General

Government schemes blind to visually challenged: Study

The study focused on implementation of the two nationwide government schemes –The National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)—in eight states and found even the tentative efforts to include the blind in them were distorted.

The study covered two states from each region, one each for NHFDC and MNREGS programmes. While Punjab, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Karnataka were probed for the MGNREGS, the NHFDC implementation was looked into in Haryana, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu.

Taiwan-designed bowl for visually impaired wins iF design award

The award-winning Heat Conduction Bowl designed by Taiwanese student Tai Kuang-chin. (Photo courtesy of National Cheng Kung University News Center)

A "smart" bowl designed for the visually impaired by a PhD student at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan, has won the prestigious German iF concept design award 2012, the university said in a press release Tuesday.

A cafe for the differently-abled

Saturday saw the opening of the city’s first hangout for differently-abled youth, Kalakkal Cafe, on the Vidya Sagar campus in Kotturpuram, a prime locality.

�� Anuradha Shankaran, a teacher at Vidya Sagar, says, “The menus are in braille language for the visually-challenged, text for those who can read and just pictures for those who cannot read. The place is accessible to wheelchairs, and has tactile walls, bathrooms and eating aids.”

Stray dogs in Jawaharlal Nehru University: Visually challenged on hunger strike

Fed up with the rising number of dog bites and the alleged mishandling of situation by the administration , visually challenged students of Jawaharlal Nehru University have threatened to go on a hunger strike from Wednesday night.

Outfit of disabled mulls national front

o battle out the routine discrimination being meted out to the disabled, a conference organised by the Able Disabled All People Together (Adapt) discussed forming of a national front for the differently-abled.

Disabled people with traumatic experiences in rural as well as city slums along with activists attended the conference at Bandra on Wednesday to suggest that a front like Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO) would better address their concerns.

How Some Banks Are Unknowingly Punishing Blind Customers

Phill Fernandes, a member of our Gnomies community and a visually impaired geek in his own right, recently brought a story to my attention involving his banking institution and how it has made his life more difficult.

We depend on companies we work with to cater to our needs to its best ability. Banks are where we keep our money, our precious possessions, and in some cases our trust to adhere to agreements involving our vehicles and homes. In recent years, the banking world has undergone a considerable amount of scrutiny for how they handle funds and determine risk for loans.

Impairment didn’t hinder his achievement

Visually impaired by birth, he was inclined towards music from his nascent days. He not only practiced it, but also went on to give concerts both in India and abroad.

Now, he has a Ph D in music for his research on the subject- Recent development in Karnatak classical music, under the guidance of renowned violinist Mysore M Manjunath.

Program teaches tennis to blind Fremont students

The foam ball sailed over the net, rattling as it bounced. Robin Patche quickly adjusted her feet and returned it with a smooth backhand, drawing praise from the sidelines.

"Robin, nice turnaround," called out Mary Alice Ross, an adapted physical education teacher at the California School for the Blind, then adding to a bystander, "She got really good really quickly."

Ex-Army Major is the first disabled Indian at UNICEF

Major Gopal Mitra (41) may desire to borrow vision for few moments to salute the Indian tricolour flying high at the UNICEF headquarters in New York on his first day of a new job tomorrow. A former Indian Army officer, Mitra is the first disabled person from India to be appointed at the headquarters of a major UN agency.

Donations for the visually impaired collected

The Social Welfare Society at the Commecs Institute of Business and Emerging Sciences (CIBES) organised an event for collecting donations for the disabled, at their Share Faisal campus. The affair was held in collaboration with the Pakistan Association of the Blind, on Sunday.