General

City gets country’s first ‘talking ATM’ for differently-abled

Tarak Luhar, visually impaired since birth, was the first to withdraw money from the country’s first ‘Talking ATM’ installed by the Union Bank of India on Wednesday at the Blind People’s Association (BPA) premise in Vastrapur. The machine did the talking through the head phones and he would just run his fingers on the Braille keypad on the machine.
Bank chairman and managing director D Sarkar inaugurated the disabled-friendly machine with a view to assist the visually and physically challenged.

Rs. 30 lakh spent to renovate Planning Commission hq. toilets

A day after a Right to Information query revealed that the Planning Commission had splurged over Rs. 30 lakh on renovating toilets at its headquarters in Delhi, the Commission disputed that it was wasteful expenditure. The Commission said the amount was spent on a set of six “toilet blocks” with multiple seats and facilities for the differently-abled. It also described the renovation as “routine maintenance,” required in an old building having an antiquated plumbing system

Now, certificates for visually-impaired

A few months ago, when Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar handed over a certificate of participation to a visually impaired student on a study visit to Parliament, she faced an innocent but important question: “But how will I read this certificate?”

Kumar, a former Union minister for social justice and empowerment, took note of the situation.

Demand for rights for differently-abled

Stakeholders have opined that discriminatory attitude towards differently-abled people should be made positive as they also can perform equal to other persons if they were provided with opportunities and rights.
At a programme organised by Youth Support, speakers said that differently-abled persons' access to education and health should be increased.

RTI replies now available in Braille

The blind in the state can now get replies to their queries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in Braille, thanks to an initiative of the state information commission with the help of the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped.
State information commissioner K S Sripathi said the programme, being done for the first timein the country, "Is expected to help more than seven lakh visually challenged people in the state." He said, "We have taken up the initiative following various requests from visually challenged persons across the state."

A law that enables

The National Advisory Council's suggestions for strengthening the draft law on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (PWD) is a potentially far-reaching intervention. The step is in sync with the recent notification of a separate Department for Disabilities in the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which was announced in the President's 2012 address to Parliament. Ever since India ratified the United Nations Convention on the rights of PWDs in 2007, the formulation of a comprehensive law became imperative and these two developments suggest things are finally moving ahead.

Holding up the sky

“We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision.”–Helen Keller
A trauma counsellor, corporate trainer, writer, aerobics trainer, public speaker and director of Silver Linings Human Resource Solution Private Limited — all rolled into one, Preeti Monga’s achievements are inspirational for any youngster. Interestingly, that she lost her vision early in life could not deter Ms. Monga from living up to her dreams.

Delhi University's visually impaired girls brave odds on their own

Sonam Dikki Bhutia, a visually impaired English honours student at Delhi University's Daulat Ram College has learnt to draw on her inner reserves of strength to get to class every morning.
She negotiates potholes outside her hostel in Burari village on her way to the university more than 10 km away, a tough journey for her - with no help from the university. It has become a way of life for her.

Self Defence for Visually Impaired

A self-defence workshop for the visually impaired was held at H K College, Oshiwara, on Sunday. At least 24 visually challenged persons participated in the workshop conducted by Voice Vision, a computer training institute. Martial arts expert Pawan Sharma, along with five trainers and two doctors, taught the participants defence techniques that are a mix of karate, judo and aikido.

Visually impaired man killed in Bhagwatipara

A 40-year-old person suffering from night blindness was murdered in the city on Tuesday night when he tried to intervene in a scuffle near his house.
According to police, the deceased has been identified as Bharat Vishodiya, a resident of Bhagwatipara area. At around 10 pm on Tuesday, Vishodiya came out of his home after hearing about a fight. He thought his younger brother Dinesh was involved in the ruckus and went to inquire about it.