The visually impaired in Odisha will welcome the New Year with a new calendar for 2020 like all others.

Braille calendars with Odia information from the Odia almanac that were printed by the Red Cross Computerised Braille Press of Berhampur for free distribution have already reached most institutions in the State. Due to the efforts of Bijay Kumar Rath, a visually impaired social activist, who served as the manager of this Braille press in the past, printing and free distribution of Braille calendars in Odia language was started in 1992.

Users of 'MANI' app will have to scan the notes using the camera, it said adding that the audio output to give our results will be in Hindi and English.

MUMBAI: With an eye to aid the differently-abled, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday launched a mobile app to identify currency notes. The visually challenged can identify the denomination of a note by using the application, which can also work offline once it is installed, the central bank said.

The idea of making a special glass came to the teenager’s mind when he saw visually-impaired people of his village wear dark glasses, but it did not help them.

A class 8 student of a school in Odisha has designed special glasses for visually and hearing impaired that can give out signals or beeps when an object of any kind is in the vicinity.

At Bengaluru’s Jyothi Seva Home for Blind Children, a particular second grader was once addicted to something that appeared like a gaming device. Despite getting repeatedly reprimanded from his teachers, the child would try getting his hands on the device as much as possible, even if that meant skipping his snack time. Sounds like the story of another gaming addicted boy perhaps? Yes and No. The device had been purposely allotted to the child by the school as it helped him learn Braille on his own through games and other fun activities.

2019 was a year of highs and lows for the disability sector in India. From the first deaf candidate to contest the Lok Sabha elections to accessibility in elections getting a major push, there was a lot to celebrate. There were heartbreaks too. RPWD Act guidelines remain on paper in many ways. So do the deadlines set under the Accessible India Campaign. In NewzHook’s final #StoryOfTheWeek for 2019 we pass the hat around and ask people from the disability sector their highlights for 2019 and the one big wish for 2020.

P Narahari is Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Public Relations Department and Managing Director, Madhyam, in the Madhya Pradesh government. 43-year-old Narahari has won over 40 awards, many of them honouring his efforts to build a barrier-free environment. He truly represents the #PowerOfOne.