How would you use your smartphone if your vision was impaired? Most of us have never had to consider this question, but, according to the World Heath Organisation, for an estimated 285 million people (more than the entire population of Indonesia) it’s a daily concern. With modern life pivoting around the use of electronic devices, accessibility for the visually impaired is a growing issue. A step forward came last week, when Google unveiled an on-screen Braille keyboard for Android.

BHAKKAR: Over 100 people are living in darkness in Basti Sohalan, a rural area of Bhakkar, as they suffer from a rare genetic disorder which blinds them as their age progresses.
The genetic disorder has no cure besides enrichment of the gene pool by marrying outside the village to prevent the blindness to take over the lives of the future generation, a local health expert revealed when contacted by The Express Tribune.

Guyana‘s latest victim of the Covid-19 has been identified Sydney Trellis called ‘Jacket’, a 49-year-old visually-impaired man from the Government Housing Scheme in Wismar, Region 10.
Trellis is recorded as the nation’s 7th Coronavirus fatality.

He passed away on Saturday night in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital, after about two weeks of undergoing treatment.Guyana’s latest COVID-19 victim: Sydney Trellis

Wearing a face mask is compulsory in Tamil Nadu but there are not enough quality masks available. Many cannot afford to buy them either. To ensure that vulnerable people are protected from the coronavirus, five disabled girls from Chennai’s Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust are making these masks as per globally approved benchmarks and distributing them to the poorer sections of society.

They may not fully understand what the COVID-19 or coronavirus means, but they are sensitive to the suffering it is causing and are doing their part to help out.

Our country is fighting the Novel Coronavirus and the government has instated a lockdown up to 3rd May as a fight against corona.  With the number of false information that is proliferating around the country, NewzHook team has taken the initiative to make important government advisories and notifications related to lockdown and coronavirus accessible for people with disabilities.

We recently sent new guidance to supermarkets asking them to prioritise blind and partially sighted customers in the current environment and we are also asking all shoppers to share a shorter version of the guide with their local and smaller shops.

Matt Stringer, RNIB’s chief executive, said: “We know it is vital to make shopping as accessible as possible – particularly in the current circumstances – so I’m pleased retailers are engaging with us.