Selling with senses and sensibilities
n a welcome move towards inclusion, more and more advertising is now using blind characters as their central figures
What’s New
Tuning in to a revolution
A not-so-quiet revolution has been taking shape over recent years. Radio, once thought vanquished by the television and the Internet, has been making a powerful comeback. There are many shows aimed at visually impaired people that are creating waves amongst their chosen audience. Anand Vivek Taneja and Koyel Lahiri listen in to what’s happening
12th World Conference of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment
Location: Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
July 16, 2006 to July 21, 2006
Organised by the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (I.C.E.V.I.)
Campaign sets sights on ending avoidable blindness
Canada NewsWire; Calgary; June 8, 2006
Her Royal Highness, the Countess of Wessex, Sophie Rhys-Jones, launched a major fundraising campaign on June 8 in Calgary on behalf of Canada's Operation Eyesight, a leading international development agency dedicated to the prevention and treatment of blindness in the developing world.
Interactive platform seeks new members
David Riley; Daily News; U.S.A.
Friendly Circle for the Blind, a local group in the U.S.A. provides an interactive platform for its blind and sighted members. For more than 50 years, both visually impaired and sighted people have found friendship and a helping hand in the group. But the group's monthly gatherings could soon become thing of the past as it has only 10 members now.
Based in the U.S., the group was found in 1953 to offer blind people an outlet to get out of the house and meet people. It had nearly 100 members then.
Smart card authentication device for developed
Finextra, France
Banks can now provide their customers with visual disability a security solution for online banking services. In the era of online and telephone banking, there is a growing need for banks to remotely authenticate all customers during non-face-to-face transactions, including visually impaired customers.
Wireless Braille keyboard developed
Elhuyar Fundazioa; www.eurekalert.com; Spain
A wireless Braille keyboard with bluetooth technology will now put technology at the fingertips of users with visual disability.
Tourist brochures in Braille
Six welcome centres in Connecticut (in the U.S.A.) provide tourist brochures and welcome guides in Braille and in large prints. This initiative will help travellers with visual disabilities visiting the state. They can also get access to an audio version of the information brochure.
Exploring Egyptian civilization with Braille
www.english.alarabonline.org; Cairo (Egypt)
An Egyptian museum enables visitors with visual disability to explore historic treasures of the country through Braille. They are now able to feel the magic of history, thanks to a special new gallery which will let them discover by touch the historic treasures.
Machine offers legally blind view of world
Scott Malon; Reuters; Cambridge; posted online at
www.indianexpress.com; June 11, 2006
Ms. Elizabeth Godring, a legally blind poet at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) has designed a 'seeing machine' that allows people with limited vision to see faces of friends, or read and study the layouts of buildings they intend to visit.
Gujarat wins 13th blind cricket tournament
Maya Sharma and L. Subramani; www.NDTV.com; Bangalore; date?
Gujarat won the 13th 'National Cricket Tournament for the Blind' defeating Haryana in the finals at the Chinaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on March 5, 2006.
The tournament also became a platform to select best players for the national squad that will play the forthcoming cricket World Cup for the Blind to be held in South Africa in December 2006.
Blind director finds no takers for his film
Jyothi Venkatesh; Mid Day; Mumbai
Priyesh Jain (aged 33) did not let blindness affect his vision. With the completion of his 45-minute film, 'Roshni', he has arguably become the first blind person to direct a film.
'Roshni', which stars Anant Mahadevan and Reeta Bhaduri, is a plea for global peace, for a world free from nuclear bombs. Jain bases the film on a one-act Hindi play, 'Umeed', which he scripted and directed. "Roshni is a tribute to my parents who never made me feel inferior because of my visual disability," says Jain.
World chess meet
All India Chess Federation for the Blind, Goa
Goa will host the 11th 'World Chess Championship for the Blind', this year. Many Grand Masters and champions are expected to take part in the event.
The tournament will be inaugurated on October 9, 2006, and will end with the felicitation of winners on October 18, 2006. The rounds will be played every day from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The top eight games will be relayed on the website www.aicfb.org.
Auto rickshaws now safer for visually impaired travellers
Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar; The Hindu; New Delhi
Auto rickshaws in Delhi will have metal plates bearing the registration numbers in both Braille and embossed form on the sides. The step would enable blind passengers to lodge a complaint if the driver misbehaves or refuses to carry them and will also help friends and relatives track a particular auto.
Miranda House - Moving towards accessibility
The Hindu; New Delhi
Concerned about the lack of study material for students with visual disability, Miranda House is setting up the Amba Dalmia Resource Centre for Visually Challenged Students.
This centre will have computers with voice-enabled software like JAWS and Kurzweil. It will have networked computers with up-to-date technology to help students and will also house Braille books.
Miranda House - Moving towards accessibility
The Hindu; New Delhi
Concerned about the lack of study material for students with visual disability, Miranda House is setting up the Amba Dalmia Resource Centre for Visually Challenged Students.
This centre will have computers with voice-enabled software like JAWS and Kurzweil. It will have networked computers with up-to-date technology to help students and will also house Braille books.
Goa passes policy for disabled persons
Frankey Fernandes (NDTV); Panjim; June 9, 2006
The smallest state of India has taken a giant step towards equal rights for persons with disability. Goa will now ensure that they have equal and easy access to not just all buildings but also to transport facilities.
Hi-tech cane for blind people
www.newkerala.com and www.dnaindia.com; Delhi
'Smart cane', developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T.) in consultation with the National Association for the Blind, is a boon for the country's nine million visually impaired people. Besides easy commutation, it will also enable safe exit during an emergency.
New software for translating Braille into Devanagari
Infosys Education World (May 2006 Issue); www.educationworldonline.net
JAWS versus Window-Eyes
Today, computers have become more accessible due to the use of screen reading software. There is JAWS for Windows from Freedom Scientific, Window-Eyes from GW-Micro, and HAL from Dolphin systems. Of these three, JAWS and Window-Eyes are the two most popular products.
Pages
Facebook comments