General

Nothing special for students with special needs

Chandigarh, June 3

No less than an architectural marvel, Pierre Jeanneret’s chequerboard-style Panjab University has apparently failed its disabled students when it comes to accessibility.

The varsity’s buildings fail to comply with the ‘Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier-free built Environment for Persons with Disability and Elderly Persons’ as prescribed by the Ministry of Urban development in 2016. The guidelines include a 16-point Access Audit Checklist.

Helping the visually impaired ‘see’ art

Varsha’s voice bubbles with excitement as she shares her feelings about experiencing a painting for the first time. “I have seen a dog, swan, sun, moon, flowers and birds,” she says. A visually impaired person, she describes with glee everyday objects most of us take for granted.

At a little distance from her were about 20 paintings created with primary colours and scenes from nature but with tactile quality.

Pupils want to be heard in Senate

Chandigarh, June 3

More than 10 visually impaired and ambulatory disabled PwD students of the PU marched from the Chemistry Department canteen to the Vice-Chancellor office at the university here on today.

They shouted the slogans of inclusivity and demanded a representation in the newly formed committee for RPwD Act, Syndicate, Senate and other governing bodies of the PU.

Diabetic retinopathy: check the epidemic

Diabetes and diabetes-related complications are on the rise. India and China are global leaders having the highest number of people with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Diabetes, a multisystem disease, can affect small blood vessels (eye, kidney and nerves)and larger blood vessels in the body (heart and brain).

Saksham, on a mission to give sight to the blind

Bengaluru: India is home to the world’s largest visually impaired population at over 50 lakhs (according to the 2011 census). The country also tops the chart for the largest population of corneal blind in the world. Though many of these visually impaired people can be helped with vision, taboos surrounding organ donation has made the task herculean and left these disabled people behind.

Opinion| ICC World Cup and challenges for fans with visual disabilities

The long awaited 2019 Cricket World Cup has arrived. The Indians begin their campaign against South Africa on June 5 at The Rose Bowl, Southampton. As far as India is concerned, the World Cup is the biggest sporting event. Now that the Lok Sabha Election results have been announced, the focus of the nation will shift to cricket for the next month or so.

Online training in digital accessibility for visually impaired people opens doors to new job opportunities

The National Association for the Blind is organising online programmes on digital accessibility training for visually impaired people. This is important given the potential growth of job opportunities companies need people who can test websites and other digital mediums to ensure they are accessible for people with disabilities.

This visually-impaired student from Chhattisgarh scores big in 12th CBSE exam

R Prajapati, a visually-impaired student from Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur passed 12th CBSE examination with flying colours by scoring 82%. Prajapati achieved this feat by studying from Delhi Government’s school in Braille system. His achievement was also acknowledged by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and he got a congratulatory letter. “There were no facilities for me in our village so I asked my parents to find a school for me. I'm feeling happy, I'll continue studying further," he said. Prajapati aims to crack UPSC civil services exams.

Visually impaired med aspirant gets reprieve

Chennai: Madras high court directed the authorities to allot a medical seat to a minor student with more than 40 % visual impairment. The court pointed out that the notification issued by the Medical Council of India dated February 4, 2019 making persons with visual impairment of low vision and blindness equivalent to or more than 40 per cent ineligible to join the medical course, would operate prospectively and it cannot be given effect to retrospectively.

Smart suitcase, app to help blind people in airports.

Scientists have developed a smart suitcase that warns blind users of impending collisions and a smartphone app that can help people with visual disabilities to navigate airport terminals safely and independently.