General

World Sight Day 2021: Why 80% Of Visually Impaired People Are Avoidably So & What Can Be Done To Prevent This

Sightsavers India, which is part of a global organisation working to eliminate avoidable blindness, says people with visual impairment are cut off when it comes to education, healthcare and jobs

New Delhi: Globally, at least 1 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment that is preventable or is yet to be addressed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Vision impairment and blindness affect daily activities, and also work opportunities.

NISH library becomes visually impaired-friendly

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It comes as a double delight for blind students of the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH), Akkulam as the institute’s library has been equipped with assistive technology devices and services, that too on the occasion of World Sight Day on Thursday.

Himachal Pradesh: Braille EVMs to aid 3,047 voters

SHIMLA: In Himachal Pradesh, 3,047 visually-impaired voters would be able to exercise their vote in the byelections thanks to a Braille signage feature added with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Speaking on the issue, Himachal Pradesh chief electoral officer C Palrasu said instructions have been given to district officials to make special arrangements to facilitate voting for visually impaired people across the state.

Centre writes to RBI over low circulation of 'visually impaired friendly' coins

Nainital: The Centre has written to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asking it to ensure that ‘visually impaired friendly’ coins are widely circulated in public after a group of lawyers argued that non-availability of these coins violated rights of blind people under Article 14 of the Constitution.

What are tactile indicators?

There are more than 285 million people in the globe who are partially blind or have low vision. Unfortunately, due to the growing ageing population, this number is projected to rise in the near future.
Think about what it would be like to travel through an airport or train station if you were blind.

Govt asked to reserve seats for disabled people in parliament

SWAT: The social and human rights activists here on Sunday demanded of the government to ensure representation of persons with disabilities in parliament and local governments.

They were speaking at a one-day convention titled “Ham Bi Hain” here to raise the voice for persons with disabilities and ensure their representation in the Senate, National Assembly, provincial assemblies and local governments. The convention was organised by Coalition for Inclusive Pakistan.

Call to raise awareness about retinal diseases

Reticon, an initiative of Dr. Agarwal’s Retina Foundation, hosted the 11th edition of the annual conference on retinal surgery here on Sunday.

As many as 600 ophthalmologists, including vitreo retina postgraduates and those who had acquired an update on the latest techniques and technology of vitreo retina disorder management that are constantly evolving, participated in the international conference.

The sedulous Saima Saleem: Pakistan's first visually impaired diplomat

Pakistan's first visually-impaired UN delegate Saima Saleem is being praised for her fiery speech at the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday in which she stated that it is India that endorses terrorism in the occupied territory of Kashmir in a response to an Indian diplomat's allegations against Pakistan.

The first differently-abled female Pakistani diplomat, Saima Saleem was born on August 10, 1984. In her early years, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa - an incurable eye disease that made Saleem blind at the age of 13.

Helpline number launched for disabled voters for Himachal byelections

Shimla, September 29

The Election Department has launched a helpline number, 1950, for disabled voters for the byelections on October 30.

Visually impaired voters will vote through Braille signage on the EVM. Disabled voters and senior citizens will be provided transportation facility from home to the polling booth and back. They could seek help on the helpline number. They also have an option of postal ballot, said State Coordinator for Accessible Election Ajai Srivastava and State Nodal Officer of Election Department Neeraj Sharma today.