Tiffany Maria Brar, is one of the speakers scheduled to deliver a motivational speech at a seminar for visually challenged persons. Much before the commencement of the programme, a sprightly young woman in her mid-twenties is present at the venue. She is greeted by the organisers and led to her seat. She came on her own. Though she is visually-challenged by birth, lone trips in a public transport bus are not new to her. From the bus station, she flips to places where she has to go.

India has become the first country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for the visually impaired. The treaty requires signatories to adopt national law provisions that facilitate the availability of published works in formats like Braille that are accessible to the blind and allow their exchange across borders by organisations working for the visually impaired. The Indian Copyright Act, 1957, did not have any provision for the conversion and distribution of books in accessible formats for such persons.

The Delhi High Court today reserved its order on a plea seeking directions to government bodies to implement the orders of the apex court to provide three percent quota in jobs to differently-abled persons.
A bench of chief justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw concluded the hearing on the petitions filed by the NGO, National Federation of The Blind, which accused the Centre of not providing legitimate employment rights to differently- abled persons.
 

THE gentlemen at the Arrunga Community Men’s Shed in Ermington do an extraordinary job of fixing and creating, but their latest job is one with a difference.
 
They are modifying a table-tennis table so that it can be used by blind and vision-impaired people for their own version of table-tennis called swish.
 
Swish also allows vision-impaired and sighted people to play on almost equal terms.
 
A swish table is about 60cm longer than a regular table-tennis table and the net is actually a wall.
 

 Imagine feeling a slimy jellyfish, a prickly cactus or map directions on your iPad mini Retina display, because that’s where tactile technology is headed. But you’ll need more than just an index finger to feel your way around.
 

 
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre and others on a PIL seeking quashing of an examination notice of UPSC for the upcoming Civil Services Examination on the ground of non-compliance of 1% quota for visually impaired applicants.
The bench headed by Chief Justice G Rohini also sought responses within four weeks from the Union Public Service Commission and Department of Perso nnel and Training on the petition filed by NGO Sambhavana, which works for disabled persons.

 
An e-book for children with visual impairments is soon to be available at Apple’s iBook store as a free download on your iPad.
 
Are novels a waste of time in today’s data-driven world?
■ Reading into religion with Alexis York Lumbard’s Islamic children’s books
 
Titled Reach for the Stars: Touch, Look, Listen, Learn, the e-book is inspired by a new Hubble Space
 
Telescope image of the colourful 30 Doradus Nebula – a giant star-forming region.