On World Disability Day (December 3), President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presented the National Awards for the Welfare of Persons With Disabilities 2005. On the occasion, President Kalam asked the state governments to nominate special commissioners to ensure the selection of the right candidates, to fill up the 3 per cent reservation in jobs for disabled people. He suggested that the special commissioners could work under the supervision of the overall coordinator in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.

Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (D.T.T.D.C.) received the national award for promotion of barrier-free environment, 2005 - for making its crafts market Dilli Haat barrier free.

Furthering its agenda of making Delhi a disabled friendly city, D.T.T.D.C. has approved the installation of the first two traffic lights, which will come equipped with an audio beeper, which is installed for the benefit of the pedestrians and it tells them to stop, halt and go as the light turns red amber and green respectively. Simultaneously, there would be Braille signages to assist visually impaired people to cross the roads.

These installations will come up at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Safdarjang Hospital on Aurobindo Marg, and at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place.

The National Federation of the Blind (N.F.B.) chose to bring in to focus the issue of ‘disability and disabled people’ on the eve of World Disability Day by adding new dimensions to the subject of job reservation. N.F.B. asked for the extension of reservation for persons with disabilities, in general and the blind in particular to the private sector along with other weaker sections such as Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes. It also sought benefits for visually impaired employees who are opting or likely to opt for voluntary retirement from the public sector companies slated for disinvestments.