General

Smartphones given to 210 differently abled

As many as 210 differently abled persons received smartphones from the Department of Welfare of Differently Abled Persons during a special camp held at the Collectorate here on Thursday.

According to District Differently Abled Welfare Officer (DDAWO) G. Vasanth Kumar, this was the second phase of distribution under the State government scheme as around 150 differently abled beneficiaries received the smartphones during the first phase in 2020. “The distribution got delayed due to the [Assembly] election,” he said.

VV Nagar library shows vision for blind people

Vadodara: Prof Prateek Ashwin Shah, a visually-impaired teacher at Sojitra college, so far used to rely on limited literature that was available in Braille language for his PhD studies.
But now, Shah who is pursuing doctoral studies in the Department of Postgraduate Business Studies, has started using a special facility that helps him not only listen to books written in any language but also translate these using the internet — all thanks to Bhaikaka Library of Vallabh Vidyanagar.

Vaccine at the doorstep

Tiruchi Corporation has begun a drive to conduct inoculation of physically challenged and bedridden patients at their door-step .

A special helpline has also been set up. The move would help them and their family members protect themselves from the ill-effects of the viral infection, health officials said.

Special camps to vaccinate the disabled

The district administration will conduct special camps on Monday to vaccinate differently-abled persons.

According to Collector P.N. Sridhar, the camps will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at taluk offices in Kallakurichi, Sankarapuram, Tirukovilur, Chinna Salem, Ulundurpet, Kalvarayan hills, town panchayat offices, government hospitals and primary health centres across the district.

How this visually challenged woman from Kerala started a successful business in lockdown

A visually challenged housewife supported her family through the Covid-19 lockdown by selling homemade products, an entrepreneurial feat that has turned her into an inspiration for many.

Call centre proposed to verify payment of stipend to endosulfan victims

Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra on Thursday proposed setting up a call centre to verify whether endosulfan victims are receiving their monthly stipend or not.

During a meeting called to review relief measures of endosulfan victims, Dr. Rajendra said though some with more than 25% disability were receiving stipend every month, there were a good number who are not aware about the amount deposited in their account. There are some persons who are facing issues in receiving the amount. There was no system at present to check the receipt of the stipend by victims.

Students of school for the blind pass SSLC exams with flying colours

Overcoming many hurdles, students of the Government School for the Blind at Olassa — the lone high school for visually impaired students run by the Kerala government — have cleared this year’s SSLC examinations with flying colours.

All the eight students of the school have passed the exams. Four have scored A+ in all subjects, a rare fete in itself. Among the remaining four, two got A+ in nine subjects while the remaining two got A+ in seven and four subjects respectively.

They kept the ovens going even during lockdown

Bread has literally been the lifeline for the Rehabilitation Centre for Blind Women (RCBW) in Mannarpuram.

The centre has been running the bakery non-stop during the lockdown. A newly refurbished premises of the bakery was inaugurated recently.

Smart shoe InnoMake warns visually impaired people of obstacles while walking

Tec-Innovation, a start-up medical device manufacturer in Austria that focuses on tech for disabled people, has come up with a pair of smart shoes for blind and low vision people. Called InnoMake, the smart shoe warns visually impaired people of obstacles in their way while they are walking in public.

Mysuru school all set for admission of visually impaired students

Ranga Rao Memorial School for Differently Abled (RMSD), Mysuru, has started admissions for this year. The school, run by Vasu Agarbathi Ranga Rao Memorial Trust with support from NR Foundation, has invited applications from visually impaired students for Class 1 to 10 from across the State for admission in the 2021-22 academic session.

Started in 1988, it is a free residential school initiated for visually challenged girls. The school operates under “child-centric project” and is supported by the Department of the Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens.