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India now has school for guide dogs for the blind

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 17:08 -- admin

Eyeway News Service; June 17, 2005

There is good news for people with blindness and visual impairments. Nitin Sule, a veteran psychologist with 10 years of working in the field of HIV and two years in the field of visual impairment, has started ‘Drushti Guide Dog School for Blind’. Supported by an able staff, Mr Sule can train up to 20 dogs at a time. The recipients are selected from a list of registrants. Over the next one year, Sule plans to expand his infrastructure so that 60 dogs can be trained at a time.

Climb every mountain

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 17:07 -- admin

Mountaineer, Girl Guide, lawyer, social counsellor, negotiator, research scholar and human rights activist. Anjali Sen Gupta uncovers the many facets of Kanchan Gaba, who has been blind since childhood.

Disability sports loses a champion in Sunil Dutt

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 17:07 -- admin

Actor-filmmaker-activist-politician Sunil Dutt’s demise a week short of his 76th birthday has robbed the nation's cinema, public life and disability sports of a stellar personality.

In his death, disability sports has lost one of its most committed promoters. He was one of the first Ministers in India to take concrete steps for mainstreaming disability sports, even initiating dialogues with various organisations in his effort to see that gets disability sports its due. His absence is a major loss for disability, as also blind, sport in India.

Job Reservations for the blind

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 17:05 -- admin

It’s a tricky issue. Do job reservations compensate for the discrimination that people with visual impairments face in the working world? Or do they simply lead to complacence and non-performance? Are incentives the way to go, or do they just promote a ‘charity culture’? Are visually impaired people not capable of succeeding on their own merits? Anu Bhambhani explores the many facets of this complex issue.

By George

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 17:04 -- admin

A person’s capability to work is not dependant on his ability to see. If he cannot see, it does not automatically follow that he cannot excel at what he does.

Take Ved Mehta, for instance, or David Blunkett. The former is a successful Indian author; the latter was England’s Home Secretary. Both are visually impaired. It is important for us to note that it is the mind that drives a person to higher levels of performance.

Unite for Sight brings gift of sight around the world

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:23 -- admin

Sybil Blau, News-Times Correspondent

Jennifer Staple has personality and smarts, but also focussed determination and a desire to help people. She's used both attributes as president and CEO of Unite for Sight, an organisation advocating eye care and eye care education, that she founded in 2001 when she was a student at Yale University in the United States.

Scientists regenerate damaged optic nerve

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:23 -- admin

Health India; Washington, February 24, 2005

Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute in the United States have regenerated a damaged optic nerve from the eye to the brain, sparking hope for sufferers of glaucoma and spinal cord injuries. This achievement, which occurred in laboratory mice and is described in the March 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of Cell Science, holds great promise for victims of diseases that destroy the optic nerve, and for sufferers of central nervous system injuries.

Drug to combat blindness in the elderly under development

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:21 -- admin

Reuters, January 20, 2005

A private biotechnology company called Angiosyn, Inc., in the United States, is developing a drug for macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. So far the drug has only been tested in animals.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had, in December 2004, approved a drug for the more severe form of macular degeneration that was developed by Pfizer (which is in talks to acquire Angiosyn). Analysts estimate the drug, Macugen, could eventually generate more than $1 billion a year.

Visually-impaired entrepreneur benefits from mentoring scheme

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:20 -- admin

Sunil Kumar; February 2005

A partially blind woman has been one of the success stories of a special mentoring scheme developed by an NGO for small entrepreneurs. Providing not only the monetary impetus but a crucial support structure as well, the Bhartiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), an NGO headed by Rahul Bajaj, CMD of Bajaj Auto, gives loans of up to Rs 50,000 for starting a business and also provides a mentor to advise young entrepreneurs.

Last book of Ved Mehta’s memoir cycle released

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:19 -- admin

Aravind Adiga, Time Asia magazine; February 14, 2005

The heavyweight champion of memoir writing is still Indian-born Ved Mehta. Back in 1972, long before memoirs became hip, the 38-year-old Mehta, who had already authored an autobiography in his 20s, got down to composing his memoirs in earnest. Thirty-two years and 11 books later, he has just ended his tale.

Indo-Pak Petro Cup concludes

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:17 -- admin

Cricket lovers were in for a treat recently when, close on the heels of the India and Pakistan national XI clash, came the Petro Cup.

Organised from April 28 to May 5, the World Cup for the Blind saw exciting action on the field. Accurate bowling, tight fielding, good run-making, cheering crowds – all made for a thrilling series.

Five matches were organised; the venues were: Jamia Milia Islamia on April 28 and 30; Modern School on May 2; Shaheed Bhagat Singh College on May 4; and, D.A.V. College in Srinivaspuri on May 5.

Exhibition on visually impaired wraps up in Delhi

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:16 -- admin

Visually impaired people were the subject matter of Delhi-based photographer Sipra Das’ first solo exhibition, called ‘Third Eye’. Held at the Lalit Kala Akademi from May 7 to 13, the exhibition had 50 pictures depicting various aspects of the life of persons with blindness and visual impairment.

The show was inaugurated by nine-year-old visually impaired twins. Sipra was also keen that the subjects of her photographs be able to ‘see’ her work. So she has a book of the photographs prepared in Braille.

Guidelines to boost India's stem cell research

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:13 -- admin

India is framing plans for a national stem cell initiative to increase clinical applications of research, build links between scientists and doctors and prioritise areas for research funding. The plans, being drafted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (I.C.M.R.) and the Department of Biotechnology, include creating a fund to boost stem cell research, reports to the reputed science portal scidev.net.

Prime Minister orders 3 per cent reservation in IAS jobs for disabled persons

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 16:12 -- admin

n a move that will benefit disabled persons qualifying the Civil Services Examination, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has issued orders to reserve 3% of the IAS jobs in the 2005-06 exams for persons with disability.

As per the orders, three of the 85 posts for I.A.S. this year will now go to persons with disabilities such as low vision or blindness, hearing impairment and cerebral palsy, according to an official release.

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