General

Bombay HC directs BMC to pay salaries to blind employees absent during Covid-19 pandemic

In a major relief to the blind employees of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Bombay high court (HC) on Wednesday directed the civic body to compensate employees by paying them salary arrears in two parts. The court held that the action of the BMC of not paying salaries to specially-abled employees for not attending work due to the pandemic was discriminatory and illegal. The BMC is to pay the employees the arrears in two parts – one before Diwali, and the second instalment after 45 days of paying the first instalment.

Sensory park for people with disabilities to come up at Sector 22

A special park will come up in Sector 22, which will focus on sensory engagement and be designed to encourage people of all abilities to play together, especially children.

The project is being anchored by the Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) and its board of directors will be presented with the final plan on October 27 for the approval.

SCPD opens website

The State Commission for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) on Thursday launched a web portal, www.scpd.odisha.Rov.in, for receiving e-registration of complaints from the persons with disabilities (PwDs).

Visually challenged rank holder moves CAT seeking IAS posting

CHENNAI: The Central Administrative Tribunal’s Chennai bench issued a notice to the Central government and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to respond to a plea moved by M Puranasunthari, a visually impaired 25-year-old woman from Madurai, who secured 286th rank in the Civil Services Examination (CSE), 2019.

Near vision loss cases in India surge to 138 million

NEW DELHI: Increased life expectancy and a high diabetes burden has increased the number of Indians with eyesight issues. Cases of near vision loss have more than doubled in in the country — from 57.7 million in 1990 to 137.6 million in 2020, according to new data provided by two international bodies.

She had the vision to break the stereotype

With two gold medals in MA Political Science, visually challenged Kavya S. Bhat stood out among the students passing out of the portal of University of Mysore on the occasion of its centenary convocation on Monday.

Speaking to reporters after receiving the certificates from Deputy Chief Minister and Pro Chancellor of the University C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Ms. Bhat said most visually challenged students had been told that music was the only field for them to engage in. But, she wished to break the stereotype by choosing political science and excelling in it.

How Painter Cris de Diego Is Making Art More Accessible for the Visually Impaired

Once a lawyer by profession, Spanish painter Cris de Diego never thought she would dedicate herself to art. A lifelong lover of museums, she used to enjoy artworks from afar. But when her visual disability threatened to get in the way of her passion, she knew it was time to act.

My cane is an extension of my personality – Dr Amy Kavanagh

I was born visually impaired. I do have some useful residual vision, although it can be temperamental! On good days, I can make out details like faces or street signs a couple of metres away. However, if the sun is bright, or I’m tired or stressed, my bubble of useful vision shrinks down to nothing, and my world is a blur of colours and fuzzy shapes.

Kerala's online radio by the blind for the blind gets applause

From third-standard student Krishnaprasad to octogenarian Krishnakumar, an online radio by the visually challenged for the visually challenged that took birth during the Covid-19 lockdown has been entertaining hundreds of visually-challenged art andculture lovers in Kerala.

Arushi, Amway organise webinar on World White Cane Day

Arushi, Bhopal in association with Amway India organized an online webinar on the occasion of World White Cane Day on Thursday. This day is celebrated to create awareness and to sensitize people about visual impairment and how they can lead an independent life.