General
Retinal diseases are one of the biggest causes of chronic blindness
NEW DELHI: The blind population in India is estimated to rise to 15 million by 2020. Retinal diseases account for a significant share of the vision loss burden, compared to other eye-related diseases that can cause blindness.
Of the various retinal disorders, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME) are two progressive diseases that cause loss of vision. AMD and DME can be effectively managed if patients are diagnosed in a timely manner.
Will ask visually challenged to examine new notes: HC
The Delhi High Court today said it would consider asking some visually impaired persons to examine the new currency notes and coins recently issued by the government to see if they faced problems differentiating between the various denominations.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar made the observation after the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) told the court the new currency has been introduced after consulting and taking into account ..
Visually impaired cricketer plods on
Member of world cup winning team is ignored by State government
No cash incentives or a civic reception for Mahender Vaishnav, the all rounder from Telangana who played in the team that won the 5th Blind Cricket World Cup. He rejoined duty two days after his arrival in Hyderabad from Sharjah.
A deputy manager in the State Bank of India Choutuppal branch, Mahender says he enjoys the success, but feels disappointed that the State government didn’t recognise his achievement.
Bonus for visually impaired: Cheap tactile graphics
NEW DELHI: Collaborative research by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and Indiana University of the US has helped develop cost-effective designs for tactile graphics. The research, conducted over three years, will help improve the life of visually impaired people. Tactile graphics, which are also known as raised line drawings, are a means of conveying non-textual information to people who are blind or visually impaired, and may include representations of pictures, maps, graphs and other images.
Kerala: Government Engineering College comes up with unique initiative to appreciate special talents
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Here’s a unique initiative by the students of Government Engineering College, Barton Hill. ‘Vaibhav’, a talent fest, will be held in April, for the special needs children. The event will be held simultaneously with the three-day techno-cultural festival ‘Aagneya’.
Climbing meet for visually impaired from March 27
Tribune News Service
Jammu, February 15
The Mountaineering Association of J&K is going to host the first National Sport Climbing Championship for visually challenged climbers on March 27 and 28 at Sprawling Buds School, Bantalab.
This was stated by chairman of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, North Zone Committee, S Bhattacharjee who was here to inspect the climbing infrastructure and other necessary allied facilities available at the venue for the conduct of the national competition.
Disabled people seek help with public transport
The Myanmar Independent Living Initiative (MILI), an organisation that advocates for the rights of disabled people, will submit a plan to the Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) on Thursday to install access ramps on all public transport.
The organisation will introduce a plan to install the access ramps for people with disabilities and elderly people on public buses and water taxis. It will also discuss the installation of sound systems for the blind, LED sign systems for the deaf, and removing all barriers to the disabled on public transport.
Government drops Gyan Prabha scheme for differently abled as many similar ones exist
NEW DELHI: The government has decided to discontinue the Gyan Prabha scheme that was meant for providing financial assistance to people with autism, cerebral palsy and mental retardation in pursuing educational courses.
Officials in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment told The New Indian Express that the government had decided to scrap the scheme because many similar schemes for the disabled existed. People with autism, cerebral palsy and other mental disabilities could avail government help under these existing schemes, they said.
Budget: Tokenism for disabled
Avinash Shahi
The latest budgetary promises for the diasabled may go the same way as the past ones. Remember `Accessible India’ and a National University for Disability Studies?
Avinash Shahi
Doctoral candidate, Centre for Law and Governance, JNU

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