian athlete. 

 

Source : The Himalayan , 19th Nov 2014 

Showcasing inclusiveness

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An international festival that showcased the artistic talent of the disabled in New Delhi

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A festival held in New Delhi this past week yet again proved that if given a chance, people with disabilities can do wonders. Sambhav 2014, organised by Delhi-based NGO Association for Learning Performing Arts & Normative Action (ALPANA), showcased the artistic talent of physically and mentally challenged artistes from 16 countries including India. The three-day festival that ended at the India International Centre this past Sunday, concluded in the weekend of 14, 15 & 16 November 2014 at India International Centre, also included events like an international seminar on “Challenges of working with persons with disability for inclusive growth with special focus on inclusive arts” and a forum for international cooperation to advance the rights of persons with disability besides hosting an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and artefacts made by challenged artists, performances by them from different countries, also a yoga workshop for all the participants including challenged artists from different countries.




Physically challenged artists performing at the SAMBHAV 2014 in New Delhi where participants from 31 countries took part.

The annual festival, on its eight edition now, is organised with “the objectives of Sambhav or possibility to promote inclusive growth and be a catalyst in fulfilling commitments of the global society towards persons with disability.” According to ALPANA, “It is also to showcase inclusiveness of Indian society, to empower challenged persons, particularly artists, through development of skills and enhancement of creativity in various fields of arts and to work towards sharing of ideas, knowledge, achievements and experiences through sustainable interactions among different stakeholders.”

It began with a video message by president Pranab Mukherjee.

According to a media note, “SAMBHAV 2014 set a landmark by providing a platform, where three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) were signed between ALPANA Society and the representatives of organisations from Mauritius, Myanmar, Russia and South Africa who have been working for inclusive growth of mentally and physically challenged persons through performing arts. The objective of these MoUs was to share the experience in the field for mutual benefit and to provide such platforms in the countries of the signatories to stage similar participative efforts. The MoU signing ceremony was chaired by Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan.”



Source : The Hindu , 19th Nov 2014

IGNOU's Reservation Quota Sparks Protests - Bangaluru

The ongoing B.Ed admission counselling conducted by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) was marred by conflict over reservation provision, at IGNOU Regional Centre, Bengaluru on Friday.

Protests broke out on the premises of the regional centre after nearly a hundred students were turned away as they did not qualify for admissions.

Based on a national-level entrance exam, IGNOU is conducting admission counselling for two-year B Ed course exclusively for in-service teachers. The exam was conducted about three months ago and the counselling process for admissions of the same, began on November 20, 2014.

While on the first day the open university conducted counselling for SC, ST and differently-abled candidates, on Friday the admission process was meant for OBC non-creamy layer of candidates. Conflict broke out when a section of candidates belonging to the ‘Lingayat’ community were told that they did not qualify for reservation.

“As per regulations of the state government, they qualify for reservation under 3 B Category. However, they were told at the venue that the community did not figure in the Central list for reservation,” said one candidate.

Following the protests, the counselling process was delayed by few hours. With no other choice, candidates belonging to the community had to return home without a seat. The candidates questioned officials why their names were announced in the counselling list if they were not eligible for admissions under the quota.

An official from Bangalore Regional Centre said, “Several candidates had not submitted their caste certificates along with their applications. Hence an opportunity was given to all candidates to appear for the counselling. We are checking their credentials during the counselling.”

“The IGNOU brochure and the application mention that the admissions will be done based on the Central List of Reservation. Some teachers do not seem to have read the regulations properly. One can cross verify this list on the National Commission for Backward Classes website, www.ncbc.nic.in,” he added.

While there are 500 seats in Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), there are 1,100 seats offered by IGNOU, for its 11 recognised centres in Karnataka. There are 100 seats each in all these institutions.

Candidates turned away on Friday will not lose an year as IGNOU has decided to offer them seats under General Merit for which the cut off is 57 marks in the entrance exam. Those with the minimum marks can take part in the GM counselling to be held on November 22, 2014, added Parthasarathy. Those with lower scores can take part in the second round, which will be announced based on seats remaining after the first round.


Source : The New Indian Express , 22nd  Nov 2014

Blind Cricket World Cup: Indian team’s training camp ends in Odisha’s Cuttack city tomorrow

The three-week preparatory camp of the Indian Blind Cricket Team in at Barabati stadium in Odisha’s Cuttack city for the 4^th ODI Blind Cricket World Cup scheduled to begin in South Africa from November 25, will conclude tomorrow.

The team will leave for New Delhi in the evening from where it will leave for Cape Town in South Africa.

The 17-member team, to be led by Shekhar Naik of Karnataka, will be accompanied by coach Patrick Rajkumar along with two other supporting staffs.

Mohd Jafar is the only player from Odisha who has found place in the team.

The Indian team, which arrived at Cuttack on November 1, had several practice sessions at Ravenshaw University Ground apart from fitness and yoga sessions at Barabati stadium.

It may be mentioned that the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), a sports initiative of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, has been promoting cricket for the blind in the country over the years since its inception.

Samarthanam’s efforts were formalized by establishing the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) in February 2011 which had organized the first T20 World Cup for the Blind in Bengaluru in 2012 which was a huge success.


Source : Odhisa Sunday Times , 19th Nov 2014

A 3-D, Talking Map for the Blind (and Everyone Else)

These maps are made for talking. And touching. And they’re beautiful, too.


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Touch-responsive maps bring interactive way finding to a new level, providing independence to the visually impaired

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When a building is touched on the Perkins School map, its name and a spotlight are displayed for sighted individuals. The same content is spoken aloud for blind or visually impaired individuals.

In partnership with Touch Graphics Inc., developers at the University at Buffalo’s Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA Center) have built and tested a new kind of interactive wayfinder: 3-D maps that vocalize building information and directions when touched.

The technology is designed with an important mission in mind: to help visually impaired visitors navigate public spaces like museums and college campuses.

“It’s really about giving this audience, this population, a way to understand their environment,” says IDeA Center researcher Heamchand Subryan, who led the project with IDeA Center Director Edward Steinfeld, ArchD, and Touch Graphics President Steve Landau. “We’re providing a level of information that allows them to navigate their environment easily, without help, which gives them a sense of independence.”

The latest installation, at Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts, uses conductive paint on miniature buildings to sense pressure from a visitor’s fingers.

As guests explore the model with their hands, the map announces building names and directions for getting to destinations. A menu controlled by just three buttons lets users browse a verbal index of all points of interest.

Sound effects embedded in the landscape serve as auditory landmarks for people who are visually impaired: A fountain gurgles when tapped, and a bell tower chimes.

“The touch-responsive models solve the ‘last mile’ problem for blind pedestrians, who can often navigate to a building or campus address using GPS, but then need help to get to the classroom building or doctor’s office where they need to be,” Landau says.

Though the technology was designed for people with visual impairments, the multisensory models make wayfinding a better experience for everyone.

A projector above the Perkins installation shines a spotlight on buildings when they’re touched, casting a beautiful light over the ornate, three-dimensional landscape. A new model under development for the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia will also be visually stunning, with a video screen glowing through a translucent base, illuminating the models of each building on campus from below.

And unlike the vertical maps found at many museums and shopping malls, the models are horizontal, allowing users to experience the world as they would in real life.

In addition to the one at Perkins, prototypes have been placed in the last few years at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Massachusetts and the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, where the model shows a two-story building’s floor plan.

All three projects employ universal design, which aims to produce buildings, spaces and products accessible to all people instead of individual segments of the population.

It’s a specialty of the IDeA Center, which is part of UB’s School of Architecture and Planning.

The center helped develop the touch-responsive maps and test their usability through the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design in the Built Environment, a partnership between UB and the University of Toronto. The RERC is funded by a $4.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

In addition to Steinfeld, Subryan and Landau, the development team for the maps included Nicole Rittenour and Zach Eveland, both of Touch Graphics Inc.



For more information on the maps, visit https://segd.org/interactive-wayfinding-visually-impaired.  

Source : News Wise , 19th Nov 2014

First Asian T-20 Cricket Cup for Deaf and Dumb commences in Dharamsala

Differently- abled cricketers showcased their talent on the cricket grounds of Dharamsala, at the maiden three-day Asian T-20 Cricket Cup for Deaf and Dumb.

The tournament has been organised by the Delhi Deaf and Dumb Cricket Society where teams from Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India are set to battle it out on the fields of the International Dharamsala Cricket Stadium.

The tournament, which started on Thursday, will go on till November 23.

Spokesperson of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), Sanjay Sharma, said that the organisation aimed to make the game available to all sections of society.

"Our effort is to propagate cricket in every part of the society. This tournament for deaf and dumb players especially is creating an atmosphere in the country for these sort of tournaments. We want to make a contribution to that section of society through this game, like we do for other sections," Sharma said.

Cricketers from the five south Asian countries were delighted to be able to play as they try hard to win.

"We are very happy to participate in this game. We have participated before. This is the first time it is Nepal versus Sri Lanka, it is good. We didn't have much practice but we are very busy now. We are trying to play good," said a Nepalese cricketer, Uday Bahadur.

 

India is a cricket crazy nation where other sports often take a back seat.



Source : Business Standard , 22nd Nov 2014

A new software that could help the deaf 'hear' - London

Now, even a deaf person can listen to sounds coming through via Wi-Fi signals, thanks to a new software being developed by London-based science writer Frank Swain.

 

The software called Phantom Terrains works with iPhones and hearing aids to turn local Wi-Fi signals into audible soundscapes.

"Unlike glasses, which simply bring the world into focus, digital hearing aids strive to recreate the soundscape, amplifying useful sound and suppressing noise," Swain said.

The system uses the iPhone's Wi-Fi sensors to analyse data from nearby fields.

The data is then decoded and turned into sound patterns that are wirelessly transmitted to Swain's customised hearing aids.

So long as one has his iPhone in his pocket, it is possible to create a kind of aural map blended in with the normal output of the hearing aids.

Frank Swain, 32, worked with sound artist Daniel Jones to create the software.

 

The findings were reported in the journal New Scientist.



Source : IANS Live , 17th Nov 2014