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Translation as a career

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 16:43 -- admin

Translation as a career:

Introduction

Technological developments have drastically transformed the career landscape of the visually impaired during the past decade. Innovations such as screen readers as well as the increased popularity of the Internet have opened crucial windows of opportunity to the blind. One of the career options that has become a reality in the wake of this technological revolution is translation. With the world shrinking into a global village, linguistic abilities are being appreciated more than ever.

Where to begin?

Employment and the Disabilities Act

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 16:41 -- admin

Employment and the Disabilities Act

Blind and partially sighted people are able to do most jobs. Sometimes specialist support or equipment is required to assist them in carrying out some tasks required in their job role.

The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995

Who has rights for employment under the Act?

All government, government affiliated and government funded organisations are required to reserve at least 3% of their vacancies for potential employees With:

Guidelines for employers

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 16:40 -- admin

Guidelines for employers

Job description and person specification

When compiling the job description and person specification for an identified vacancy, care should be taken to ensure that neither of these contain requirements which may preclude an application from somebody who has a sight problem. For example, is a requirement to drive essential or are there alternative methods of getting around which are worth considering?

Reaching potential employees

Hiring a Person with Vision Impairment

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 16:38 -- admin

Hiring a Person with Vision Impairment

If your company has decided to hire persons with visual impairments, you need to be commended for this enlightened step. Though it certainly means that persons with disabilities are afforded a fair and equitable opportunity at your workplace, there are some measures that you need to think about.
 

PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW

• Make sure your company's employment offices and your interviewing location(s) are accessible to applicants with visual difficulties.

New software reduces cost of talking phones

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 13:36 -- admin

The Magnetic Time Company has launched MT1, a software that can make mobile phones speak aloud. It has been developed specifically for visually-impaired users. For a nominal cost of 23 pounds (Rupees 1,840 approximately) the software can be installed onto a Personal Digital Assistant, mobile phones or mp3 players.

MT1 is compatible with email programmes and operating systems Windows 2000 and XP. However, while it can read emails aloud, including 'from,' 'to' and 'subject' lines, it is unable to read symbols or web addresses.

Subscribers and supporters help U.K. charity to overcome financial crisis

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 13:35 -- admin

Global disasters such as the Asian tsunami and the Kashmir earthquake attracted more public donations last year, due to which the smaller charities in the U.K. have suffered financial crunch. One such organisation, the National Talking Newspapers and Magazines, U.K., lost up to a fifth of its income, in the year 2005.

As the funds started shrinking, the charity that produces recorded selections from newspapers and magazines for blind and visually impaired people feared closure.

Relief Riders to offer free eye surgery camps in Rajasthan villages

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 13:34 -- admin

Relief Riders International (R.R.I.) is a group of workers that go on horse back to remote villages to implement their mission to provide free medical aid.

According to the W.H.O. there are about 38 million blind people in the world and about 12 million of them live in India. R.R.I. is now poised to bring it’s ‘Give The Gift of Sight’ campaign to rural areas of Rajasthan as the majority of its population suffer from eye related illnesses.

Intelligent Bus Information System test launched in Scotland

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 13:32 -- admin

Intelligent Bus Information System, (I.B.I.S.) should go a long way in ensuring travel is easier for visually impaired persons. At present, 12 bus stops across the Strathclyde region have been installed with the system.

The three-month pilot will allow vision-impaired bus passengers to use Brailled buttons to listen to the information.

Navigation system offers travel autonomy to visually impaired people

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 13:32 -- admin

Visually impaired people often have to take the help of escorts or a passer-by while travelling, but all that may change. A new navigational device Tormes System has been developed, which promises unprecedented travel autonomy to visually impaired people.

The Tormes System consists of a small Sonobraille computer (with a Braille keyboard and voice synthesiser) teamed with several navigation technologies to give a high degree of positioning accuracy. It is easy to carry as it weighs less then a kilogram.

United Nations takes a big step towards accessibility

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 13:31 -- admin

For the first time, the United Nations will be able to print material directly in Braille. The credit goes to a donation of a state-of-the-art printer by the non-profit organisation, Services for the Visually Impaired, (S.V.I.), U.S.A., along with the World Blind Union (W.B.U.).

Harold Snider, Executive Director, S.V.I., said the high-speed, heavy-duty embosser would provide the U.N. with Braille production capacity in all six of the organisation’s official languages.

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