General

Boosting self-confidence of visually challenged

Devnar School for the Blind in Begumpet in Hyderabad has been a beacon of hope for the visually challenged for almost two and a half decades. Started by ophthalmologist Saibaba Goud, the school has been offering free education for the visually challenged, giving them the much-needed confidence to become productive and face the outside world. The school, which offers classes from lower kindergarten to 12th standard in English medium, is unique as admissions are open throughout the year.

First hand computer training for visually challenged

Trichy: Jegajothi Readers Club, in association with Humanitty club of National Institute of Technology-Trichy (NIT), launched a five-day training programme on computer expertise for the visually challenged here on Tuesday
Aimed at bridging the gap between the visually impaired by means of computer, the five day programme is expected to impart technical hnads-on knowledge to the camp attendees. On the first day, sixty students were given orientation classes on softwares, in a bid to enable them to use computers for acquiring knowledge.

FIRST ONGC PARA GAMES CONCLUDE

The first edition of the three-day ONGC Para Games, an HR initiative for the specially abled employees, has evoked considerable enthusiasm among the 120 participants, out of which 20 were lady sports enthusiasts. Speaking on the occasion, ONGC HR director DD Misra said, “The philosophy behind conducting the ONGC Para Games is to provide similar sporting avenues to specially abled employees that the regular employees enjoy”.

TRAI begins discussions on making ICT accessible for disabled

Telecom regulator TRAI began a dialogue on making ICT accessible for the disabled,
saying more policy interventions are needed in this area where benefits of technology have not been fully realised.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), releasing its latest consultation paper on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), has also sought industry views on whether handset makers should be mandated to manufacture at least one model for the disabled with assistant technology features such as hearing, visual aids and emergency buttons.

Visually impaired Kannada prof receives doctorate from BU

Bengaluru: Disability is not a reason to give up on life, but a weapon one can use to prove that nothing is impossible. Nagashetty, 37, swears by this motto. Born blind in one eye and losing sight in the other when he was 15 years old, the gritty professor is probably the first visually impaired candidate to receive a doctorate from Bangalore University.

DDA demolishes hostel for blind, 20 students left in the cold, open

Occupants of a hostel for visually impaired students in Janakpuri’s Virender Nagar have been sleeping in the open for almost a week now, after the DDA demolished their hostel on December 15. The hostel, Louis Welfare Progressive Association of the Blind, has been running for the last 17 years. Around 20 people, mostly students of Delhi University or the nearby Sarvodaya school, stay there.

Marsha de Cordova: The government shouldn’t blame disabled people for its failings

Afew weeks ago, Labour’s shadow disabilities minister needed to give a parliamentary response to the government’s proposals for its new work and health programme. But the MP in question, Marsha de Cordova, couldn’t read it. This MP for Battersea in south London is registered blind and needs all documents in large print.

Facebook's new face recognition service uses AI to help blind users know who is in the photos in their feeds

When Matt King first got on Facebook eight years ago, the blind engineer had to weigh whether it was worth spending an entire Saturday morning checking whether a friend of his was actually in his friend list. Such were the tools at the time for the visually impaired — almost nonexistent.
Today, thanks to text-to-audio software, it just takes a few seconds for him to accomplish the same task. And because of a new face recognition service the social network is rolling out Tuesday, he can now learn which friends are in photos, even those who haven’t been tagged by another user.

SC push to public access for disabled persons

The Supreme Court has come out with a series of directions to ensure that public infrastructure is accessible to differently-abled persons and ordered that the June 2019 deadline set by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 to make all government buildings providing public services made fully accessible to them be strictly adhered to.

Japan to donate Braille Printers for Blind Students

KATHMANU — Ambassador of Japan to Nepal Masashi Ogawa signed a grant contract to provide Braille printers and ancillary equipment to the Nepal Association for the Welfare of the Blind (NAWB) here today. The contract was signed between the Embassy of Japan and the Chairman of NAWB Kumar Thapa.