Over the next few weeks, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has a rather important task on hand. It will have to respond to a set of suggestions presented by the Disability Rights Alliance–Tamil Nadu (DRA), indicating which of their recommendations will be incorporated into the facility.

A major television manufacturer is about to launch a new range of televisions which, they claim, will be completely accessible to visually impaired people.

Panasonic will launch new models of their sets that will include text-to-speech software built-in, without the need for a seperate set top box.

Viewers will also be able to access the Electronic Program Guide, menus and audio description - something that has never been available in a single solution.

The Centre has lauded the efforts of the disability commissioner for his efforts to redress grievances of the disabled in Jharkhand, which has outshone other states in providing justice to a section of society that is often ignored.

A letter dated March 12 from the office of the chief commissioner for persons with disabilities, under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, hailed Satish Chandra for successful use of “mobile courts” in Jharkhand.

Despite all odds, they have been caring for the visually-challenged, especially those belonging to the weaker sections of the society. This has been the mantra that has kept the ‘Divine Light Trust for the Blind’ going for the last six decades.

Entering the 61st year, this institution was established by Rev Father Abraham. He knew the challenges of being visually-impaired very intimately and hence, wanted to help them. Today, this fully-residential centre caters to the needs of 74 children, with some even living with speech and hearing disabilities.

Nine visually challenged students from Jawaharlal Nehru University called off their indefinite hunger strike on Friday after authorities assured them that immediate steps will be taken to address the stray dog menace on the campus. 

They were on strike for the last two days. 

According to Sandeep, convenor of JNU visually challenged students' forum, the campus has some 700 stray dogs. Over 20 blind students have been bitten by them in the last two years.

A three-month trial of kits for people with vision impairment to signal buses has begun in Canberra.

The kits being used in the trial were supplied from Canada by Ottawa's public transport provider Transpo.

Regional manager Guide Dogs ACT and NSW Beth Helmers has welcomed the trial.

The study focused on implementation of the two nationwide government schemes –The National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)—in eight states and found even the tentative efforts to include the blind in them were distorted.

The study covered two states from each region, one each for NHFDC and MNREGS programmes. While Punjab, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Karnataka were probed for the MGNREGS, the NHFDC implementation was looked into in Haryana, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu.

Saturday saw the opening of the city’s first hangout for differently-abled youth, Kalakkal Cafe, on the Vidya Sagar campus in Kotturpuram, a prime locality.

�� Anuradha Shankaran, a teacher at Vidya Sagar, says, “The menus are in braille language for the visually-challenged, text for those who can read and just pictures for those who cannot read. The place is accessible to wheelchairs, and has tactile walls, bathrooms and eating aids.”