General

Trolley Run draws visually impaired runners to support therapy and raise awareness

Aaron Scheidies wasn’t going after any records Sunday morning at the 26th annual Sabates Eye Centers Trolley Run. Scheidies had just come off the Boston Marathon and wanted to take it easy on his legs, even though the Trolley Run is just 4 miles long.

Photos by Susan Pfannmuller | Special to The Star Severally visually impaired runners competed with the aid of guides in Sunday’s Trolley Run. Among them were Lex Gillette (right) of San Diego and guide Brighyan Clifton of Kansas City, and Markeith Price (back right) of San Diego and guide Ryan Ortiz of Colorado Springs.

Android and iOS apps to help visually impaired find venues, people nearby

For the visually impaired, navigating through neighborhoods can be a struggle, but apps aim to shed light on places, people, and obstacles that lie in their paths.

There are 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, about 39 million of whom are blind, according to the World Health Organization.

Guide Dots, a free app for Android, detects a person’s location and uses audio voice-overs to announce nearby attractions, including restaurants, shops – and even friends.

Exhibition focuses on visually impaired

A unique exhibition is underway at a human rights educational facility in Tokyo focusing on how to guarantee the “right to read” of people with visual impairments.

The around 100 items on display at the Tokyo Metropolitan Human Rights Promotion Center include embossed art and picture books as well as braille maps of Tokyo Disneyland.

'Raman Effect' to Inspire Youngsters to Overcome Visual Impairment

Only 38% disabled certified, belying parties' tall talk

There is no dearth of promises for the disabled in the manifestos of both the Congress and BJP. But if the data on the proportion of the disabled who have been issued disability certificates is any indication, they need all the help they can get — starting with the basics. A mere 38% of those identified as disabled in Census 2011 have been issued certificates, the basic document needed to access everything — from education and healthcare to job reservation and all manner of welfare schemes.

EC Hype on Diffabled Just That

Diff-Abled Raring to Vote, but Ramps Raise Concerns

Poll official shifted for acting arbitrarily

A Polling officer at Kovilpathu Municipal elementary school in Nagapattinam district was shifted from duty following a complaint by a political party that he cast votes of visually impaired people against their preference, officials said.

Rajendran was shifted on a complaint from Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi that the officer, under the guise of helping the visually impaired, cast the votes to a particular candidate and not the one preferred by the voters.

Aother officer was posted in his place, they said.

Disabilities of our democracy

When an electoral system structurally discriminates against particular categories such as persons with disabilities, it is tantamount to a failure of the democracy as a whole.

The citizens of India are in the process of casting their votes in what is being widely hailed as the largest election in human history. By sheer size, the 16th Lok Sabha elections signal a triumph not only for India, but for democratic exercises around the world.

China offers college entrance exam in Braille

Chinese students will be able to sit for the college entrance exam in Braille, the ministry of education has announced.

Human Rights Watch described this week’s directive as an important breakthrough after years of campaigning by disability rights advocates in China, where educational and employment discrimnation are rife.

While a few blind students have studied at university, the vast majority have been effectively barred from higher education because there was no provision for them.