Within a generation, technology has radically changed the way most people live their lives.

Smartphones and other devices are an added layer of convenience for many people - but they are making it possible to create innovations which could transform the everyday experiences of disabled people.

"The possibilities are immense," according to Robin Spinks, a senior innovation manager at the charity RNIB.

He is focussed on how technology can be deployed to improve the lives of blind people and those with visual impairment.

P Narahari is Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Public Relations Department and Managing Director, Madhyam, in the Madhya Pradesh government. 43-year-old Narahari has won over 40 awards, many of them honouring his efforts to build a barrier-free environment. He truly represents the #PowerOfOne.

Blind Microsoft engineer Aditi Shah is home on a break for a few months before she joins tech giant Microsoft at their headquarters in the United States. Aditi recently finished her master’s degree from the prestigious Georgia Tech university. In an in interview to NewzHook, Aditi talks about the challenges she overcame to achieve her dreams and her goal to be a mentor to blind women in India. That’s our focus on #StoryOfTheWeek.

NewzHook: Welcome home Aditi. Can you talk about the role you will be playing as a part of the Microsoft team?

WhatsApp group sends 40-minute audio clip, mostly comprising news, to 4,500 listeners

At 8 o’clock every morning, a 40-minute audio clip will reach the mobile phones of hundreds of visually challenged Keralites. The clip, containing a news bulletin and a section on books, has around 4,500 listeners on WhatsApp.

Since June 3 this year, a WhatsApp group, Vartha, has been posting the audio clip daily. Since there is a limit to the number of members in a WhatsApp group, eight separate groups have been created and three of them are based in the Middle East.

Running a beauty parlour can be tough. Some may think a person with disability can never do it. Visually impaired Dipti Kale from Maharashtra is proving them wrong. Dipti owns a parlour in Thane, Maharashtra and has built a loyal customer base.