General

HC seeks railway report on facilities for disabled

Underground lifts, ramps, platforms thathave wheel chair access, toilets for the disabled—this is the Bombayhigh court’s vision to make railway platforms disabled friendly. TheHC on Thursday sought a report on the facilities for disabled atrailway platforms in Mumbai. Hearing a public interest litigation onthe lack of such facilities, a division bench of Chief JusticeSwatanter Kumar and Justice V M Kanade asked lawyers Mihir Desai andSuresh Kumar to visit Mumbai Central station for verifying the groundreality at railway platforms.

Blind Egyptian musicians inspire Canberra audiences

A group of blind Egyptian female musicians has wowed audiences in Canberra, proving it is possible to achieve dreams despite having a disability.

The Al Nour Wal Amal Chamber Orchestra performed in Canberra last night as part of the National Multicultural Festival.

It is the only orchestra in the world made up entirely of blind women and is their first visit to Australia.

Conductors have developed special techniques to enable the girls to perform as an orchestra without the need to read the notes during a performance and without the conductor's baton.

Operation Eyesight Universal to spend 4 mn in India

Operation Eyesight Universal(OEU), a Canada based International Developmentorganisation dedicated to eliminate avoidable blindness, has plans to spend fourmillion dollars in

Don't touch the art? Louvre exhibit lets visitors break the rules

Ex-All Black steps up to fight blindness in Pacific

Weeks after losing their long-time patron Sir Edmund Hillary, the Fred Hollows Foundation has launched its annual fundraising appeal with an All Black great stepping up to front it.

This year, Michael Jones fronts the campaign to raise money to fight blindness in the Pacific.

Jones presented the inaugural Sir Edmund Hillary Pacific Eye Scholarship in a ceremony in Auckland today as part of the official launch.

Sharq Village & Spa adopts Al Noor Institute for the Blind

The Sharq Village & Spa, operated by the Ritz-Carlton Company, has adopted Al Noor Institute for the Blind.

The company said the move is a part of its efforts in fulfilling its corporate responsibility. With this decision, the Sharq Village & Spa reasserted its tradition that extends into the hotel chain's social responsibility programme, Community Footprints, which inspires to positively impact the lives of others through community outreach and corporate giving.

Sense and sensibility

EAR TO THE GROUND

Pioneering Eye Surgery Network Receives 2008 Gates Award for Global Health

In recognition of its groundbreaking work to prevent debilitating blindness and provide affordable, world-class eye care to the poor, the Aravind Eye Care System, based in Tamil Nadu, India, has won the 2008 Gates Award for Global Health. The 1 million Gates Award—the world's largest prize for international health—honors extraordinary efforts to improve health in developing countries. Founded by Dr. G. Venkataswamy in 1976, Aravind has saved millions of people in India from debilitating blindness.

Helping blocks for handicap

The visually-challenged commuters travelling on Western Railway (WR)will soon find it easy to locate compartment meant for handicaps, asthe administration has decided to fix special chequered blocks on allthe platforms. Earlier,platforms had no indications for the visually challenged to reach thehandicaps’ compartment. Many visually challenged people would countpoles at railway platforms to find their way.

Exhibit on blindness lets you see ... nothing

If you were blind, couldyou navigate your way around a busy city street or distinguish betweena 1 bill and a 50 bill if you were trying to buy a beer at a bar?

These are some of the challenges visitors will face at a20,000-square-foot interactive exhibition coming to Atlantic Stationthis summer.