Mobile software makes e-mails and word documents speak
Downloadable software that can read emails and Word documents aloud from mobile devices has been launched by the Irish company Magnetic Time.
What’s New
Poetic license
Access India; January 16, 2006
Sound recordings of a wide range of English language poems read by their authors have been compiled into an archive by a charity co-founded by UK Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. The Poetry Online Archive contains recordings from as early as 1932.
The Poetry Archive is the world's premier online collection of recordings of poets reading their work. The Children’s Poetry Archive is full of poems chosen specially for children. Meet old favourites and make new discoveries for children in this section.
Blind man envisions green future
www.hindustan.net/article513.html
Hindustan Network; January 4, 2006
Over the last 12 years, a blind man, Srinibas Jena of Bhagipur village in the coastal district of Cuttack, has turned a 5-kilometre stretch of barren land to lush greenery.
India’s first blind television newscaster shows the way to success
A.N.I.
Nagpur; January 11, 2006
A gifted but determined blind girl in Nagpur may never see what appears on the television screen, but she has become India's first blind television newscaster and is now looking forward to scaling new heights. Amrita reads her news scripts in Braille.
At 21, Amruta Bhople is a television newscaster with B.C.N., a local news channel in Nagpur. The channel had organised auditions for newsreaders to which Amruta, a gold medallist in English literature, went with trepidation.
School Board allows computer and braille keyboards in exams
India Abroad News Service; New Delhi; December 1, 2005
Children with disability will now have a better chance to secure fair marks in the 10th and 12th standard class, thanks to the decision taken by the Council of the Indian School Certificate Examinations (C.I.S.C.E.). The council has decided to allow disabled children under the I.C.S.E. to use computers and Braille keyboards in examinations with immediate effect.
Bus stand for disabled persons in Hauz Khas soon
Neeraj Chauhan; www.dailypioneer.com;
New Delhi; January 17, 2006
The chairman of the Delhi Transport Corporation (D.T.C.), A. Mazumdar, has approved the first ever bus stand meant especially for disabled passengers in India at the Hauz Khas bus terminal in Delhi.
Disability Manual 2005
It is a huge task to try and cater to “lawyers, N.G.O.s, academics, human rights activists and the general public” as the National Human Rights Commission (N.H.R.C.) wants to, in its Disability Manual 2005. For a lawyers’ handbook, it may be enough to include legislation and case law, academics may prefer critical analysis, and activists may need practical examples from real life. The Disability Manual works best as the first, with faint swings at the other targets.
A lifetime of grace
She may have been born with very low vision, but REHMAT FAZALBHOY made the vision of integrated education a reality in this country, finds out Laiq Qureshi
Rehmat Fazalbhoy looks frail and small in her bed at Masina Hospital, Mumbai, which has been her abode for the past five months due to spinal problems. Yet she looks refreshingly happy and begins, "It's been a beautiful and a satisfying life. I have been fortunate because what appeared to be a slap on the face turned into a lifetime of grace."
A bittersweet education
In each issue of beyond the I, this column presents a first hand account of a visually-impaired person's experiences in the realworld. In this issue, Anand Sharma recounts some problems he faced during his college-going years
At the risk of stating the obvious, let me say that the educational system in the country is grossly ill-equipped to handle the educational needs of blind or visually impaired children. I have many bitter-sweet memories, some of which I would like to share with you.
Making silences speak
Saksham has taken the lead in audio describing films for blind viewers in India.
Sucheta Narang writes about the initiative
Like most Indians, persons with blindness or low-vision also watch movies. However, a lot of the story and crucial information in the movie is provided through facial expressions, costumes, ambience, environment and body language. Most such information is lost to persons with blindness; or at best perceived by guesswork based on audio clues.
The path to accessible cities
Built environments are a result of conscious, meditated effort on the part of architects, designers, engineers and the people who fund the structures. If we say that our cities are planned, then the problems faced by visually impaired people are also planned. What will it take to make our cities accessible to visually impaired persons? Salil Chaturvedi explores
Fourth VISTA Conference
Location: Bonn, Germany
Date: May 6, 2006 to May 7, 2006
Organised by: International Paralympic Committe
Assistive technology fair displays portable electronic Braille display
Carlos Bergfeld; Texas Tech Daily Net; Texas, USA
The world's first portable electronic Braille display is small enough to fit in a pocket and can even be rolled up like a newspaper. The display consists of a sheet of tiny plastic paddles that bend in response to a voltage. It is designed to connect to a cell phone or laptop, and could also replace the liquid crystal screen of an ordinary personal digital assistant (P.D.A.).
Motorola phone gets accessible features
home.businesswire.com; Atlanta, U.S.A
Southern LINC Wireless, an Atlanta-based company, announced that it is offering ‘Enhancements for the Visually Impaired’ (E.V.I.) software for Motorola's i355 phone.
Pocket-P.C. screen reader launched
www.fonix.com; Salt Lake City, U.S.A.
The Fonix Speech Group, an operating division of Fonix Corporation, announced the availability of Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech on screen reading software by Code Factory, a major producer of assistive software for handheld devices in the European and Asian markets.
Legally blind chefs display culinary skills
Ivette M.; www.sun-sentinel.com; Florida, U.S.A.
A cookery show being aired on television in the U.S.A., ‘Cooking Without Looking’, gives cooking tips and safety measures in the kitchen to blind and visually impaired people. Legally blind chef Mr. Ken Lexer of Boynton Beach, Florida, recently displayed his culinary skills in the show.
Global Vision Care Curriculum’ launched on World Sight Day
www.prnewswire.com; Washington, U.S.A.
As part of World Sight Day celebrations, Special Olympics and Lions Clubs International launched a ‘Global Vision Care Curriculum’ in Hyderabad, India. The curriculum presents state-of-the-art science and clinical practice guidelines for quality diagnostic and vision care services for people with intellectual disabilities, who do not receive regular or appropriate vision care.
Visually impaired people gather for a fishing tournament
www.obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com; North Carolina, U.S.A.
The 2005 North Carolina-Lions ‘V.I.P. Fishing Tournament', an annual event for visually impaired enthusiasts in the U.S.A., attracted over 520 people representing 76 North Carolina counties. This was the event’s 21st year.
One volunteer had been assigned to three participants, to place the worm on the hook and remove the fish caught.
Sight Savers launches campaign to save Bangladeshi children from cataract
In a campaign launched to mark World Sight Day, Sight Savers International, a U.K.-based charity, aims to track down and save Bangladeshi children in need of cataract surgery.
Since last year, Sight Savers' activities have saved 2,500 children from blindness. The procedure includes two surgeries: one to remove the cataract and a second to implant an intra-ocular lens (I.O.L).
Crusader aims to erase blindness in Andhra Pradesh
www.indiamonitor.com; Andhra Pradesh
A biologist turned philanthropist, Mr. Chandrasekhar Sankurathri is working to erase blindness among the poor and rural communities of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. He strongly believes that most cases of blindness can be cured with proper treatment.
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