Both Dorris Treber and Rev. Robert Hoffman of, Niles and South bend, respectively, were experiencing weird aches and pains in the jaws, shoulders, headache and a bulging, tender blood vessel in the forehead. But it wasn't until they developed vision problems and went to their eye doctors who diagnosed them with temporal arteritis, a dangerous inflammation of the arteries in the face which could lead to blindness.
A special Friendship Day car rally for the blind was organised at Bangalore on August 7, 2005. The visually challenged acted as navigators to sighted drivers. They were given a predetermined route map, printed in Braille. The route had 44 curves which were noted on the map.
The rally covered a 70-km route from Bangalore Central to Nandi Hills.
I.B.M. has launched new software that makes it easier for users – especially those with visual and motor impairments – to access and navigate the Web. The software will make it possible for Web pages to be automatically narrated or magnified. IBM announced that it is contributing Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) accessibility technology software to the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox 1.5 version Web browser.
Representatives of the, Association of Blind and Visually Impaired People, of Serbia – Beli Stap (White Cane), together with several other disability associations, discussed the problems faced by disabled students at universities.
The Nasa Knjiga (Our Book) action, implemented by White Cane Association, aims to provide each student with textbooks in a form most suited to their needs. Vesna Nestorovic, President of the Association, said blind and vision-impaired students should have access to electronic books, since that is the form best suited to their studies.
In Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, two blind brothers, Dharam Chand Jain and Rajendra Jain run their grocery shops while their blind sister; Nirmala is working in a government school as a teacher.
Dharam Chand Jain has been running a grocery shop for the last 40 years and has in fact added an auto parts counter to his shop, recently. Rajendra Jain also runs a grocery shop and supports his family.
Both of them do all the buying and selling themselves and also even money transactions and their business runs smoothly.
The incidence of childhood blindness is increasing in the subcontinent. We need to curb this," says Dr. Md. Younas Khan.
Dr. Md. Younas Khan and Dr. Md. Naeem Khan of Peshawar, Pakistan are here to specialise in paediatric ophthalmology. Their visit is part of a training programme sponsored by the Vision 2020 of the World Health Organisation at the L V Prasad Eye Hospital, Hyderabad.
The United States National Institute of Health and India's Department of Biotechnology have signed a Statement of Intent for collaboration on expansion of vision research. The agreement emphasises on increasing commitment to joint collaborations on eye disorders. With the rising global burden of disability and suffering posed by eye disorders, such partnerships gain greater significance.
All India Awareness Welfare Association of the Blind has pleaded to the government of Tamil Nadu to implement the schemes and concessions for the blind and handicapped persons announced by the Chief Minister, under Section 110 in the Assembly.
Now, visually impaired people in India can have access to the latest information and can refer to it any time. A unique network configuration developed by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) will help transmit live audio for blind students and even enable the transfer and printing of audio data files with the help of a Braille printer.
Gallery Tom, in the quiet Shoto district of Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, recently held ‘Boku-tachi no Tsukutta Mono 2005’ (‘The things we made - 2005’) featuring about 60 works by children at schools for the blind from around Japan. This year, the works were expected to be included among a set of pieces to tour Spain, thanks to the Organizacion Nacional de Ciegos Espanoles (ONCE) which has been actively involved in promoting blind artists and helping young visually impaired people receive education.
People who knew nothing about climbing asked them, “Why?.” People who climb themselves asked, “How?”
“It’s the exhilaration of achieving something that few people have done. We felt the same exhilaration,” said Sam Atwood and Craig Kiser of Florida, USA, on having climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, at 19,340 feet, the highest peak in Africa.
According to the latest findings of the Eye Bank Association of India, there are around 10 million blind people in the country, of which 2 million suffer from corneal blindness, with more than 60 per cent of them being children below the age of 12. Gujarat alone has about 40,000 children suffering from corneal blindness.
This revelation came as the country celebrated ‘Prevention of Corneal Blindness in Children Fortnight’ from August 25 to September 9 to bring awareness about preventing corneal blindness, especially in children below 12 years.
"I could climb trees from childhood. So, I thought why not take it up as a profession?” says, Sanatan Das. Climbing coconut, palm and banyan trees as high as 70-80 feet to fell them down or cleaning the bed of ponds by diving ten feet underwater, is his means of livelihood.
Sanatan Das identifies a tree through touch and makes out its circumference by looping his arms around the trunk. He begins his work by setting up a makeshift scaffold, a little above the ground level. He sets up several scaffolds and he goes up by putting his arms around the tree trunk.
Waymark Holidays, one of the UK’s leading Europe walking tour companies is working with disability charity Vitalise to offer walking tours in Austria and Spain this year for visually impaired clients.
It is well known that visually impaired people have heightened sense of smell, taste and hearing. The trips have been chosen to capitalize on their enhanced senses, while giving them the chance to get out and walk in some of the most beautiful areas in Europe.
Narration begins even before the lights go down, describing everything the audience sees on stage before curtain. It is automated and synchronized with sound and lighting cues, to accommodate pacing variations from performance to performance.
"Wicked is filled with exciting visual elements; trap doors open, characters slide down ropes, jokes revolve around the fact that the wicked witch is green," said T. Richard Fitzgerald, theatrical sound designer and CEO of Sound Associates, Inc.
Anandan, a daily wage earner in a confectionery-making unit in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu was upset when he saw a blind man falling into a pit and struggling to regain control. The incident inspired him to develop a cane that would inform the holder if an obstacle was near.
His walking stick works with the help of two battery cells and a secially fitted three-foot aerial, which vibrates whenever the user comes across an obstacle.
Calcutta tops a list of cities with growing eye problems among children. A recently concluded survey, conducted at the behest of the Union health ministry, has revealed that vitamin A deficiency – the most common reason for eye problems among children – is highest in the city and adjacent districts.
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