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No sight no flight?

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 16:38 -- admin

Even the skies don’t care for blind people in India. After Kingfisher Airlines recently made a woman get off a flight because she was blind, we ran a reality check on other domestic airlines and found that contrary to international practices, most carriers in India do not allow blind people to travel independently.

When we called the tele-booking counters for Jet Airways, Kingfisher, Spice Jet, Go Air and Indigo, requesting to book a ticket for a blind adult who would travel unaccompanied, all of the above refused.

Colleges haven’t done enough

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 16:37 -- admin

Online junior college admission forms give students 30 options, but for Akansha Jadhav, 16, there are only four colleges to choose from. A visually impaired student of New English School, Bandra, Jadhav was shocked to learn that only four city colleges have self-vision centres. Self-vision centres cater to visually impaired students and are equipped with open source screen reading software, screen magnifying tools, and a data bank of Braille notes and audio academic CDs. Certain centres also store newspapers and novels in Braille to ensure that the students are aware of general affairs.

Computer hub for disabled

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 16:35 -- admin

Gauhati University will set up a special centre to train hearing and visually impaired students of the state in computer skills.

The university has signed an MoU with the National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd recently. NTPC will provide necessary infrastructure to the centre.

It will be run by the department of disabilities studies of the university.

Kishore Mohan Bhattacharya, who is heading the department, said the department had already received most of the necessary equipment like computers to start the centre.

Lingaraju, Visually Impaired but with a Vision for Dance

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 16:33 -- admin

He started learning classical dance when he was only 7. Now at 22, Lingaraju, the only male artiste in Samarthanam's Sunadha dance troupe, is an accomplished dancer.

He has performed in Australia, Italy and the US and at prestigious events like the Hampi and Anegundi festivals in India.

That may sound ordinary, but there is something special about him. He has achieved it in spite of having a partial visual impairment.

Duxbury Braille Translator

The Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) provides translation and formatting facilities to automate the process of conversion from regular print to braille (and vice versa), and also provides word-processing facilities for working directly in the braille as well as the print. "Fonts" are used for displaying the braille., , DBT will allow you to create highly accurate braille for school books and teaching materials, office memos, bus schedules, personal letters, signs compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and more.

MP govt makes braille text books for students

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 16:32 -- admin

Madhya Pradesh government has made available braille text books of primary level to all the districts for visually impaired students of the state, officials said today. All the district project coordinators have been asked to ensure availability of braille text books for the concerned students well in time, they said. Braille is a writing system for vision-impaired or sightless people, consisting of patterns of raised dots that are read by touch, they added. Louis Braille had invented the braille system of reading and writing for visually impaired people in mid of 19th century.

Cipher Braille Translator

Cipher is a text to Braille software that converts text documents into a format suitable for producing Braille documents, through the use of a Braille printer called an embosser., , Grade 1 or Grade 2 Braille can be created at the click of a button. No prior knowledge of Braille is required. For those familiar with Braille, Cipher offers full control over formatting, and allows the user to create and save style templates.

Special: Shining some light for the blind

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

India’s print media is among the largest in the world. More than 25 per cent of the world’s blind population is in India.

Yet, India’s 12 million visually impaired people do not have a daily newspaper dedicated to them.

In a small way, Swagat Thorat has been trying to change that. Thorat started working with the blind in 1991 when he conceptualised and wrote a documentary about educational methods for the visually impaired.

In 1997, he made Swantantryachi Yashogatha, a play that featured 88 visually impaired artists, a world record.

Braille Master

BrailleMaster 6 is a powerful, functional, proven Braille translation software. After over a decade since its original introduction, BrailleMaster is still the only Braille translation software which allows you to customise your own Braille rules, using Robotron's proprietary Rule-based Braille Construction Language LOUIS. Try BrailleMaster's unique features and take the worry out of producing Braille.

No special teachers for Delhi’s differently-abled children

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 16:29 -- admin

It has been two years since a high court order, but the Delhi government is yet to recruit permanent teachers for differently-abled children in its schools. On September 15, 2009, the court had directed the Delhi government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to employ at least two special teachers on a permanent basis for differently-abled children in each of their schools. Around 3,000 schools are run by these bodies.

Visio

Enjoy versatility and power with a modern, compact system. The Visio’s flat panel monitor takes up a small amount of desk space, and the handheld camera gives you the freedom to bring the camera to the material, whether on a desk or in your lap. And for writing, place the camera in the stationary stand. Either way, view the image on the flat panel monitor in full color, positive or negative display modes. , , PC owners can connect their computers to the Visio flat-screen monitor with a standard PC cable (not supplied).

Experimental device attached to tongue helps totally blind man read

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 16:27 -- admin

They were three small words, but their meaning was huge.

Sitting in a lab at the University of Pittsburgh last week to help test the BrainPort vision device, Jose Neto read out the words projected onto a wall in front of him.

CAT. HAT. HOT.

For a person who is totally blind — as Neto has been for over two-and-a-half years since he was shot in the face by a bullet in Chinatown — identifying words on a wall is revolutionary. And so is the study taking place here to test the prototype of a device that aims to introduce a new type of vision for those who can't see.

Smart View 8000

The SmartView 8000 video magnifier is a low vision aid that enlarges objects, actions and text onto a display screen. The user can view objects in brilliant full color or in black and white. It features a simply plug and play to connect the 8000 to a PC and start immediately. It also features a split screen which allows you to display SmartView images and computer images independently or simultaneously either vertically or horizontally.

Smart View 7000

The SmartView 7000 video magnifier is a low vision aid that enlarges objects, actions and text onto a display screen. It features a sleek, modern ergonomic design with mobile monitor for maximum flexibility, comfort and convenience. The user can view objects in brilliant full color or in high contrast black and white. SmartView 7000 allows the user to enjoy crystal clear display of images with the fully auto focus system.

Sign bond to fly, blind exec told

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 16:25 -- admin

A high-flying city executive, who has travelled across the world and helped frame disabled-friendly guidelines for Indian airports, hit an air pocket at Patna last week when a private airline insisted he sign a bond before allowing him to board. The apparent reason: he is visually impaired, and was travelling alone.

Smart View 5000KP

The SmartView 5000KP video magnifier is a low vision aid that enlarges objects, actions and text onto a display screen. Its has all the features of the SmartView 5000 plus the Smart KeyPad, which allows you to display the time, day, date and a four function calculator in large print on your screen at the touch of a button. , , Included also is the Smart PC access kit which allows you to share functions with your existing computer monitor – alternate between objects you are viewing on your SmartView and computer.

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