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Disability News India (DNI)

Disability News India (DNI), is a disability News service dedicated to providing a quality up-to-date information to the Indian Disability. DNI's news section is updated two times a week, though we also add breaking stories as and when they occur.




Disability News India – February 2009 Issue



Regional Centre for persons with disabilities to open in Bihar

PATNA, 27 Feb: The foundation stone of the much–awaited Composite Regional Centre (CRC) for persons with disabilities will be laid here on Friday.

Bihar will be the the sixth state after Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, UP, Madhya Pradesh and Assam to have a CRC which will be run by Union ministry for social justice and empowerment.

Initially, the CRC will run from the Red Cross building at Gandhi Maidan and later shift near the IGIMS, Patna, where the state government has allotted it 3.31 acres of land for its permanent structure.

According to chief commissioner for persons with disabilities, Dr Manoj Kumar, the objective behind the CRC is to provide both preventive and promotional aspects of rehabilitation like education, health, employment and vocational training, research and manpower development for persons with disabilities.

He said Union minister for social justice and empowerment Meira Kumar will lay the stone for the building of the permanent structure and also inaugurate the CRC at the Red Cross building on Friday. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has consented to be the chief guest on the occasion.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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People with Intellectual Disabilities deserve human rights

CHENNAI, 27 Feb: There should be a pervading attitudinal change towards the People with Intellectual Disabilities who are considered the most dispensable, said human rights activist and writer Harsh Mander on Thursday. He was delivering the keynote address at a three–day national workshop on "human rights and mental health insititutions: rethinking systems" here.

"The attitude of states is to embrace invisibilisation, illegalisation, custodialisation and institutionalisation. However, being the last person' in the system they have nowhere to go and deserve to survive," he added. "They are so invisible that that there is no census on the homeless, the street children and the displaced people. We should focus on making the issue visible," he added. Emphasising the need to create a system whereby human rights prevailed and individual freedom was not taken away even when instituionalised, Mander said the way forward was to offer the mentally–challenged a protected community. "There should be integration of mental illness with public health centres, and district hospitals should have at least one or two doctors trained in basic psychiatry," he added.

Earlier, Dr Sarada Menon, former superintendent, Institute of Mental health, Chennai, said: "We need both social and legal changes. The worst hurdle is the stigma, which is one of the reasons for patients seeking professional help two, three years after the onset of the condition." "We need to create awareness among technocrats and bureaucrats, and revisit the Luncay Act which is at least 20 years old, and bring it on a par with the UN Convention of the right of people with Disabilities," she added.

The workshop is being organised by the Banyan, a NGO which works with People with Intellectual Disabilities, destitute people. Vandana Gopikumar, co–founder of the Banyan, was among the speakers.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Disability Rights Fund Releases 2009 Request for Proposals

Disability Rights Fund Logo
BOSTON, MA – The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) –a groundbreaking grantmaking collaborative supporting the human rights of people with disabilities–today announced its first 2009 grants round, "Raising Our Voice," targeted at disabled persons' organizations (DPOs) in three countries: India, Mexico and Ukraine.


The broad objective of the Fund –which was officially launched in March 2008–is to empower DPOs in the developing world and Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union to participate in ratification, implementation and monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD).

In 2008, the Fund made one–year grants to 33 organizations in 7 countries (Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru; Ghana, Namibia, Uganda; Bangladesh), totaling USD 800,000. Grants ranged from USD 5000 – 50,000 and supported CRPD awareness–raising, strengthening coalitions and networks, and rights advocacy.

In the first round of 2009 grantmaking, applicant organizations may apply within one of two categories: a) single organizations or partnerships and b) national DPO coalitions. Grants to single organizations will range from USD 5,000 to 30,000 and support efforts to build voice and visibility and to develop rights–based advocacy and monitoring on the CRPD. Grants to national DPO coalitions will range from USD 30,000 to 70,000 and will support advocacy toward ratification of the CRPD, passage of specific legislation to accord with the CRPD, or the production of shadow reports.

Interested organizations are urged to review the full eligibility criteria and application details posted at the Fund's website, http://www.disabilityrightsfund.org/grant.html Any questions on the proposal process should be directed to info@disabilityrightsfund.org by March 16. The deadline for applications is April 16, 2009.

As a donor representative on the DRF Steering Committee stated, "The launch of DRF's 2009 grantmaking process marks an exciting expansion of our grantmaking to DPOs in three new countries and an effort to support both more marginalized sectors of the disability community and national coalitions advancing the rights of persons with disabilities."

DRF's donors include the American Jewish World Service, an anonymous founding donor, the Open Society Institute, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, and the United Kingdom Department for International Development.

For more information please contact:
Diana Samarasan, Director
Telephone: 617–261–4593
Website: http://www.disabilityrightsfund.org
Email: dsamarasan@disabilityrightsfund.org

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Delhi High Court asks UPSC to appoint visually impaired man

NEW DELHI, 26 Feb: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday provided a ray of hope for a visually impaired man and asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to appoint him within six weeks on the basis of the civil service examination he cleared in 2006.

A division bench comprising of Justices A K Sikri and Suresh Kait imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) for the delay in Ravi Prakash's appointment and forcing him to file a case over the issue.

The court also directed the government to fill seven other posts lying vacant since 1996 under the quota for disabled persons.

Prakash's counsel argued that as per the Disabilities Act the government should give one percent to the visually challenged out of three percent reservation for the handicapped persons in the appointment to government jobs.

Prakash cleared the civil service examination in 2006 but was denied appointment by the DOPT on the ground that there was only one post meant for handicapped people.

Being aggrieved of the decision taken by the government, Prakash approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which dismissed his plea. Finally, he approached the high court challenging the CAT order.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Nagpur Municipal Corporation inaugurated physiotherapy centre for children with disabilities

NAGPUR, 26 Feb: The education department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has inaugurated special physiotherapy centre for children with special needs. The move aims at enabling most of such children avail their basic right to education.

Though the centre was inaugurated at Sheshrao Wankhede Vidyaniketan School, Yeshwant Stadium, Dhantoli on Tuesday, it will start functioning by April 15. The education department would impart free training in music, craft, dance and sports to the disabled children.

Disabled children should be provided with assistance to cope up with regular class work. Hence a child–centric approach is essential, said additional municipal commissioner Atul Patne. Depending on the level of disability, need–based instructional strategies will be prepared at the special and only psychotherapist centre in the state.

The Central government has provided Rs 5 lakh aid to the NMC education department to procure physiotherapy equipment. About 796 disabled children identified in the city would be benefitted at the centre, said project coordinator Abhijit Raut. He said the NMC would appoint two physiotherapists, a speech therapist and a teacher each for sports, craft, music and dance, respectively.

Based on educational needs, the children will be categorised as those with mild disabilities who could be handled in the classroom with teachers (minimally qualified), mild/moderate categories who required effective counselling, those who needed occasional assistance from special educators and those who had to be monitored frequently.

Children with moderate and severe disabilities in need of resource assistance, including corrective aids and periodical help in academic areas will also be given regular assistance with the help of the special educators.

Besides helping children, the centre would provide counselling to the parents. Children who require pre–school skills, those with severe and multiple disability and those in need of play therapy and physiotherapy would be benefited through the centre. Stress will be given to increase the confidence level of the disabled children, added Raut.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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UT Administration submits affidavit to fill vacant post in HC for people with disabilities

Chandigarh, Feb 25: In the ongoing case pertaining to the recruitments of suitable candidates for the vacant posts@for disability categories, the UT Administration submitted details on the steps taken by it to fill such posts in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday.

The affidavit filed by UT's Senior Standing Counsel Anupam Gupta stated the Administration had advertised 68 vacancies for the same.

It also pointed out that a meeting of all heads of departments/offices/boards/corporations of the Chandigarh Administration was convened by the UT Home Secretary on February 10. The issue of filling up of vacancies reserved for disabled persons was considered and steps were initiated immediately to fill up such posts.

Consequently, 68 vacancies in various departments/ offices/ boards and corporations were identified and advertised for recruitment, the affidavit read.

Regarding the information pertaining to the backlog of vacancies reserved for disabled persons, the Administration sought more time by taking the plea that it was in the process of collecting information from various departments/ boards/ corporations and offices.

The Division Bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice Hemant Gupta, in the previous hearing of the case earlier this month, had asked UT Administration to provide details of the vacant posts in the disabled categories. The next date of hearing in the case has been fixed for May 7 and UT Administration has been asked to furnish the remaining details by April 30.

Source: http://www.expressindia.com

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Upcoming Bollywood movie to focus on bipolar disorder

Mumbai, Feb 24: After Aamir Khan's much feted take on dyslexia in 'Taare Zameen Par', Bollywood is putting the spotlight on bipolar disorder, a psychological illness that causes extreme mood swings in a person.

Being made by Prawaal Raman, known for his earlier thriller 'Darna Mana Hain', the film is tentatively titled 'Happy Teachers Day' and will star versatile actor Farooq Shaikh.

'It's a story tracing the relationship between a professor and his student. When I read about bipolar disorder I wanted to make a film about it. Not too much is known about this psychological disorder. And it can go undetected for a lifetime because the mood swings are often taken to be just over–moodiness in an individual,' Raman, who has worked with Ram Gopal Varma, told IANS.

The brain disorder causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. The extreme mood swings can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide.

While Farooq Shaikh has been finalised to play the professor, a hunt is on for a suitable actor to play the student. Raman has auditioned a number of actors but is yet to zero in on a suitable face.

On parting ways with mentor Ram Gopal Varma, Raman said: 'The other day a producer was trying to instigate me into talking against Mr. Varma. I told him if it wasn't for my tenure at the Factory (Varma's production house) I wouldn't be doing the work that I'm doing right now.'

The parting with Varma, however, was far from amicable. Raman was directing a film called 'Zabardast' featuring Nisha Kothari and Karan Nath for Varma when he just upped and left.

'After 10 days of shooting 'Zabardast' I realised it wasn't going anywhere. So I told Mr. Varma I didn't want to direct it. And I left...Whatever happens, happens for the best,' the filmmaker said.

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com

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Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited provides PCO booth to people with disabilities

Bhubaneswar, 24 Feb: A Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) level convention of "Saktiswarupa",a federation of Mission Sakti was held at Idcol Auditorium on Monday. Women and Child Development Minister Pramilla Mallick inaugurated this convention . 371 Self Help Groups (SHG) have joined on this convention for the first time. The SHGs are given by 5000 rupees check on credit. 'We are taking steps to include more women in SHGs'– said Minister Smt. Mallick .

PCO booth
Special department will be opened by the BMC for the SHG people to listen their problems'– said BMC Mayer Ananta narayan Jena.The meeting was chaired by Khurda distrct collector Narayan Jena .BMC Slum development officer Asok Pattnaik and BSNL officer were present on that meeting .Director of mission sakti, Smt Usha Padhi and other chaired persons have discussed about the progress of the women and focused on their development.

On the occasion of Saktiswarupa convention , 12 disabled persons were given special wheel chair with mobile PCO by the state Women and Child Development department. It is a step towards disabled women making them self earning. This mobile PCO booth have given by BSNL. For the first time in Orissa this PCO service have started said by BSNL officer.

Source: http://orissadiary.com

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Govt to revise the Deendayal scheme for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities

New Delhi, Feb 23 : Government today decided to revise a central scheme for the rehabilitation of disabled people to enhance grants provided to non–governmental organisations and the honorarium for their staff engaged in this work.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its go ahead to the revision of the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme with an outlay of Rs 500 crore in the 11th Plan, Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters here.

The scheme, implemented by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, supports programmes for pre–school and early interventions, special education, vocational training and placement, community based rehabilitation, manpower development, psycho–social rehabilitation of persons with mental illness and rehabilitation of leprosy–cured persons.

The CCEA also approved the revision of cost norms under the scheme with effect from April one this year considering the hike in the Consumer Price Index, he said.

The norms relating to honorarium, stipend and transport allowance for beneficiaries, honoraria for technical staff and building rent and maintenance are being increased by 33 to 40 per cent, he said, adding that additional financial implication of the revision of the cost norms is Rs 90 crore. (more)

Source: http://www.samaylive.com

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Nagaland to provide aids and appliances to people with disabilities under ADIP Scheme

Kohima, Feb 22: The Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment through its Assistance to Disabled Persons (ADIP) Scheme has allocated a provision of Rs. 37 lakhs to eight districts of Nagaland to provide aids and appliances to disabled persons.

The assistance has been given to Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchung, Wokha, Zunheboto, Phek and Mon with allocation of Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India, ALIMCO funds to the tune of Rs. 4 lakhs each, while Tuensang district has received the highest allocation of Rs. 9 Lakh for provision of aids and appliance to persons with disabilities.

The aims and objectives of ADIP scheme to persons with disabilities is to provide quality aids at a subsidized cost, where a persons with disabilities must be a citizen of India having a monthly family income up to Rs. 6500, would be provided appliances free of cost.

However, if the monthly income of the family is above Rs. 6,500 and upto Rs. 10000, the beneficiary would be provided 50% subsidy while 50% has to be paid.

The type of aids includes distribution of tricycles, wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks, folding cane for Visual impaired, hearing aids and prosthesis.

Mention may be made here that the requirement for providing of aids and appliance, which is essential for the social, economic and vocational rehabilitation of disabled persons, has come into sharp focus, particularly after the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, which came into force in 1996.

Source: http://www.morungexpress.com

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High Court warning the Chandigarh Administration to fill post for people with disabilities

Chandigarh, 22 Feb: Warning the Chandigarh Administration to immediately fill up vacant posts reserved for persons with disabilities by recruiting suitable candidates in Government departments or enduring a stay on all recruitment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought details from UT officials on the steps taken to fill such posts.

Last week, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice Hemant Gupta had issued notices to the Chandigarh Administration, Department of Social Welfare–cum–Commissioner for Persons with Disability and the Union Department of Personnel. The details are to be submitted in court on February 24.

The petitioner, an NGO named All India Blind Employees Association, had sought directions to the authorities to take necessary steps to identify posts reserved for disabled persons as provided under The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 and also to file an affidavit indicating the number of vacancies for reserved posts for persons with disabilities in various departments

As an interim measure, the petitioner had sought directions for restraining recruitment in all departments on any post on which a disabled person could be appointed, until the backlog of reserved posts for persons with disabilities (as on December 2006) is filled.

Despite taking its own time to file a response, the UT Administration again sought an adjournment on February 2, when the case came up for hearing. Giving one last opportunity, the Division Bench held: "Yet another adjournment is being sought to compile information on the backlog of vacancies reserved for disabled candidates. We wish to make it clear that in case the requisite information is not made available to the court on the next date of hearing, we shall be left with no alternative but to stay further appointments in all departments till vacancies are set apart and disabled candidates appointed."

Administration announces 100 vacancies under disability quota

To avoid further wrath of the High Court, the UT Administration was quick to announce 100 vacancies under disability quota by publishing advertisements in several newspapers. UT Home Secretary Ram Niwas said: "We are in the process of recruiting suitable candidates for the vacant posts and shall submit our reply in court on the fixed date."

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com

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Focus on rights of people with disabilities

MYSORE, 22 Feb: The All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) will organize a two–day all–India meet to focus on role and responsibilities of the Rehabilitation Council of India in implementation of the United Nation's Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) at its premises here on Tuesday.

The convention adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that people with disabilities should enjoy human rights and fundamental freedom.

The meet will also identify areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities, to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated and protection of rights need to be reinforced.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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High Court asks Delhi Government to form committees for disabled children education

The Delhi High Court directed the Delhi Government to constitute two committees which will monitor the implementation of existing government schemes for the welfare of disabled children so as to boost their education.

A bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Sanjeev Khanna directed the Delhi Government to form two committees–– one Advisory and other Monitoring committee–– both headed by the Secretary Education, Ms Rina Ray.

The Advisory Committee headed by Ms Ray will have eight members including Director of NCERT, Chairperson of Rehabilitation Council of India, Director Education, Lawyer Ashok Aggarwal and Secretary NDMC.

The Monitoring Committee also headed by Ms Ray will have five members from heads of various authorities.

The NCERT today submitted various proposals to bring the disabled children into the mainstream and to facilitate their education by encouraging them to take admissions in the Government schools.

The Court was hearing a petition filed by Lawyer Ashok Aggarwal, seeking directions to the Delhi Government for providing proper infrastructure including special teachers to 3000–odd disabled children studying in the Government schools so that they get quality education as per their needs.

The Court directed both the committees to file their action–taken– report (ATR) in the court within two weeks.

The Court suggested to the Delhi Government to adopt a model like the Goa Children's Act which is specially formulated for the welfare of disabled children and has special references on the duty of the state for the welfare of children with disabilities.

Earlier, the Union Government had informed the court that it had notified the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1995, paving the way for putting in place schemes to provide free education to physically–challenged students by the Union and the State Governments.

However, in the petition, Mr Aggarwal contended that the Delhi Government had failed to revise and bring the Central Government–sponsored scheme called Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC) in conformity with the Act as the benefits mentioned in the scheme were totally inadequate.

As a result, disabled students studying in government and MCD schools here were being denied the benefits provided in the IEDC, he added.

Source: http://www.indlawnews.com

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Lessons for teachers in sign language

CHANDIGARH, 20 Feb: A 10–day workshop has been organized to train teachers about sign language in order to teach hearing and speech impaired students in a better manner. The UT education department under SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) has organized it in collaboration with a Bhopal based NGO, Arushi.

The workshop, which started on Wednesday, will go on till February 28 at GMSSS–19. The teaching module for the workshop has been selected from a three–month course prepared by Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the hearing impaired.

The course deals with the various problems faced by the teaching community and their remedial.

An SSA official and workshop coordinator said atleast 26 such students study in various city government schools.

The workshop is being conducted to solve difficulties faced by teachers in dealing such students and bridge the communication gap. The basic problem faced by teachers is understanding the sign language, she added.

Atleast 12 school students were provided with hearing aid at GMCH–16 under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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State Rights Commission notice to govt on plight of disabled children

LUCKNOW, 19 Feb: Taking suo motu cognizance of the report "Abandoned To Fate" published in The Times of India (TOI) on Wednesday highlighting the plight of mentally and multi–disabled people destitute and lack of facilities such as shelter homes for them in the state, the UP Human Rights Commission (UPHRC) has issued notices to chief secretary and principal secretary, disabled welfare department, directing them to furnish a report to it within seven weeks on what steps the government has taken or proposes to take for the shelter, care, health etc of such persons.

In his order, Justice Vishnu Sahai, member, UP Human Rights Commission, described lack of basic facilities and shelter homes for mentally retarded and multi–disabled children and destitute as violation of the fundamental right to life guaranteed by the Constitution of India to all people and not just citizens.

The order said that it is well–settled that the right to shelter and health forms an integral part of the fundamental right to life guaranteed by Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The order added that lack of basic facilities and shelter homes for disabled children and destitute also violates the preamble of the Constitution which provides for social and economic justice to all citizens.

Taking serious note of the various facts mentioned in the TOI report, the UPHRC order further stated that if mentally and multi–disabled children and destitute are not getting basic minimum facilities and shelter, then that too is a violation of the directive principle of state policy contained in Article 39 (f) of the Constitution. The Article mentions that the state would endeavour to provide children all opportunities and facilities to help them develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity. Further, children and youth should be protected against exploitation, moral and material abandonment, the Article adds.

The TOI report highlighted that while there are about one lakh mentally disabled children in the state, there are only two government shelter homes –one for boys in Allahabad and one for girls in Bareilly, with a capacity of 50 each. The report also said that the incidence of abandoning mentally retarded children is on the rise and since April 2006, 28 mentally retarded children have been found abandoned in Lucknow. Further, the report revealed that there are neither shelter homes nor any asylum for such children in UP. The report also brought to the fore that the centre for mentally challenged girls in the city is only meant for training and not a shelter home.

Justice Sahai in his order said that the commission found the case fit for taking a suo motu cognizance of the matter under section 12 (a) of the protection of the Human Rights Act 1993, under which provision has been made applicable to it by virtue of section 29 of the said Act. The commission took the TOI report on record and marked it as `A' for identification and directed its office to register a suo motu petition and issue notices to the government officers for pursuing the matter.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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MphasiS Launches Recruitment Drive for people with disabilities in Vadodara

MphasiS, an EDS company, announced a special recruitment drive for people with disabilities. Walk in interviews will be conducted for the post of Customer Support Officer in Vadodara on 21st February 2009.

This is an ongoing effort by MphasiS to encourage people with disabilities especially those having mobility impairment and hemophilia, thalassaemia, dyslexia etc, who are not even mentioned under the Disability Act, to enter the work environment.

Details:
People with disabilities (except visual and hearing impaired individuals) aged above 18 years, can walk in directly for an interview.

Qualification: 12th Standard and Above

Skills: Average Communication in Spoken English ; Good communication in Gujarati, Hindi and Marathi; Comprehension in English, Basic Aptitude – Numerical

Job Description: The job entails answering calls of customers, addressing their queries and entering data in the system.

The candidates would have to go through
(a) Personal interview
(b) Aptitude test of 60 Minute Duration (Comprising of verbal, numerical and basic banking knowledge)
(c) Typing test
(d) PC test

Venue: MphasiS BPO, 2nd floor, opposite Spencer Mall, Survey # 81/1, Opp. Sarabhai Chemicals, Genda Circle, Wadivadi, off Alkapuri, Vadodara ? 390 002

Time: 11.00 am onwards

Note: Travel / stay will not be provided for out station candidates for attending the interview.

Employment of people with disabilities at MphasiS is a very conscious decision driven by the senior leadership. People with different abilities, despite being qualified, are denied opportunity because of their disability. The main driving factor was the belief that talent and competency exists among disabled persons as well. MphasiS believes that these qualified individuals add to its diverse workforce.

MphasiS an EDS Company is an equal opportunity employer that promotes diversity at the workplace. MphasiS proactively recruits people with disability, and as of now has 300 employees with disabilities working across MphasiS locations. This number continues to grow. MphasiS has put several systems in place to facilitate and enable employees with physical challenges to work along with other colleagues.

MphasiS BPO provides high quality, value–added voice and transaction–based Contact Center and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services to Fortune 500 companies worldwide. They have centers in Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Noida, Ahmedabad, Indore and Puducherry in India.

About MphasiS
MphasiS, an EDS company, is a leading applications services, remote infrastructure services, BPO and KPO services provider. The company delivers real improvements in business performance for clients through a combination of technology know–how, domain and process expertise. With currently over 28,000 people on the roles, MphasiS services clients in financial services, healthcare, communications, transportation, consumer & retail industries and to governments around the world. To know more, please visit www.mphasis.com

About HP
HP, the world's largest technology company, simplifies the technology experience for consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com



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Braille–friendly Electronic Voting Machines for blind people

KOLKATA, 18 Feb: Visually impaired voters can take heart. For, Election Commission has decided to introduce Braille signage in electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the coming Lok Sabha election.

But the latest provision is the introduction of Braille signage on the EVMs. West Bengal, Karnataka and Delhi will be the only places using these hi–tech EVMs to help a visually impaired voter and they will go to the polls with the latest EVM versions.

"As of now, a blind person had to be accompanied by someone, who would cast the vote for him. He can still do that as provided in Rule 49N of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. But he also has the option of going to the booth on his own and voting independently," said state chief electoral officer Debashis Sen on Tuesday.

The CEO will prepare dummy ballot sheets (in Braille) containing serial numbers of candidates and their names in the same order as in the EVM. The dummy sheets will be given to the voter when he enters the polling booth to familiarise him with the Braille signage in the EVM. As a visually impaired voter enters a booth, the presiding officer will help him study the contents of the dummy sheet and proceed to the voting compartment. After he has cast his vote, the voter must return the dummy sheet to the presiding officer. The dummy ballots will be printed by Denvar School for Blind and National Association for Blind under supervision of the CEO's office and EVM manufacturers, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bangalore.

Last October, 73,000 new EVMs were sanctioned for Bengal for the coming polls. The salient feature of these will be timers to ascertain the number of votes polled in a given time. The EVMs will have the provision of giving printouts of the results in case rigging is alleged.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Visually impaired 'touch' a bright spot

Pune, Feb 18: They feel and understand the world largely through their sense of touch. But six months ago, when 10 visually–impaired girl students were told that they would be trained for a career in body "massaging for women," they were apprehensive. Not anymore. Six months of rigorous training has made them confident. So, the first full–fledged batch of students of body massaging at the Poona School and Home for Blind Girls, Kothrud is ready to prove its skills.

The first of its kind in Pune, the course is part of the four–year vocational training programme aimed at rehabilitating visually–impaired girls. The first full–fledged batch of the course will pass out this month and most of them already have job offers from those who experienced their proficiency first hand, and several others are approaching them. The school is partly funded by the state government. Completing the course wasn't a cakewalk for many, as most of them hail from remote villages of the state and know only Marathi while the course required them to learn the "tough" medical terms in English and understand the human anatomy. But they refused to give up.

Twentynine–year–old Sangeeta, who hails from Borgavasu village of Buldhana district, almost made up her mind to quit halfway as it was too tough for her. But, the thought of her poverty–stricken family back home and the job prospects after finishing the course held her back. "I got a job offer from a doctor for whom I did full body massage some days ago. She said she couldn't believe I was blind," she says. Teaching them was also not easy.

According to their trainer Dr Deepa Sathe, from basic things like switching on the light to how to approach a client, extra care was taken while teaching them. "They should first get a sense of the whole body structure and then the anatomy. We taught them Swedish massage steps, which is standardized, so that they won't face a problem with any kind of massage. Initially, it was tough to teach them medical jargons in English. But as the course progressed, they showed amazing confidence," she says. Sathe has been associated with the centre for more than a decade and had done a feasibility study before starting the course. "The whole idea was to rehabilitate these girls. Most of them are from the lower socio–economic strata. Even their basic needs are not met," she adds.

She is assisted by two volunteers, who help the students with practicals.

Mayphan Haveliwalah, another student, is all excited after her first client was highly impressed. "Initially, I was a little nervous. But when she said that I did it professionally, I was on cloud nine," says 30–year–old Mayphan, who lost her eyesight when she was 21 due to retina detachment.

The four–year course includes jewellery–making, looming, candle–making, stitching and computer training. "Right now, we charge Rs 150 for a full body massage. We will revise it once they complete the course this month. Talks are on with a university for affiliation of the course. We are also looking forward to a tie–up with massage centres, gymnasiums, beauty parlours and women's hostels," says Sandhya Nagaraj Rao, co–ordinator of the vocational training programme.

Source: http://www.expressindia.com

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Education scheme gets a boost in budget

PUNE, 17 Feb: The Pune Municipal Corporation's proposals for constructing 40 classrooms, setting up mobile schools for street children, building 150 toilets for girls and providing free textbooks for municipal school students are likely to get the green signal, following the increased allocation of Rs 13,100 crore for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the interim budget presented in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Close to 600 Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) schools are covered under the SSA. This year, the PMC's budget for the SSA has increased by Rs 4 crore from last year's budget of around Rs 10.4 crore.

SSA co–ordinator for PMC Schools Bhushan Nalage said, "We have proposed a Rs 14–crore budget for this year to run various schemes under the SSA."

Earlier, free textbooks were distributed only to girls and students from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. This year, the proposal is to distribute free textbooks to boys as well under the SSA.

Nalage said, "From this year, we will be running a vocational training and lifeskills programme for girls. We have proposed to allocate about Rs 7 lakh for this programme. We have also proposed a grant for running mobile schools. As many as 167 street children who benefit from the SSA can take advantage of this."

On the other hand, the zilla parishad schools covered under the SSA are concentrating on teachers' training, and have sent a separate proposal for the same in this year's budget.

Shivaji Pandhre, education officer (primary), Pune zilla parishad (ZP) said, "We are investing more on teachers' training programme. Enrolling children who have not joined any school is also a major programme we will take up this year."

About 3,500 ZP schools are covered under the SSA and the budget allocation this year is close to Rs 50 crore as against Rs 49 crore last year. One of the focus areas remains inclusive education for disabled people, under which eight types of physical disabilities have been identified for medical treatment and for providing supporting aids.

Sanjeev Kumar, chief executive officer, Pune ZP, said: "The SSA has made a big difference vis–a–vis infrastructure and student enrolment. The enhanced allocation for the SSA will improve the present situation. Now, we will focus on imparting quality education to students."

For the Pimpri–Chinchwad Municipal Corporation schools covered under the SSA, providing improved educational material to students has been the top priority and the civic body has proposed around Rs 2.5 crore (around half of the total budget under the SSA for the year) for text books alone.

More than 130 PCMC schools are covered under the SSA and the last year's budget for the SSA projects were Rs 4.22 crore.

Hari Bharati, administrative officer, PCMC school board, said: "A large part of this year's budget will constitute grants for providing free text books and improving educational quality. Besides that, we have also proposed grants for physically disabled students, basic infrastructure and for repair. We are not planning to introduce anything new this year, so the budget more or less remains the same."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Father of 4 disabled girls seeks aid

TIRUNELVELI, 17 Feb: A 60–year–old widower, who had to quit work in a dyeing unit to take care of his four mentally disabled daughters, has submitted a petition to the district revenue officer G Srinivasan to provide monthly assistance for his daughters.

Arokiya Selvam of Perinbham Street, near the office of Superintendent of Police in Palayamkottai, worked as a labour in a dying unit at Tirupur. Selvam's life came to a standstill when four of his five daughters all of a sudden became mentally disabled.

His daughters, Indhra (35), Mary (34), Prabha (27) and Angel (20) who were normal children by birth became mentally disabled one after another in 1991. To add to the misery, Selvam's wife Viji who was partially mentally disabled was killed in a road accident in 2004.

"After my wife died, I left my job and came to Tirunelveli as I have to look after my daughters. My youngest daughter, Elizabeth (17) is a normal child and she is a school student. I can't go to any work from morning till evening, as I have to be with my daughters to ensure their safety. After my younger daughter returns from school, I do my house broker job," says Selvam.

He along with his daughters stays in a hut, which has basic facilities. "When I have money in hand I feed my daughters, otherwise it is the neighbours who extend a helping hand by providing food for my family but I don't know how long this help will last," fears Selvam. He along with his four daughters had visited the Collectorate here on Monday to submit a petition during the weekly grievance day meeting.

Selvam submitted a petition to the district revenue officer G Srinivasan urging to provide monthly assistance for his four daughters. Srinivasan instructed Selvam to apply for the National Identity Card being given to disabled people and then avail of the monthly assistance using the identity card.

Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com

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Govt wakes up to the plight of multi–disabled people

LUCKNOW, 17 Feb: The five–year–old Rinku who is Blind, partially deaf and mentally disabled, the multi–disabled boy can't even tell what's happening around him. But his case has made the mighty government sit up and pay some attention to the plight of hundreds of multi–disability and mentally disabled destitute in the state.

The meeting called by social welfare commissioner (SWC) RK Mittal, on Monday, decided that for immediate relief, the social welfare department will ask the state government to support NGOs working for multi–disabled and mentally disabled children to expand their existing capacity and admit more children. And as a long term solution, the government will be requested to make a budgetary provision to create its own shelter homes and training centres for such children, along with financial aid to the NGOs delivering good services in this field.

The meeting was called after Rinku's case exposed lack of services in the state for multi–disabled children. Found abandoned in Charbagh Railway station last year, Rinku was admitted to the CSMMU for treatment. University authorities contacted many NGOs to adopt the boy but all refused. As a result, after being discharged from the hospital, Rinku was forced to live on pavement on the campus and survived on the mercy of passers–by for eight months, till he was found by a social activist, who took the case before the state child welfare committee (CWC).

The meeting was a real eye opener. It was learnt that while there were over 24,000 multi–disabled children in the state, there was no shelter home or training centre for them. And for over one lakh mentally retarded children, there are only two shelter homes, for boys in Allahabad and girls in Bareilly. Both having capacity of 50 each are overcrowded and have stopped taking fresh inmates. The one in Lucknow for girls is only a training centre and at present has 28 children because of lack of facilities. There is no shelter home for mentally retarded adults in the entire state.

The NGOs complained that the government was not giving any grant to them. All are surviving on funds given by the Centre or other organisations. But many of them had not received grants from the central government for last two years, as necessary files for payment to be forwarded by the state government departments were caught in the red–tape. Similarly, new proposals for expansion or introducing services are also pending as a file has to pass through five desks from district disabled welfare officer to state social welfare department before reaching the Centre.

There were also some suggestions. While an officer felt that there should be an asylum where abandoned children and destitute could get immediate shelter, another suggested creating a mechanism for rehabilitation. Some advocated government–NGO partnership for building facilities, others felt that there should be more coordination between NGOs offering different services instead of duplication. Such children need 24–hour attention as they don't even know proper toilet practices. They are taught to survive and develop skills according to their mental abilities by special trainers.

The SWC, when contacted, said, "We are exploring various possibilities from creating new homes to enhancing existing ones and supporting NGOs. The aim is to have some facilities for multi–disabled and the mentally retarded."

Those present in the meeting had difference of opinion on various issues and some had complaints but in the end everyone was happy that at least the ball had started rolling and for that credit goes to Rinku.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Govt releases fund for pension for disabled people

Lucknow, 17 Feb: The government has released a sum of Rs 5.43 crore for distributing pension to 30,170 disabled people, who had applied under the disabled pension scheme.

Giving this information, director, disabled welfare, AK Baranwal said that the funds had been released to all the districts and payments would be made through banks. Beneficiaries are required to contact district disabled welfare officers of their respective districts for details. The director said that in comparison to previous financial year, the number of disabled benefiting from the pension scheme had increased this year.

The government gives Rs 300–500 pension to disabled people in different categories. However, not many disabled people are aware of the scheme. Social workers working for the disabled said that the government should publicise the scheme among poor and villagers, where the need for money was more in comparison to cities.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Unique car rally for visually impaired people

MUMBAI, 15 Feb: In a unique car rally here on Monday, dozens of visually impaired people helped their sighted partners to navigate through the city.

Each of the cars had the adventurous duo of a blind navigator and normal person to drive through the 65 kilometres long route.

The car was steered as per the directions given by visually impaired navigator who noted all the routes from a Braille direction book.

Organized by the National Association for Blind, this rally witnessed a large number of participants.

"We are going to have a good time. All of us are here together and also got a chance to meet new people," noted Bhagwanbhai Patel, a blind navigator.

Noted documentary film maker and an ace from the arena of advertising, Prahlad Kakkar said that visually impaired people are not vulnerable people and that they are capable of contributing their mite to the society.

"Public should know that visually impaired people are not helpless at all. They have a pride and a need to contribute to the society. And our society has become sensitive to recruit the blind people at workplaces, said Kakkad.

Bollywood actress Urvashi Sharma, music director Rajeev Mehra and social worker Poonam Mahajan were among the celebrities to cheer the participants of the rally.

According to an estimate, there are at least nine million visually impaired people in India.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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New pension schemes for disabled people in Budget 2009–10

New Delhi, 16 Feb: The Government on Monday announced new pension schemes for disabled people in the interim Budget 2009–10.

The Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme aims to provide pension to "severely disabled persons", acting finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, said in his Budget speech in Parliament.

Read more INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL DISABILITY PENSION SCHEMES

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Disabled–friendly buses to cover North Campus, Delhi University

NEW DELHI, 16 Feb: Now commuting even between hostel and college in North Campus is likely to become disabled friendly. The Delhi University's (DU) Equal Opportunity Cell (EOC) would launch a special free of cost bus service for the students with special needs from March.

According to EOC officials, a bus has been specially designed and would transport students, faculty and DU officials with special needs and would ply between different colleges, departments, offices, hostels and the DU metro station. "We have already procured the bus which is completely accessible to every disaabled person in DU and would start its service by the end of this month or first week of March,'' said Komal Kamra, member EOC.

Apart from North Campus, the special bus service would also connect the nearby colleges like Lakshmibai, Satyawati and the neighbouring Metro stations also. The bus will have capacity to seat 30 people and has been procured at a cost of Rs 16 lakh. "We are now looking into the logistics and and other formalities. It will have facilities like a ramp that can be lowered with a hydraulic pump. Wheelchair users could get on straight, '' said Nisha Singh, officer on special duty, EOC.

She added that the bus will also be equipped with hooters and holding bars for the benefit of students with different disabilities. "As of now, there will be just one bus though more buses in the pipeline. But we first need to see how many disabled students would be using the bus,'' added Singh.

According to DU officials, this special bus had been promised to students in June last year during admissions. "Disabled students had a lot of problem commuting even within the campus. It's important for them as it will help them become independent and not require their parents to come along,'' said an official.

Nipun, a second–year student of economics (Hons) at St Stephen's College with an orthopaedic problem, said, "Normally, students use a rickshaw or a bus to commute but these means of transport are completely inaccessible to the disabled students. The bus will go a long way in helping these students move from one college to another.''

According to DU officials, a similar service is likely to be introduced in the South Campus after receiving feedback from North Campus.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Disabled people must be aware of laws for them

PUNE, 16 Feb: "There is dire need for sensitisation when it comes to laws pertaining to people with disabilities, especially within the community," S L Deshpande, head of department, Department of Law, Nagpur University, said during a workshop on Orientation to convention on the rights of persons with disabilities,' conducted by the ILS Law College on Sunday.

The workshop was sponsored by the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped, Dehradun. Rajesh Asudani, manager of the Reserve Bank of India, also a visually–challenged, was also among the main speakers.

Elaborating on the issue, Deshpande said, "The community needs to be aware of their rights. Sesitising people about it is the need of the hour. When we talk about introducing new laws and rights for persons with disability, we must also see to it that the existing laws are being implemented. This will happen only if the people are aware."

The workshop discussed various laws pertaining to persons with disability and also human rights. Sharadchandra Gokhale, honorary president, International Longevity Centre – India, was also present on the occasion. "There is need for persons with disabilities to come forward and set their priorities right with respect to laws pertaining to them. The community has to fight for their rights."

Besides discussing the shortcomings of the laws and its implementation, the objective of the workshop was also to start a movement so that the community gets what they deserve.

The workshop also deliberated on the issues that persons with disabilities are not given cheque books and ATM cards and they are not even eligible for internet banking. However, Asudani argued that "the RBI last year had issued a circular to provide banking facilities for the disabled and a decision to this effect will be taken soon."

The workshop also discussed the special provision made for women with disabilities. Deshpande, however, added, "This provision also raises an important question as to how to deal with an issue concerning the grounds of discrimination. When we talk about disabled women, the question is, women already have job reservations at various organisations. However, reservations for disabled women adds new dimension to the issue and it should be worked out."

Vaijayati Joshi, principal, ILS Law College, was also present during the workshop.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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India's disabled cricketers' trip to Pakistan cancelled

Kolkata, 15 Feb: The Mumbai terror attacks have not only soured Indo–Pak ties, but they have also affected sporting exchanges between disabled people cricketers from the two neighbouring nations.

The national team selected by the All India Cricket Association for the Disabled (AICAD) was scheduled to tour Pakistan in February, but the tour got cancelled after the freezing of relations between the two countries as a fall–out of the Mumbai mayhem.

"A Pakistan team was also supposed to come to India on a reciprocal tour thereafter. But in this situation, that will also have to wait," AICAD president and former Indian cricket captain Ajit Wadekar told IANS.

Instead, the AICAD – which has 24 state associations as affiliates – has now decided to send its national team to England.

Asked for his comment on the stalemate in Indo–Pak sporting relations following the terror attacks, Wadekar said: "It's a sad thing, but let's hope the situation changes quickly."

Wadekar did not approve of the clamour in the country some time back for the scalp of seniors in the Indian national team after a few below–par performances. "The seniors have enough experience. They know their fitness levels. The know exactly where they stand".

To buttress his point, Wadekar cited batting genius Sachin Tendulkar's announcement that he would not turn up again for India in Twenty20 cricket.

Wadekar, who led India to their first ever series victory abroad in 1971 against West Indies, complimented the Indian team for their recent successes. "It's a balanced team. They have a good bench strength. And the captain (M.S. Dhoni) is doing a really good job," said the former Indian team manager.

Wadekar said India's performance in the upcoming new Zealand tour would indicate whether the side can become world's top team in one to two years' time.

"I don't foresee any problems for the Indians in New Zealand. I know their conditions are different, the ball is more responsive to seamers. But everything depends on how we adjust to the conditions," he said.

Wadekar predicted that Dhoni would last as captain. "He is quite confident. His approach is also very assuring," he said. Wadekar was here to attend the release of a short film on cricket.

Source: http://www.thaindian.com

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Children with disabilities sharpen life skills at workshop

CHENNAI, 13 Feb: D Shanthi's eyes well up as she watches her son carefully arranging sugar cubes one over the other to make a vertical pillar. And when D Dinesh Kumar beams after placing 14 cubes one over the other within the stipulated time, she cand only nod, tears streaming down her face. Shanthi had accompanied her son to a life skills and motivational programme for children with disabilities organised by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan wing of the School Education Department on Thursday.

Dinesh, a class VIII student of Nammalvar Corporation High School in Perambur, has many a time not been able to keep up with his classmates he has been diagnosed as having moderate mental retardation. Shanthi said: "This workshop has shown that he is capable of much more than what I expected. It has boosted his confidence and motivated me to help him to achieve bigger things in life."

Dhanalakshmi Arumugam says her son A S Vagulabaran is keen on participating in all the activities his classmates are involved in. But he is a slow learner and always gets left behind. "After attending this workshop I have got the confidence that my child too can do all the things that others his age can. I have decided to encourage my child to take part in everything," she says. The two parents echoed the feelings of several others who had brought their children to the workshop.

Resource persons for the workshop from education consultant MT Educare played video clippings of famous people with disabilities who made it big in life. Composer Beethoven, visuals of whom evoked a spontaneous applause from the children, was one of them. The children were also introduced to card games that involved teamwork and activities that involved motor skills.

The two–day workshop, being conducted as a pilot project in zone 7 of Chennai educational district, saw the participation of 30 children with various disabilities ranging from hearing impairment to mental retardation. The children, all between 11 and 14 years, were drawn from Corporation, government and aided schools in different parts of the city. R Venkatesan, SSA state project director, said, "We are waiting for feedback from the parents and from our teachers who observed the interaction. If we find it has got the desired results, which is to encourage and motivate the children to aim higher, then we will conduct the programmes at the district and block levels and then take it to individual schools.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Chennai buses not disabled–friendly

Chennai, 12 Feb: The ordeal disabled passengers face everyday in Chennai was shocking enough. Now consider this. Out of Chennai`s government–run fleet of 3262 buses, hardly a handful are disabled–friendly. That`s for about a lakh disabled people in the city.
Inaccessible Chennai Bus for disabled people
This too was only after this young man with cerebral palsy took the Tamil Nadu government to Court in 2005.

Rajul Padmanabhan, director, Vidya Sagar, says: "Only 2 or 3 buses are accessible. Accessibility is for everyone, not just for the disabled. It`s for pregnant mothers, old people, everyone."

Since that court battle, the government has rolled out 1034 new buses. It claims some of them have low floors and are suitable for the disabled. But what happens when drivers don`t halt properly at bus stops? Or when route numbers are just not displayed at stops?

Social activist Meenakshi Balasubramanian says: "There is also no audible info for the visually challenged. No proper signages."

The state's Transport Secretary Debendranath Sarangi says: "The state government is very concerned about the comfort of disabled passengers. We will make necessary changes."

The managing directors of various transport corporations of Tamil Nadu are now in Delhi to seek Central funds for more buses. These special residents have just one prayer: "Remember us when you roll out your next fleet of new buses."

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/

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Salman supports visually impaired musicians

Udaan Instrumental is an initiative taken by Udaan Entertainment Group and Kishan Kumar of T–Series; and it is recommended and referred by none other than Bollywood Hunk Salman Khan.

Salman Khan
T–Series presents an incredible musical recreation titled 'Udaan Instrumental', an extraordinary blend of musicians who are visually impaired. 'Udaan' is an instrumental music album that covers super–hit and evergreen Bollywood melodies.

Well, Kishan Kumar has literally adopted this project and is very close to his heart. He says, ''We are sure that the album will touch a chord in the listener's heart. I was quite moved when I heard of the effort these kids put in and the backing that they needed is all I gave them. The rest is their achievement.''

Karan, who plays the Flute, humbly says ''The compositions are soulful. You can say these are our feelings in a musical form; we have given it a real unique feel, colour and flavour of Udaan without having changed the soul of the original compositions''. Sachin, a percussion artiste says, ''Salman Khan recommended us to Kishan Kumar and backed us all the way through. We may have the talent but these days the support is what is hard to come by.''

One may wonder, how visually impaired folks manage to master music professionally, but in this case hearing is believing!

Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in

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W3C to boost social networking initiatives

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is to increase its work in the social networking sphere by investing more resources into the development of industry guidelines and payments protocols, and undertaking greater outreach on accessibility and mobility matters.

In a new report summarising the organisation's recent Workshop on the Future of Social Networking, the W3C argued that the lack of a micropayments protocol could be holding back some networks from creating sustainable business models.

"Some of the participants felt that the ecosystem has sufficiently changed in the past 10 years to justify trying to restart discussions towards the establishment of such a protocol, and are planning to set up a dedicated W3C Incubator Group to work on these questions," the report said.

The group also decided to create a Social Web Best Practices Incubator Group, or a taskforce within a larger Social Web Incubator Group, to explore the development of privacy guidelines for social network operators and privacy tutorials for social networks users.

The meeting decided that social networks "represent a particular opportunity and challenge for both accessibility and mobility", and therefore decided that the relevant bodies – the Web Accessibility Initiative Education & Outreach Working Group and the Mobile Web Initiative Steering Council – should engage more with social network operators to tackle the issues.

Source: http://www.vnunet.com

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UP Government to construct hostels for blind students

Vidhan Bhawan, Lucknow
LUCKNOW, 12 Feb: The state government has decided to construct hostels for visually impaired pursuing higher education in Meerut, Lucknow and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh (UP)

According to the disabled welfare department, the hostels will have 100 rooms each and a sum of Rs 5 crore has been sanctioned as first installment to start construction work.

In Meerut, college building, hostel and residential accommodation will also be constructed for which Rs 2.5 crore has been sanctioned as first installment.

The Lucknow University provides free education and hostel rooms to visually impaired. However, the buildings on the campus are not disabled–friendly. Facilities such as reading rooms are also lying dysfunctional. Most visually impaired come from an economically weak background.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Disabilities commissioner chair saw four faces within one year

PUNE, 11 Feb: Instead of using the disabilities commissioner post to serve for people with disabilities, the appointees consider it more as a punishment posting and hence refuse to take up the job as evident from the fact that the chair has seen four faces within one year.

"It is very sad that after taking charge, the incumbent IAS–cadre commissioner starts making efforts to secure a transfer," Apang Sahayakari Santha secretary V N Tungar told Sakaal Times.

Tungar said that the situation at the Disabilities Commissioner was deteriorating as stagnancy had set in due to lack of stable leadership. "For the last four months there has been no policy decision. Though funds are coming, there has been no utilisation of it as there is no head to take decision on its disbursement," he said.

Those working in the field of disabilities said that the administration did not bother about disabled people. They alleged that the bureaucracy was only keen about their own interest.

"According to law, the post of disabilities commissioner is meant for people working in this field since they have expertise in this field. Instead, the government posts IAS officers. Hence the commissioners don't take decisions that would have a larger benefit to the affected," Apang Kalyankari Sanstha vice–president advocate Murlidhar Kachre said.

He said that instead of looking for fulfilling their own ambitions by refusing to take up long–term assignment as the commissioner, they should be father–figure to the underprivileged.

"Persons with Disabilities Act 1985 passed by the Parliament of India provides provision for equal opportunity, full participation and protection of the disabled people. It is the responsibility of the disability commissioner to ensure that the Act is applied in totality," Kachre said.

Former principal of Dilasa Kendra, an institution for disabled people, Sandhya Devrukkar alleged that the department was plagued by corruption. "Payments have not been disbursed to the teachers in special schools. These commissioners are hopeless. If this trend continues, it would be better this department is closed down," Devrukkar said.

When asked about the reason for IAS officers not lasting long as disabilities commissioner, former commissioner Nitin Gadre refused to comment saying "it is for the State Government to decide".

Source: http://www.sakaaltimes.com

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Sisters of Mother Teresa: Disabled Children are 'the Wealth of the Church'

MUMBAI: The mission of the Sisters of Charity who run Asha Daan House in Mumbai, a centre founded in 1976 by the Blessed Teresa of Kolkata, is to take care of abandoned or physically and intellectually disabled children as well as AIDS patients.

On the World Day of the Sick, Mother Teresa's Sisters continue the beautiful work of love which she began and call the whole Church to the mission of love
They also help the dying to leave this world in dignity after being repudiated by their families with no other place to go. The nuns have devoted their life to the service of others, seemingly different people, who have a right however to all the "love, respect and dignity" a human life deserves.

As we prepare for World Day of the Sick, set for 11 February, Sister M Infanta, describes a daily routine that is not only one of suffering but also one based on love and sharing between the nuns and the centre's residents.

"In Asha Daan there are about a hundred children, boys and girls, 83 of which are physically or mentally handicapped," she explained. "They range from 3 to 15 years of age, but they seem much younger. In some cases intellectual disability reaches 90 per cent, but each one of them is a treasure, a gift and a blessing."

"Each life ought to be lived," Sr M. Infanta said, even if it does not meet utilitarian criteria or is not "productive" according to today's models.

"These children have been created to love and be loved. They are a unique source of blessing for us, society and the whole world," she said.

"Children with physical and intellectual disabilities are not vegetables, but children with special needs," she said.

"They respond to acts of affection, physical contact; they are unique individuals capable of communicating. We know this as do the volunteers who work at the centre; even if responses may just be slight signs."

"We Sisters of Charity receive a lot for the service we provide to the needy," said the nun, who has been in the order founded by the Blessed Teresa of Kolkata for the past 40 years.

"As Mother Teresa used to say, show tenderness in your face, eyes, smile and the warmth of your greetings! You must show a happy smile. Don 't just treat people; offer your heart as well."

Source: http://www.catholic.org

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1st Asia– Pacific CBR Congress–Bangkok, Thailand

1st Asia Pacific CBR Congress logo
The 1st Asia– Pacific CBR Congress " Community ? based Inclusive Development: Persons with disabilities and their families" to be held at the Prince Palace Hotel, Bangkok from 18 to 20 February 2009.

With collaboration among the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS), WHO, Foundation of Asia– Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD Foundation) and UNESCAP and with great support from many stakeholders including international and national organizations,

More information will be obtained from the following site;
http://www.cbr-asiapacific.org/

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Disabled person force to buy bus ticket for wheelchair

CHENNAI, 11 Feb: When Rajiv Rajan, coordinator of Vidyasagar' s disability legislation unit, boarded a bus at Parrys on Tuesday evening, he didn' t expect the conductor to make a fuss about his wheelchair.

The conductor of the 21G deluxe bus refused to let Rajiv and his escort Manjunathan travel to Kotturpuram unless they paid extra " luggage charges" for Rajiv' s wheelchair.

" The wheelchair serves as my legs. How can they charge extra for it?" says Rajiv, who has cerebral palsy. Rajiv had to pay an extra Rs 10 for his wheelchair, above the Rs 10 for his ticket.

MTC general manager M Babu says extra charges are never collected from disabled people. " We do not charge extra for wheelchairs, calipers and other appliances. In fact, conductors are supposed to get down from the bus and help disabled people," he says. " We will look into the incident and take strict action," he added.

Organisations working with for the rights of disabled people say they receive many complaints about bus drivers and conductors ill– treating disabled people. " The MTC director sent us a letter in 2005 assuring us that disabled people would not be charged for aids and appliances," says Simha Chandran, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Handicapped Federation and member of disabled welfare board.

He had written to MTC after they received a number of complaints about conductors collecting luggage charges for aids. " We told them that under the Persons With Disabilities Act, 1995, aids and appliances are not to be considered luggage and charged extra. But we still get complaints," he says.

Rajiv says there is often a communication gap between officials and the crew. " It is probably not the fault of the conductor. He might not have been aware of the rules," he says.

But MTC' s Babu says " Our staff have been trained to be sensitive to the needs of all people with special needs. We will conduct an enquiry and the person responsible will be suspended. This kind of incident should not occur again," he said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Drumming up support for disabled people

WE' RE still wondering if it his music, his absolutely wacky sense of style or that warm demeanor, that makes him such a hit with kids.

The Shakti Foundation office suddenly sprang to life as the bunch of eight special children, who had appeared timid till about an hour ago, sat up and filled the air with the energetic, rhythmic beat of the drums, as Sivamani walked in. And typically him, it was just a minute or two before he joined him in their music and began playing along.

The man of rhythm was indeed welcomed befittingly.

Sivamani, who would once again be performing for this year' s edition of Shakti Foundation' s annual fundraiser, Ghananjani 2009, is all geared up to share the stage with Zakir Hussain, U Shrinivas, Dominique Di Piazza from France and Stephen Devassy.

' ' Over the years I' ve seen the kind of work Shakti Foundation does and it' s beautiful. I only want more people to come in front and join the cause,' ' he said.

Sivamani has been associated with Shakti Foundation from the year 2000 and has performed for its other annual editions like Hitwswaram.

It' s world music, like always. This year, we will be doing pieces from Shrinivas' s album my solo would be from my album Mahalila.

Shrinivasji has a beautiful Carnatic background, Ustad is a legend and Dominique and Stephen will perfectly complete us,' ' he gushes, adding that he can' t wait for the D– day.

Those who have watched him play would know that he not just plunges into a trance himself, but takes the crowd along.

' I pray to my gurus and meditate before I step on the stage. But once I begin playing, I loose track of what' s happening around me, who is saying what, doing what; I just don' t know. It' s not me who is playing, it' s some sort of magic.' ' The cause and the people add to the high, he said. ' ' For instance, while playing for Chennai Sangamam, I stopped playing and let the folk artists take the lead.

I saw that the magic of the sound increased.' ' For Vasanth Raghuvir of Shakti Foundation the year ahead holds plans of working with the Madras Government to implement the Persons with Disability act, among other things. ' ' I can definitely see the growing success of the music confluence fulfilling the Velan' s (her late son who passed away in 1998 due to muscular dystrophy, in whose memory she started the foundation) cause.

I' m just hoping more and more people get sensitised,' ' she says. Ghananjali 2009 will be performed on February 21 at The Music Academy at 6.15 p.m. Donor passes are available at The Shakti Foundation, No 9, Manikeswari Road, Kilpauk.

Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com

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Kerala Round Table Conference on intellectual disabilities

Parivar, the National Federation of Parents' Associations for Persons with Mental Retardation, Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Disabilities, the State Council for Exceptional Children and CBM International will jointly the organise the Kerala Round Table Conference – 2009 at Hotel Residency Tower here on February 12 to discuss the problems being faced by intellectually disabled children and their parents.

Addressing a news conference here on Tuesday, State Federation of Parents' Associations general secretary P.B. George said that planning experts, legislators, people' s representatives, department heads, NGO representatives and academic and technical experts will sit together to find solutions to the problems being faced by intellectual and disabled children. He said the round table conference would also consider appointing a permanent committee to prepare an action plan for this purpose.

There are 5% disabled people in India and around three lakh people in the State are intellectual disability.

The Central Government has enacted certain legislations like the PD Act 1995, National Trust Act 1999 and Rehabilitation Council of India Act (RCI) to ensure the protection of the rights of intellectually disabled children. Besides, India has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). But due to practical difficulties, the disabled children are denied many of their rights even now.

George pointed out that despite the efforts of NGOs to provide support for disabled children, the Government had not taken earnest efforts in this direction. There is only one State Institute for Mentally Challenged. He said it was important to start special schools and teachers' training institutes for the welfare of disabled children.

As the parents of intellectually disabled children had to give up their jobs to dedicate their time to look after the children, their families should be given special consideration, George said. He demanded that the Government should hike the pension for intellectually disabled people to Rs 1,000.

Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com

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Encouraging Achievers with Disability

ABILITY Foundation, a non profit organisation for people with disabilities, isn't for special concessions for disabled people. Seeing them as an integral part of the society, it honours those who are successful, despite their 'disability'.

Over 200 such disabled contenders were considered as part of the seventh CavinKare Ability Awards, for Achievers with Disability, of which two were finalised on Saturday. The jury included AR Rahman, who has associated himself with the cause earlier as the Guest of Honour twice, filmmakers Radhamohan and Revathy, Dr Mohini Giri, chairperson, Guild of Service, and N Murali, managing director, The Hindu. The jury members met the media persons to inform about the awards and the selection process.

AR Rahman, who was the cynosure of all eyes, and his Oscar nominations, dominated the speeches of the jury and the organisers, who wished him luck to clinch the coveted honour. "The work they do at Ability Foundation is inspiring, which is why I chose attending this event over attending a dinner for all BAFTA nominees scheduled for tonight," he declared. "My association with Ability Foundation dates to the time I did Mozhi, which deal with a disabled heroine," added director Radhamohan, who said they did commendable work in honouring people who overcome difficulties.

The awards include two categories, the award for Eminence and Mastery Awards. The former, instituted for one achiever, carries a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 2 lakhs. The CavinKare Ability Mastery Awards will be given to two such achievers, and includes a trophy and cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.

The awards will be given out at a grand ceremony early next month.

Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com

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Computer course for visually impaired student

KANPUR, 9 Feb 2009: Here's a piece of good news for visually impaired individuals –wanting to seek a computer course. Dr Ambedkar Institute of Technology for Handicapped will start a diploma course in computer science for visually impaired students.

Going by the Institute Director, Rakesh Kumar Trivedi, the proposal for initiating the diploma course has been sent to the state government and the classes for the same are expected to begin from the next session (2009–10), given that the proposal gets a final nod from the government.

Interestingly, the visually impaired students after passing their high school can take admission into this three–year diploma course. The director said, "initially, over 40 seats would be allotted to the students with visual impairment. These students would be given the computer training through special software meant to produce the sound with the letter typed on the keyboard."

Specially designed software would also facilitate the students to learn directly from the computer software and no use of the text books in Braille language would thus, not be required.

However, the absence of proper infrastructure for the visually impaired is proving to be a major hindrance for the start of the course, director said. "A barrier–free building is required in the institute for the easy movement of blind students. Once, the infrastructure is established for them, it would provide a hassle–free movement for such students in the campus," said Trivedi.

It is worthy mentioning here that the institute has been providing technical education through its BTech and MTech courses to the physically disabled students and has been churning out quality architects and engineers. The diploma computer course for visually impaired students would thus be another step forward for the upliftment of such children.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Disabled children have plethora of options, counsels CBSE helpline

New Delhi 9 Feb: When the parents of a visually–impaired student in class IV called the CBSE counselling helpline, they learnt about the plethora of options and the kind of facilities available for disabled students in the board exams.

CBSE Logo
The father of a dyslexic class X student called the helpline to discuss his daughter's reluctance to engage a writer for the boards for fear of being singled out, and he discovered the lengths the board was going to help such children take their exams without facing any discomfort.

The CBSE's board exam helplines, which opened on February 1, now have four special educators to cater to the needs of disabled children. Counsellors, however, say that the requirements of the disabled children are not very different from the rest.

"The most important issues mentioned in the calls are problems of concentration or confidence. These are not problems exclusive to any group of students," says Vinita Kaul, who has been working with helplines for students for the past six years.

Geetanjali Kumar, who has been counselling students for the past 11 years, also says the basic difficulties faced by students are similar. "A child who is physically or visually challenged or has auditory impairment gets used to the impairment by the time he or she reaches this stage. A slight difficulty might arise with children who have learning disabilities, and even there, we can help them overcome fears and counsel parents," says Kumar.

The bigger challenge is for the children with learning disabilities, she says, because disabled students learn to work around their disability. "There are so many visually and hearing–impaired students who get good marks every year because their problems are identified and dealt with at an early stage," says Kumar. The target scores for disabled students, say counsellors, may be slightly lower than regular students. "Parents should not pressure such children or make them feel that there is something wrong with them," says Kaul. Regular students who have not concentrated on their studies in a planned manner also face the same concentration and confidence problems, she adds.

Children with learning disabilities may need more frequent breaks while studying, and the CBSE allows them a number of exemptions. "Students with dyscalculia can choose not to take math, the CBSE also allows them extra time for the exam, and a writer can also be engaged for the dyslexic or autistic children," says Kumar. Rama Sharma, CBSE spokesperson, says that the special educators have been roped in as part of a pilot project. The growing number of special educators in schools and the large number of disabled students on the CBSE rolls is a reason for the initiative.

"We have to analyse how far this addition to the counselling helplines helps students," says Sharma. More information about the helplines is available on the CBSE website www.cbse.nic.in. The special educator in Delhi, Shweta Khanna, can be reached at 9717882074. The special helpline is open from 8 am to noon every day. For parents of children with learning disabilities
Do not make the child feel that there is something wrong with him/her. Setting a lower score target also eases pressure
Do not rush the child. Most children with learning disabilities need more frequent breaks, shorter sections to cover
Help them develop a multi–sensory approach to studies. Reading, reading aloud, writing, rhymes etc all need to be used
For children with dyslexia/dyscalculia/autism etc, CBSE allows exemptions in the number of subjects
Writers can be arranged for students with dyslexia
Ensure multiple revisions. Especially for children with attention deficit disorders

For children with physical or visual impairment
Writers can be arranged for the disabled children through the CBSE. Guidelines are available on the CBSE website www.cbse.nic.in.
Braille books, recording of lessons, repetition, can all be used
There are separate questions given for the visually challenged students in the exam paper to compensate for the map based/ visual questions

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com

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USF developing smart wheelchair for persons with disabilities

Many people in this world suffer from severely debilitating syndromes leaving them paralyzed and completely dependent on the assistance of others. Some advances, like automated wheelchairs that use special input devices, have helped to increase the quality of life for these folks. To push the assistive technology even further, the University of South Florida (USF) researchers are working on refining a wheelchair that has its own mechanical arm. The system uses EEG to read one's brain waves and sends translated signals to the roboarm, directing it to move accordingly.

Smart Wheelchair
From the USF news office reports that the BCI system developed, used and modified by USF psychology professor Emanuel Donchin and colleagues ? captures P–300 brain wave responses and converts them to actions. Donchin and colleagues harnessed the P–300 brain signal to allow the user to "type" on a virtual keyboard by thinking with the P–300 response serving as the virtual "finger" for patients who cannot move, such as those with locked–in syndrome or those with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS). Researchers in the USF Department of Mechanical Engineering's Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, in collaboration with the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory in the Department of Psychology, modified the BCI further to fit a specific WMRA requirement.

"We modified the BCI system to display a matrix of several options that include actions or directions that the user would like to have the WMRA perform," said Redwan Alqasemi, a researcher in the USF Department of Mechanical Engineering's Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology.

"The user wears a head cap fitted with electrodes to measure P–300 electroencephalogram (EEG) activities in the brain. While the movement options intensify on a screen and flash at certain frequencies, the user concentrates on the option desired to trigger the desired P–300 brain signal. The electrodes detect the signal, relate it to the desired action, then, the WMRA control system translates the brain signal to the robotic arm, which carries out the desired movements," said Alqasemi.

Smart Wheelchair
Early testing by human users has shown that the WMRA can be controlled "without the user moving a muscle." The WMRA does not use any pre–programmed movements unless chosen by the user.

According to Rajiv Dubey, professor and chair of the USF Department of Mechanical Engineering, and director of the Center for Rehabilitation Engineering & Technology, the design of intelligent therapeutic and assistive robotic systems such as the WMRA is based on sensor–fusion technology that is used to map limited human input into complex motion using "sensor–assisted scaled teleoperation."

"Our Rehabilitation Engineering & Technology Program is aimed at designing and developing rehabilitation robotic systems that maximize the manipulation and mobility functions of persons with disabilities," said Dubey. "The result will be that mobility–impaired persons can live more independently, with improved quality of life and even better employment outcomes."

The WMRA holds particular promise for persons suffering from "locked–in syndrome," a totally paralytic condition that leaves people unable to move but intellectually normal, a condition that has gained greater attention thanks to the book and subsequent movie The Diving–Bell and the Butterfly. Even in its development stage, the WMRA offers hope for a better quality of life for people with all levels of mobility challenges.

Source: www.medgadget.com

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State to honour individuals for helping persons with disabilities

BANGALORE, 9 Feb: The government's department for disabled people and senior citizens has announced winners of the 2008–09 edition of its annual awards."One organization, six individuals and five teachers have been honoured," women and child welfare minister P M Narendraswamy said on Sunday.

Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa will distribute the awards. The organizations will bag Rs 25,000 each, while the awards for individuals are Rs 15,000 each.

Narendraswamy also felicitated Master Kishan, the world's youngest film director who won the national award for exceptional achievement in 2008. The award has been instituted by the Union women and child development ministry.

Winners

Organization working in the field of disability

JSS (Bangalore)

Individuals working in the field of disability

Prahlad Desai (Bangalore)

Imtiaz Ahmed (Ranebennur)

Lakshmana Sathappa Magadumma (Belgaum)

G H Tulasidhar (Bangalore)

H P Uma (Bangalore)

V P Krishna (Bangalore)

Teachers working in special schools

Hemalatha C (Tumkur)

Kasthuri (Mangalore)

Ramesh (Chikkaballapur)

Ashok Kumar P (Mangalore)

Vijayalakshmi Yellappa Kalal (Gangavathi

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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New technology opens up the world for hearing–impaired students

Hearing–impaired students at Charleston High School, Middle School and Jefferson Elementary School recently were able to use the latest technology has to offer.

It was their first time to use the video relay service that is now available at all three schools.

The Sorenson Video Relay Service is a free 24–hour service for the deaf and hard–of–hearing community that allows them to place phone calls in order to do business, as well as communicate with friends.

"There's so much new technology and, of course, with cell phone texting, the hearing impaired can do things any other teen can do," said Mary Gherardini, principal of the hearing impaired program.

The TTY, a text telephone, with its keyboard, message display, and light that announces incoming messages, has been around for a long time, and it keeps students connected.

And now, technology has provided the video phone and the Video Relay Service that connects them not only to those who are also hearing impaired, but to hearing friends and family members as well through a high–speed Internet connection, a camera, and the telephone.

The video phone is connected either to a television or personal computer equipped with a Web camera and the necessary software.

At CHS last week, hearing impaired students who are mainstreamed into the careers in applied technology class and their classmates tried out the new VRS system, interviewing each other through a relay interpreter.

A hearing–impaired student signed a message on camera to the interpreter, who appeared on a television screen. The interpreter then telephoned the classroom and talked to a hearing student.

The interpreter translated the student's questions into sign language for the hearing–impaired student and then relayed his answers by phone to the hearing student, allowing an interview to take place amid much laughter and teasing. The VRS interpreter uses American Sign Language.

"ASL is considered a foreign language, and just like any foreign language, the syntax is different," Gherardini said. "ASL is a beautiful language where one sign can mean different things.

"There's a lot of gesturing and movements mean something. The word order is not the English word order.

"ASL is taught in universities as a foreign language credit," she said. "It really is the language of the deaf."

Gherardini said it was sad that after school, hearing–impaired students ? some of whom ride the bus an hour or more every morning and afternoon ? couldn't talk to their friends.

"When they went home, they couldn't call on the phone like adolescents and teenagers do," she said. "Communicating with each other is a big part of teenagers' lives and they were never able to do that.

"When TTYs came, the world opened up to them. I've had deaf people tell me they didn't feel so isolated anymore."

The biggest problem, Gherardini said, was when the person needed to call to a speaking person ? to call 911, call the police, or to make an appointment.

"So then there was also a relay system. The relay was a central place that had an operator who also had a TTY. The operator would get the message and relay it to the doctor or the police or whomever needed to be called," she said.

"Now, because of all the new technology, the hearing impaired can communicate with anyone and it's not isolating or limiting in any way.

"We've come to the next level with the video phone and the VRS," Gherardini said. "Messages come across in letters like with the TTYs. Instead, you see the person signing and for the very young person who doesn't know the keyboard or for the person who has lost dexterity for some reason and can't type, this is great."

The Hearing–Impaired Program has been in the Charleston schools for more than 30 years, Gherardini said.

"It started with four children whose parents wanted them to be able to stay at home and go to school locally, not go to Jacksonville to the Illinois School for the Deaf. From that, it grew to the preschool through high school that we have here today."

The Hearing–Impaired Program through the Eastern Illinois Area Special Education Cooperative serves children in 29 school districts in eight counties.

"Some students have most of their classes in the hearing impaired classroom," Gherardini said.

"In the elementary grades we try to give them as much language as we can ? everything they need academically, plus the signing, so they will learn to the maximum extent.

"As they get older, if they're at grade level, we mainstream them with an interpreter. An interpreter might go to a classroom with two students. We also have interpreters who go with just one student," she said.

"If we have a student who takes trigonometry and the others don't, the interpreter goes with that one. This year, we have a student who wants to take Spanish, so there will be one student, one interpreter."

The goal of the program is to meet the individual needs of every hearing–impaired student, Gherardini said.

"The students succeed. They graduate and go on to training programs, community colleges and universities. They have options."

Source: http://www.jg-tc.com

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DIAL's unique facility for passengers with Special Needs at Delhi Airport

New Delhi, 6 Feb:'Contact Zone' – a first of its kind service at Indian Airports, has been set up by Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) to provide facilities for passengers with special needs – passing through IGI Airport. These would include Wheelchair assistance for disabled passengers, assistance for unaccompanied minors amongst others.

The Contact Zone has been established near Gate #1 of Terminal 2 (International) at IGI Airport. This initiative is part of DIAL'S effort to make the passengers' experience at IGI Airport smooth and hassle free. Currently, facilitation for passengers requiring special assistance is coordinated directly by the airline. However, as those accompanying the passengers are not allowed inside the terminal – passengers often face difficulty in the drop off zone.

The 'Contact Zone' is aimed at bridging this gap by facilitating the coordination between the airlines and the traveller. DIAL has reserved two parking bay slots for vehicles at the Contact Zone for passengers requiring Wheel Chair assistance. DIAL'S Customer Service Executives and porters have been deputed for coordination and facilitation at 'Contact Zone'. Additional staff is also available on call if the situations require it. While the passengers wait in the special area provided, the Executive posted at the Contact Zone will in turn contact the concerned airline for deputing their staff for help complete the departure formalities.

Additionally, DIAL has requested the airlines to depute staff to frequently visit the drop off Zone or coordinate with the customer service desk at 'Contact Zone'. This facility will also be extended to the new domestic departure terminals. Further, DIAL has deployed number of traffic marshals and customer care executives on the city side, who guide passenger vehicles and help passengers reach their respective entry gates.

Source: Equity Bulls

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Disabled people create solutions

CHENNAI: Gabriel, who is in his late twenties and who has polio since childhood, is busy checking a motorised wheelchair in a factory on the outskirts of the city. "I have been working here for the past six years and each day is filled with new challenges. Each wheelchair is different primarily on account of customer requirements and over the years, I have learnt different aspects ranging from design, R&D and testing," he says.

Gabriel's work is not restricted to the factory alone. He also makes outstation trips to take customer orders, deliver wheelchairs and provide after sales service. "Of the 30 people working in our company, 22 are disabled people and since people like Gabriel know the problem of disability first hand, they are involved in the making of such devices," says Bhargav Sundaram, chief executive, Callidai Motor Works.

There are 60 million disabled people in India – or roughly 6% of the population. Callidai is one of the many companies that provides solutions for disabled people such as building them ramps and designing wheelchairs. The company is in the business of providing solutions due to neurological disorders that result in mobility related problems. As for Sundaram, automobiles and machines have always been a passion considering that he hails from the Enfield family and his grandfather was industrialist K R Sundaram Iyer.

Callidai, which began operations in 1998, is in the business of providing customised solutions for disabled people. "That's because even if two persons are afflicted with the same disease, the nature of disability and mobility varies. For example, one person suffering from Parkinson's may have hand tremors while another one would have tremors in his feet. So the needs of these people are entirely different," explains Sundaram.

Over the last decade, the company has delivered 4,000 different customised equipment for people with walking difficulties. Apart from motor–powered wheelchairs, Callidai has also developed vertical lifts, lifting devices, platform devices and staircase lifts.

"While designing the product, we keep in mind, measurements (the type of wheelchair depends on the built of the person), features (which vary from individual to individual. Some are comfortable with joystick operated devices, while others go in for push button ones), place (home or outside where the wheelchair would be extensively used. The wheel alignment will accordingly change here), requirements of the care giver and affordability.

The company has also built vertical lifts in private compounds in some homes in Chennai. It has also developed a motorised three–wheeler for road use wherein the seat is the wheelchair but the front portion is a scooter complete with gears and headlights. The company has sold six of these. "Its definitely moved out of the laboratory," says Sundaram. Callidai has also developed a steering wheel with a lever in front that has the ABC (accelerator, brake and clutch) so that users can operate the same with their hands while driving the car. The warranty for such products is usually one year and the company has a dedicated team of technicians across the country.

The latest addition is a stand up wheelchair. A sitting posture makes people prone to many indirect problems which in turn reduces the quality of their life. "For instance, ulcer is one such problem. The only position where you can avoid pressure and have full blood circulation is when you are standing. If a wheelchair user is to maintain good health and quality of life, standing up on a regular basis is necessary," explains Sundaram.

Sundaram says that the market potential for such products and devices is huge. The company is planning to close this year with Rs 2.5 crore in turnover. "We are growing at 30% year on year and the business is profitable," he says.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Disabled students can call special helplines

New Delhi : Special children have special needs. So for the first time the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has designated educators to answer the queries of disabled students who are taking the crucial Class 10 and Class 12 board exams.

Four special educators figure in the list of 43 counsellors who will help students and parents overcome anxiety and stress during the board exams, which often prove nerve–wracking for students. This year the exams begin March 2.

"Realising the specific needs of disabled children taking the board exams for Class 10 and Class 12, for the first time we have included special educators to take care of them," Rama Sharma, CBSE public relations officer, told IANS.

Like all the counsellors, the special educators are available online as well as on telephone from centres located in Mumbai and Delhi from Feb 1 to April 2. However, most queries are expected to start coming in about 15 days before the exams begin.

"Parents and children with special needs can call the number and get all their problems and doubts related to board exams cleared," Sharma said.

M.R. Shipley, a special educator in Mumbai, said counselling disabled children requires a lot of patience and love.

"I empathise with them and try to step into their shoes to make them understand how to overcome problems during exams. I tell them nothing is wrong with them and try to boost their confidence so that the child is not under kind of pressure or demoralised," said Shipley.

She is a counsellor with the Apeejay chain of schools and a CBSE resource person for the Adolescent Education Programme.

The special educators are more polite while dealing with disabled children, they also try to talk to the parents and explain the facilities provided by the CBSE to such children.

The CBSE offers exemptions to disabled people, spastic and dyslexic candidates taking the month–long board exams.

"Concessions to disabled and dyslexic students are in the form of extra time – they have 60 more minutes to write the exam, a writer in the board exam and flexibility in subject choice at secondary level," said Heetal Sayla, a CBSE special educator.

Sayla, who had worked with the Learning Disability clinic of the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Mumbai, said: "For me, it will be a new experience as I am catering to the CBSE helpline for the first time.

"These kids should be looked up with love and patience and encouraged. I know many specially–abled students who perform quite well in their exams after counselling."

The CBSE has also given special training to teachers for marking criteria for such children in board exams.

Another counsellor, Abha Sharma, said disabled kids are really vocal and there is a need to understand their strong abilities.

"It is difficult to completely understand the children in tele–counselling. At times you need to talk to both the parents and children to make things easier for them," said Sharma.

The helplines are Abha Sharma, Mumbai, 9967800337, M.R Shipley, Mumbai, 9833950896, Hetal Sayla, Mumbai, 9819209623, and Shweta Khanna, Delhi, 9717882074.

The online address to get queries resolved is www.cbse.nic.in.

Last year, 1.31 million children appeared for the Class 10 and Class 12 board exams. Of them, students with special needs made up 0.17 percent.

Source: http://www.hindu.com

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Leprosy drug holds promise for treating multiple sclerosis

A century–old antibiotic used to treat leprosy may prove effective as a treatment for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, Johns Hopkins researchers say.

They screened thousands of U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs and identified clofazimine, created in the 1890s, as a drug that targets a molecular pathway that plays an important role in guiding the body's immune response.

"We never expected that an old antibiotic would hit this target that has been implicated in multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and type 1 diabetes," Jun O. Liu, a professor of pharmacology and molecular science, said in a Johns Hopkins news release. "People have been working for years and spending tens of millions of dollars on developing a drug to inhibit a specific molecular target involved in these diseases, and here we have a safe, known drug that hits that target."

The study was published in the journal PLoS One.

"Until now, clofazimine's presumed target was not human cells, but bacteria. But we discovered the drug has a tremendous effect on human immune cells that are heavily involved in both the initiation and execution of an effective immune response," Liu said.

The prolonged accumulation of calcium inside of immune cells is one of the key steps involved in turning on the body's immune response. The researchers found that clofazimine blocks the flow of calcium into immune cells and tamps down the presence of calcium in the cells, actions that short–circuit the signaling pathway involved in autoimmune diseases. /

Source: http://health.usnews.com

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600 hearing impaired in mainstream schools

CHENNAI, 05 Feb: Balavidyalaya school for the young deaf children on Wednesday celebrated its 39th annual day taking credit for rehabilitating about 600 hearing impaired children and putting them in mainstream schools.

"We are very happy to see our students doing very well in life across all professions.," said Dr Meera Suresh, hon. vice– principal, while addresing a gathering in the occasion on Wednesday.

Geetha Jeevan, State Minister of Social Welfare, said Blavidyalaya was entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring and training the staff who worked in the Tamil Nadu Government's early intervention project for children with hearing impairment across the 31 districts of the state.

Balavidyalaya runs an institute of teachers training, which offers a one –year diploma in teaching the young hearing impaired

Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com

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Pension extended to widows, severe disabled people

New Delhi, Feb 5: Widows in the age group of 40–64 and persons with severe and multiple disabilities between 18 and 64 years will be now be entitled for a monthly pension of Rs 200. The Congress–led UPA government today approved the expansion of National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), meant for the population below the poverty line, to include the new beneficiaries under its ambit.

While the scheme for the widows would be called "Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme' (IGNWPS), those with disabilities would be benefited under 'Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme' (IGNDPS).

An estimated 1.57 crore persons, who are 65 years and above, have already been covered under Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) which was launched on the former Prime Minister's birthday in 2007. The NSAP programme would now consist of three schemes – IGNOAPS, IGNWPS and IGNDPS. In another decision, which can be viewed as one made for appeasing the voters before the model code of conduct is implemented, the cabinet today sanctioned an additional Rs 500 crore to the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) in order to undertake Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations to protect the farmers' interests in the event of domestic market prices of raw cotton ruling below the MSP.

The government said the cabinet approved the allocation of supplementary non–plan budgetary grant to the tune of Rs 500 crore in the current fiscal to meet the commitment towards reimbursement of losses.

The implementation of the decision will enable CCI for smooth conduct of MSP operations during the current cotton season, the government said. The cabinet also approved the proposal to set up two AIIMS–like institutions in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, in the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana . Estimated cost of each such institution is Rs 823 crore. Besides, it approved that the Government Medical College, Amritsar, Government Medical College, Tanda in HP, Government Medical College, Madurai, Government Medical College, Nagpur, and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College of Aligarh Muslim University will be upgraded. Proposal for upgrading a medical college in Haryana has also been approved "in principle" subject to the state government agreeing to carry out its obligations.

Sprucing up of each medical college will be done at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore, out of which the central government will contribute Rs 125 crore, while the rest of the amount would be borne by the respective state governments. In case of Aligarh Muslim University, the HRD Ministry will provide Rs 25 crore.

Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com

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Laws that protect persons with disabilities rarely used

PANAJI, 5 Feb: Life is no cakewalk for persons with disabilities in Goa. A janata darbar organised by the Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) in Margao and Panaji recently, has revealed that not only are biases still rampant, most people are unaware of the laws that are meant to protect persons with disabilities.

Addressing mediapersons on Wednesday, Avelino de Sa, president of DRAG, said, "Despite the law being in place, the disabled continue to be ignored or sidelined. Many who have been in government jobs for the last 20 years have not got promotions and there are also cases where there is use of abusive language and derogatory remarks towards disabled people."

The darbars saw persons with disabilities complain about not getting government jobs despite reservations and several interviews, not being given plots in housing board colonies and communicates even though a 3% reservation exists for them, religious places not being accessible and people using abusive language and derogatory remarks towards them, he said.

Meter readers in the electricity department face most problems, alleged Avelino. "When some complained about being forced to go on outdoor duty for meter readings inspite of their disability, the superior asked them to give the same in writing so that they could terminate their services as they were unfit for work. We are shocked that even after 12 years of the Disability Act the government departments are not aware of Section 47 that states that a disabled person cannot be terminated from service due to his disability," he said.

He added that there is no exemption in Value Added Tax on aids and appliances and vehicles for the disabled even though the Goa Sales Tax has such exemptions. There are no separate queues for disabled in hospitals like the Goa Medical College and for bill payment facilities such as electricity and water. Some Kadamba buses do not have the mandatory reserved seats for persons with disabilities and if present, the seats are often occupied by a non–disabled person, alleged Avelino.

"Disabled@people at the darbar also demanded that travel concessions for the disabled should extend to the KTC's shuttle services and to private bus operators as well. They also wanted reservations for persons with disabilities in shops at the bus stands, market complexes, railways and industrial estates," he added.

The darbars were held to understand and find a solution to end the grievances of persons with disabilities. All the issues raised in the darbar will be taken up with the government by DRAG, said Avelino.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Film Fest on disability issues commences in Delhi

NEW DELHI, 4 Feb: It is necessary to create awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities and to treat them as members of the mainstream society if they are to contribute their bit to nation–building.

This sentiment was expressed by most speakers who addressed the inauguration of the 6th We Care Film Festival on disability issues, which opened in the capital this morning.

The four–day festival with 29 films from six countries including India has been organised by the National Trust and the non–governmental organisation Brotherhood in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), New Delhi, Oxfam India and the Asian Academy of Film and Television at Siri Fort Auditorium–2.

Children's Film Society India chairperson Nafisa Ali said that it was most important that the differently enabled get support from their families, the government and non–governmental institutions. She said life was the most important gift of God and humans should 'join and celebrate this' by making a change.

She stated that the government should act more aggressively and there should be political will. As an example, she said films for children screened by CFSI had been made free of charge because of the initiative taken by then Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi. She further said that the CFSI was now showing films that were enabled for the hearing or visual impaired.

Shalini Dewan, director of the UN Information Centre, said the world body was marking sixty years of Universal Declaration of Human Rights and one year of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) which was passed on 3 May last year. She said the aim should be to give equal rights to all and not discriminate those who were persons with disabilities.

She therefore said while it was important to provide amenities like opportunities, wheelchairs and hearing aids etc., it was equally important to show meaningful films that sent the correct messages and created awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities. Noting that the festival had films from different countries, she said they would be judged on not only artistic merit but also as a starting point to start a movement for awareness.

Kunal Verma, director of marketing and communication in Oxfam India, said the marginalisation of disabled people has to end and a change has to be brought about in the mindsets of the people by 'bringing down mental barbed wires'.

The Festival showcases films which portray people with disabilities as role models living life with dignity and independence. Besides the Inaugural film from Manipur, there will be premier of films from Unites States and Philippines and also screening of documentaries from United Kingdom, Spain, and Israel and from various parts of India, all highlighting the positive contribution of people with disabilities to society.

The festival aims to reach out to children, college students and people working in the corporate sector with the message of inclusion ? that people with disabilities can be part and parcel of the country's economic and social growth. Research shows that in most countries, the majority of children with disabilities do not know any disabled adults and, consequently, many have a difficult time in imagining their future. This film festival is an opportunity for children with disabilities to observe adults with disabilities undertaking a wide variety of activities and leading a dignified and independent life. This film festival, in effect, will give an opportunity to children with disability to imagine their future and will introduce positive role models.

22 out of 29 documentaries have been especially made for the festival by the filmmakers, students of Mass Communication, Journalism and filmmaking institutions from India and abroad. The festival also has documentaries from various parts of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Manipur, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Pune, Bangalore, Kerala etc in all the competitive categories up to one minute, five minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes.

Source: http://www.indiantelevision.com

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Mayor's Cup cricket tourney for disabled people

Mumbai, Feb 3: The Mayor's Cup cricket tournament for disabled people will be held at the Dadar Shivji Park ground here on February 26 and 27.

The tournament will see teams from Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Rajasthan and Gujarat vying for top honours, a release issued here today stated.

Apart from these four teams, 13 other teams from Mumbai will also be participating in the tournament, the release added.

Source: http://www.deepikaglobal.com

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Rehab centre for persons with disabilities

IMPHAL, Feb 2: A rehabilitation centre for disabled people is being opened at the Shija Hospital complex at Langol in Imphal. The centre is likely to come up by March 2009.

This was disclosed at a press conference conducted at the Shija conference hall today. The centre will be the first of its kind in the whole of the north east and is a joint effort of the Shija Healthcare, under Shija Research Centre, Langol and Sweekar, an academy of rehabilitation sciences based at Secunderabad.

During the press briefing, Dr. P Hanumantha Rao, founder and chairman of Sweekar said that the centre would bring a ray of hope to disabled people and make them disabled people.

There are many unfortunate children who are handicapped and disabled people and these children and their parents don`t know what to do or where to go, he said.

With the opening of the rehabilitation centre such people need not run around after different specialists, he said adding that they can obtain all types of services from one place only.

He further observed that early intervention was the best treatment and children should be analysed and diagnosed from birth onwards. He also said that Sweekar was a non–profit, non–commercial voluntary organisation.

The managing director of Shija Research Centre, Dr. Palin said that Manipur had many professionals in the field along with all the infrastructure required for opening the centre.

He believed the program would be a success and said the centre for disabled people was expected to open by March this year.

Source: http://www.kanglaonline.com

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Workshop for Web Developers on Web Accessibility

Solution Exchange, an initiative of the United Nations Agencies in India, and The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) are organizing a workshop on web accessibility for web developers from organizations in the public and private sector, with the support of The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). The workshop will be held in Delhi from February 16th-18th, 2009. CIS' media partner for the event is Disability News India (DNI)

This workshop, which will feature seven trainers and about thirty participants, is the first one of its kind, bringing together practitioners from NIC and other government departments, as well as from small and medium enterprises across the country. The primary aim of this workshop is to demonstrate the importance of creating accessible web sites and to educate the developers of government and private web sites on how to incorporate accessibility features into new as well as existing web sites.

The training will comprise both theory–oriented and practical sessions. The trainers will be specialists in various aspects of web accessibility. The main focus will be on WCAG 2.0 guidelines. The participants will be persons already involved in developing web sites with good knowledge of HTML, XML, CSS, etc. The workshop will in a sense not only help in training web developers in accessibility, but will also attempt to increase capacity building by training potential accessibility trainers. There will also be a session where key persons involved in the working groups on accessibility, e–governance architecture and open standards will share the National Informatics Centre perspective.

Many of the sessions will be documented as lessons on accessibility and put up on the CIS web site. As part of the outcome of the workshop, five inaccessible government web sites will be identified and taken up for retrofitting with accessibility features within the next few months.

In its move to support web accessibility, NIXI has already undertaken the translation of the WCAG 2.0 standards into Hindi––the first translation of the WCAG into any Indian language. This is intended to aid web developers in the need for creating accessible web sites.

The workshop will be held in the Human Resource Development Centre Building of the CSIR in Ghaziabad.

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Persons with disabilities to get booths

CHANDIGARH, 3 Feb: The UT administration has decided to frame a special scheme of providing booths to persons with disabilities at nominal rent. The scheme, likely to be notified soon, aims at empowering the poor and disadvantage section of the society.

Decision in this regard was taken by UT administrator Gen (retd) SF Rodrigues, who directed finance secretary Sanjay Kumar to frame a scheme in such a manner that there is not much burden on disabled people who would be the beneficiaries of the scheme. He asked the officials to treat such scheme not on financial viability but as a social obligation of the government towards people who are not only poor but disadvantaged too.

The scheme would have features whereby commercial booths will be given to disabled persons on nominal rent. Priority will be given to persons with 80% or above disability, although persons who have 40% or above disability would be eligible for the scheme.

The administration will begin the scheme by allotting existing available booths and in the future, depending on the demand, Chandigarh Housing Board is likely to construct booths in such a manner that the ground floor booths could be given to these persons.

There is likelihood of demand of about 500 booths in this category and large numbers of disabled persons have been meeting the administrator for help, as a result of which the scheme has been conceptualized.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Disabled people protest for 'rights'

KANPUR, 2 Feb: Disabled people of the city put forward a 20–point demand charter before the government during their protest on Monday. A rally was also taken out that was stopped by the police and it ended after the protesters handed over a memorandum to ADM Pravin Srivastava.

One of their demands was that instead of Rs 3,600, being paid by the government every year to disabled persons for a period of 42 years, the government should pay the entire sum at one go, which would amount to Rs 3,02,400, so that the person concerned could seek self–employment.

Other demands included that persons who were 40 per cent disabled and did not get the benefit of exemption of water tax, sewer tax and electricity rentals should be brought under the benefit category. In support of their demand, they pointed out that those with 40 per cent disability were eligible for free bus rides in Delhi.

Ensuring jobs for disabled people under NREGA and through backlog entry in BTC, providing them houses, were also on their demand list. They warned of an indefinite dharna from March 7 in Lucknow if their demands were not met.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Mothers of disabled children face abandonment by spouses

MUMBAI– Five–year–old Ahana, whose mother Anandita Mishra was stabbed to death by a jealous colleague in Navi Mumbai last September, is fighting for life in intensive care.

Her father, who works in Delhi, left the family several years ago, and has not even called after Anandita's death.

Her grandmother, Purnima Goswami, worrying about the child–who suffers from severe cerebral palsy – and says she does not know what it was that made her son–in–law leave, but fears that Ahana's disability could have been one of the factors.

Anandita's story is similar to that of scores of other women in the city, silently bringing up disabled children on their own after their husbands walked out, overwhelmed at having to deal with a child who could not see, talk or walk `normally'.

Abandonment occurs across the economic spectrum. In the shanties of Behrambaug in Jogeshwari, Zohra Charania (name changed) grimly watches her husband "enjoy life'' with his new bride.

Adding insult to injury, he has rebuilt his life in the same neighbourhood, close enough to observe her daily struggle, but at a safe distance when she needs support.

"Responsibility of any kind always repulsed him,'' says Zohra.

Expensive hearing aids, therapy sessions and the effort to rehabilitate the baby were not pieces that made up Charania's picture of an ideal family.

Kalpana Bhanushali's shares a similar story. Ten years ago, when she was just 20, Kalpana was abandoned by her husband, a salesman at a sari store in Vile Parle.

"My one–year–old son had just been diagnosed as deaf–mute, and a second baby was on the way,'' says the soft–spoken Kalpana, whose smile sits oddly but bravely with her traumatic past. Her second son was also born deaf.

"Both of them are a handful,'' she laughs dryly. "They keep me on my toes.''

The only silver lining is that Kalpana lives with her in–laws. "It gives the kids a sense of security," she says.

Military school seems easier than the strict regimen these women follow: four hours of sleep a day, no weekends and no breaks.

Both Zohra and Kalpana wake up before sunrise, cook and clean for the family, then drop their children to school.

"We would do all this even if our husbands were present, but the moral support would have helped,'' Kalpana smiles. For a disabled child, the abandonment is compounded by guilt and anguish.

Teenager Azeem Charania cannot understand why his mother does not make enough money for him to go on a holiday to Mahabaleshwar, like his friends do.

"At first he didn't understand that his father has taken a second wife, but now he watches the saas–bahu serials, so he knows,'' says Zohra.

But psychologists say that for a man to walk out of a marriage after the birth of a challenged child, some cracks would have to already exist in the relationship.

"In a patriarchal society like India, the tendency to blame the mother for a child's handicap does come into play. Bad marriages may crumble faster in such cases, but a happy, well–adjusted couple is more likely to bring up the child together,'' says clinical psychologist Narendra Kinger.

The Joshis can attest to this. Five–year–old Natasha Joshi was born deaf and mute, but the devotion showered upon her my her doting parents have done wonders. Her father Uday Joshi invests all his affection in his only child.

"My daughter is a part of my own flesh so I owe her the best of everything,'' he says. Vandana Hariname, an audiologist at the Shruti Intervention Centre – a special school for deaf–mute children in Vile Parle – holds up Joshi as an exemplary father.

"He takes care of her every need and is every bit as dedicated as the other. The results show, and Natasha is on her way to achieving near normalcy,'' she says.

Hariname, who has compared the progress of students from stable families with those from broken homes, says, "The emotional costs are, of course, vast. Not having a father definitely slows them down.''

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Asian Academy of Film and TV supports We Care filmfest

Asian Academy of film and Television supports all those events, which are concerned about the upliftment of society and create better awareness.'We Care Filmfest' will showcase 32 documentaries from India and abroad on various issues of disability.

'WE CARE Filmfest' will showcase 32 documentaries from India and abroad on various issues of disability. It aims at breaking barriers, creating right based awareness on disability issues and to promote the rights of persons with disability set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which came into force on May 3, 2008." The aim of the film festival is also to give a fillip to the rights–based approach, where persons with disability are considered persons first," said Satish Kapoor, director of the Festival.

Films and documentaries are powerful medium for educating public about disability issues, dispelling myths, stereotypes and misconceptions about persons with disabilities and promoting a new approach to disability, which guarantees equal rights and opportunities and equal access," added Sandeep Marwah director of Asian Academy of Film and TV and Marwah Studios, Noida Film City.

Research shows that in most countries, the majority of children with disabilities do not know any disabled adults and consequently, many have a difficult time in imagining their future. This film festival is an opportunity for children with disabilities to observe adults with disabilities undertaking a wide variety of activities and leading a dignified and independent life. This film festival, in effect, will give an opportunity to children with disability to imagine their future and will introduce positive role models.

The 2009 edition of this festival is being organised by the National trust and brotherhood, in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), New Delhi, Oxfam India and Asian Academy Of Film And Television (AAFT), Marwah Studios from February 4 to 7, at Siri Fort Auditorium–2, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi.

This film festival will play an important role in sensitising students of schools, colleges and other educational institutions on various issues of disability. We are also inviting officials from various corporate so that they can be sensitised on disability issues.

Source: http://www.merinews.com

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'Scholarships for disabled people going waste'

New Delhi, Feb 01: Nearly 6 per cent of the Capital's total population is physically disabled people, but in the last five years, less than 1,000 people have been able to avail of the government's scholarships for disabled people , say NGOs and activists working in the Capital.

According to them, the figure is set to dip further, as the government has spent merely 24 per cent of the Rs 12–lakh budget allocated. A disabled student pursuing graduation or post–graduation is given Rs 500 per month, while students in Classes I to V get merely Rs 50 a month.

No publicity has been generated for these scholarships and those who need it are not even aware that they exist, Javed Abidi, NCPEDP said.

Disabled candidates do not have basic information on where to procure forms or where to submit them.

Each year, the Delhi government hands out these scholarships between April and October. Only disabled persons, whose family income is less than Rs 2,000, are eligible for the scholarships. The slab is too narrow, leaving out many who are in serious need of the scholarship but can't even apply, activist Kapil Kumar Agarwal said.

The scholarships are not automatically renewable and each candidate has to apply for them afresh every time. The form too, is very complicated and requires at least five to six certificates from various departments. The government should try to maintain a database, Agarwal said.

The government now plans to increase the amount of scholarships and has planned to delegate school principals for the handover of scholarship funds. "We will utilise the entire budget allotted for the scholarship this year itself. In the next financial year, we will raise the amount of the scholarship," a senior official at the Social Welfare department said. The department, on its part, also blames the scarcity of staff for the current situation. The department is presently facing a 30 per cent staff shortage.

The Disability Act of 1995 mentions that each state should have a disability commissioner. In Delhi, for several decades now, the Social Welfare secretary has handled the charge of commissioner as well. The commissioner's basic work is to pull up the department in case of shortcomings. "But by giving the dual charge to the social welfare secretary, policing rights are being given to the burglar himself," Abidi said.

Source: http://www.expressindia.com

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LIC pulled up for denying constable disability claim

New Delhi, Jan 30: A consumer court here has pulled up the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) for rejecting the claim of a disabled applicant and warned the insurance sector not to reject rightful claims of consumers on flimsy grounds. Delhi Police constable Neeraj Kumar, having two LIC policies covering permanent disability benefits to the tune of Rs.150,000, suffered an electric shock resulting in amputation of his right arm.

Despite doctors having assessed permanent disability to the extent of 69 per cent, the LIC rejected Kumar's compensation claim on the ground that he was still capable of earning or obtaining wages as he was allowed to continue in his job on compassionate grounds.

Kumar then approached the Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Ruling on his case, the commission headed by Justice J.D.Kapoor observed that had the consumer now applied for the post of constable, he would not have got the job. Therefore to reject such a claim on such a premise was nothing but "logic chopping, oppressive and malafide interpretation of beneficial contract," the commission observed.

"Merely because a person with permanent and total disability continues to be employed on compassionate basis does not mean that he has forfeited the benefit of permanent disability arising from the insurance policy," Kapoor added.

Justice Kapoor also asked the insurance sector not to adopt such an approach and be consumer friendly. The consumer should not be made to run from pillar to post or else they should be ready for the consequence of recovery of compensation amount from the salary of the officials, he said.

Source: http://www.thaindian.com

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