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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 – March 2010 Issue



Disability Rights Fund Releases 2010 Request for Proposals

BOSTON, MA – The Disability Rights Fund (DRF)– a grantmaking collaborative between donors and the global disability community which supports the human rights of persons with disabilities?today announced its first 2010 grants round, "Moving Rights Forward." Grantmaking in this round will be targeted to disabled persons' organizations (DPOs) in three countries where DRF is currently working, Mexico, Ukraine, & selected states and cities in India (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and the National Capital Territory of Delhi), as well as one new country, Indonesia.

The broad objective of the Fund– which was officially launched in March 2008 and is a Project of Tides– 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 the first round of 2010 grantmaking, applicant organizations from Indonesia, Mexico, Ukraine and eligible states in India may apply as: a) single organizations or partnerships for 12–month Small Grants and/or b) national DPO–led coalitions for 24–month National Coalition Grants. Grants to single organizations will range from USD 5,000 to 20,000 and will support efforts to build CRPD skills and to develop rights–based advocacy and monitoring on the CRPD. Grants to national DPO–led coalitions will range from USD 30,000 to 50,000 per year (60,000 ? 100,000 over 24 months) and will support advocacy toward ratification of the CRPD, passage of specific legislation to accord with the CRPD, or the production of alternative/parallel 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. The deadline for Small Grants applications is March 29, 2010; the deadline for National Coalition Grants applications is April 12, 2010.

As DRF's Director, Diana Samarasan, said, "DRF's 2010 grantmaking process illustrates our commitment to DPOs working to advance the CRPD in current target countries as well as our commitment to the expansion of such opportunities for new countries and organizations."

In 2009, the Fund made 82 one–year grants to organizations in 14 countries (India, Mexico, Ukraine; Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru; Ghana, Namibia, Uganda; Bangladesh; and Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands), totaling USD 1,933,050. Grants ranged from USD 5000 – 70,000 and supported CRPD skills–building, local rights advocacy, and national–level CRPD promotion, implementation and monitoring by DPO–led coalitions.

DRF's donors include Aepoch Fund, the American Jewish World Service, an anonymous founding donor, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the Open Society Institute, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID).

Posted by Aqeel Qureshi

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Disabled people discriminated by govt: DRAG

PANAJI, March 25: Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) has demanded justice to disabled persons employed in government departments stating that they have been facing discrimination at their work places.

Addressing a press conference Avelino de Sa, president, DRAG, stated that the association has served a 15–day ultimatum to the various departments to give justice to the affected disabled persons.

"Maya Gaitonde, a disabled person is working as a superintendent in the Goa University for the last 20 years. In March 2008, the State Disability Commissioner had ordered the Goa University to promote her to the post of assistant registrar under the reserved category for disabled people. However, two years have passed and till date the Goa University has not implemented the orders of the state disability commissioner," de Sa said.

"Samruddhi Savoikar, a disabled student of Sanjay School, Porvorim was hit with a duster by her teacher in December 2009 causing a haematoma plus injury on her forehead. Although the Goa Children's Act mandates that corporal punishment cases should be resolved within two months, the secretary (Women and Child) has not completed the case till date. The management of Sanjay School also has not taken any action against the teacher. The police have refused to register an FIR in the matter also," the DRAG president said.

"Rekha Zarunkar, a disabled person was working as a librarian with the Khola village panchayat, Canacona, from January 2008 till May 2008. However, it has been two years that the panchayat has not paid her salary amounting to Rs 18,000," he added.

"We also demand that the government extend the facility for providing special buses to schools for disabled people and other schools promoting the education of disabled people," de Sa said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Visually–impaired students take exam via radio

PUNE, 24 march: Missing on eyesight but gifted with intuition and self–belief, these 12–odd visually–impaired students passed an online radio examination in the language they best understand ? Braille. Conducted on an experimental basis on Monday by the Braille Vani Web Radio (107.4 Mhz) at the University of Pune (UoP), the exam gave much freedom of expression and thought to young minds from the Jagruti Blind Girls' School, Alandi, the Poona Blind School, Koregaon Park, and the Kothrud Blind School.

Right from their hall tickets to seat numbers to question and answer papers, were all in Braille. They took turns to answer questions related to science, Marathi and English.

Mahesh Pandole, a Std 10 student from Poona Blind School, Koregaon Park, took a while to identify a scrambled word in English. "I was quite scared initially because I'm taking such a test for the first time. But then, I tried and scored at some questions," said Mahesh.

His friend Reshma More, a student of Jagruti, who was asked to identify objects described on the radio, got a major confidence boost from the exercise. "I felt good after taking the exam. This was a good exercise for us as everything was in Braille. It was easy for me to find my seat and take the exam on my own. Otherwise, every time we have to rely on others to find our way inside an exam hall," she said.

Other students demonstrated science–related objects and their uses ? like a fountain and head caps made from materials like straws, match sticks and waste paper. "The questions were conducted in three rounds and we advanced in the difficulty of the questions step by step," said Lata Kothurkar, who works with Satish Navale, who spearheads the Braille Vani Web Radio.

Navale said the exam was the first–of–its–kind for the visually–impaired students in the country. "An online exam entirely in Braille is an attempt at making the visually–impaired students self–reliant. The idea is to make radio, especially community radio, as an empowering tool of education and information and not just entertainment," said Satish Navale, who spearheads the Braille Vani Web Radio.

Mahesh Deokar of the UoP, also a visually–impaired, has been lending valuable inputs in the activities conducted by Braille Vani Web Radio. "More emphasis through an online radio exam like this should be to make science–related subjects more practical–oriented so that the students can demonstrate something. Learning and answering by mere rote is not enough," he said.

The exam, even though conducted on an experimental basis, has stirred quite a bit of interest among the teachers of visually–impaired students.

"I will speak to our principal about conducting such an exam in our school from time to time," said Vinodini Pradhan, who teaches at the Kothrud Blind School.

Navale now wants to approach several schools and universities to have such an exam conducted for the visually–impaired.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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National cricket championship for disabled people from Mar 25 in Lucknow

Lucknow, 23 March: "The four–day national cricket tournament will be conducted on the pattern of Ranji Trophy and is expected to attract participation from associations of all the states of the country," ICFD founder AW Siddiqui told reporters.

He said that 32 teams who have already confirmed their participation in the annual tournament include those from Gujarat, Jaipur, Maharashtra, Assam and West Bengal.

In 22 states cricket associations for disabled people are promoting handicap welfare schemes as well as sports and are affiliated to ICFD, which includes the central government run Vocational Rehabilitation Centre in Kanpur, Siddiqui said.

"Physical disability in not an impediment for playing cricket, proper guidance and treatment to the differently abled could enable them enjoy the fun of game like others do," he said.

The number of participating teams have gradually risen over the years, the founder said, adding that while last year only 28 teams participated in this tournament held in Nagpur, this year over 32 teams are expected to take part.

ICFD encourages the physically challenged cricket players suffering from post polio residual paralysis, congenital deformities and especially amputees of upper and lower limbs having permanent disability of more than 80 per cent, Siddiqui said.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com

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Carriage Works to send its disabled–friendly toilet design for approval

CHENNAI, 22 March: A disabled–friendly toilet designed for sleeper coaches by Carriage and Wagon Works Perambur would be adopted by railways after it was was approved by Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), said Praveen Kumar, member, mechanical of Railway Board.

"The workshop here has taken an initiative and has designed a toilet that is more spacious, with handrails and wash basin positioned at low height to help disabled passengers. The design will be sent to RDSO for standardisation," said Praveen Kumar on the sidelines of a function to award ISO 14001 environment management system for Carriage and Wagon Works on Friday.

Southern Railway general manager Deepak Krishen had earlier said that railways were planning to convert one toilet of into a disabled–friendly toilet at all sleeper coaches.

Praveen Kumar inspected disabled people–friendly toilet designed and installed in a sleeper coach and also a modified guard's brake van at the Carriage and Wagon Works.

The sleeper coach also had other innovations like flexible synthetic water bottle holder, ergonomic cushions for berths, full length mirror inside toilets and also near washbasins, small boards to display berth numbers and other features.

"The coach that was built in 1993 has been overhauled with innovative fixtures. Though the coach will be inducted into service, the designs and fixtures showcased in it can be adopted for all coaches only after they were approved by RDSO," said a senior railway official.

Carriage works also has modified a guard's brake van by adding a couple of user–friendly features as part of the railway's initiative to make brake vans comfortable for guards and locomotives comfortable for loco pilots.

A solar–powered fan, transparent glass for better natural lighting, two cushion chairs, sliding doors for luggage rack, better writing table and benches, ceramic western commode have been provided in the brake van.

Southern Railway chief mechanical engineer V Carmelus said that "carriage works will also go in for safety certification.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Disabled people queue up for unemployment benefit

CHENNAI: For the past few days, the employment office on Santhome High Road has been overwhelmed with disabled people queuing up to collect forms for the unemployment assistance scheme.

"We began issuing the forms a few days ago and we expect over 58,000 people to pick up the forms. If there is a need, we will issue more forms," says C Vijayaraj Kumar, state commissioner for disabled people.

Earlier, the unemployment allowance was available only to the blind, and in August 2008, a government order was issued that extended the benefit to all disabled people. "Disabled people were included in the general category under the labour and employment department. Under that scheme, people had to be on the unemployment rolls for five years before getting the allowance. Under this new scheme, disabled people need to be on the rolls for just one year before they are eligible," says Vijayaraj Kumar. Disabled people on the rolls of the labour department will be shifted to the new scheme.

The social welfare and nutritious meal programme department issued an order recently saying that an additional Rs 23.5 crore will be available for providing unemployment allowance to disabled people. The department is in the process of disbursing the funds allocated for March. However, disability rights activists have raised concerns about the manner in which the disbursement is planned.

"The question is whether it is possible to clear all the applications and disburse funds by the end of the month," says TAP Varadakutti, president, Tamilnadu Association for the Welfare of the Physically Handiapped. "It will take time for people to get the required documents and submit the forms, and then government agencies have to verify the applications," he says.

P Simmachandran of Tamilnadu Handicapped Federation Charitable Trust is more blunt: "One of the documents to be submitted is an income certificate saying disabled people person's family income is less than Rs 50,000 per annum. Which tahsildar gives you an income certificate easily?"

Vijayaraj Kumar insists that the system has been simplified and verification should not take long. "We are quite sure all the beneficiaries will receive the money by the end of the month. And it is a continuous scheme those who do not manage to submit their forms by the end of the month will be included in the scheme from next year," he says.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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SAJE Technology announces the release of PocketMate

22 March: SAJE Technology is proud to introduce PocketMate, a portable 4.5" x 3" single or dual switch scanning environmental control unit with a 2.5" display. The demand for a robust, logical and affordable ECU has been answered. Developed in response to customers needs and requests; PocketMate is a powerful scanning ECU solution at an affordable price. This compact ECU can control over 256 functions of lights, appliances, beds, doors, telephone and other infrared controlled devices. PocketMate is easy to program with no additional hardware, software or tools necessary. This is the perfect device for patient use in hospital and rehabilitation center rooms as well as the home user looking for a switch based ECU.

For more information please contact SAJE Technology www.sajetech.com, phone 847–756–7603, Email info@saje–tech.com

About SAJE Technology
SAJE Technology is the premier manufacturer of home automation products, promoting independence and accessibility for people facing aging or disability. SAJE Technology products include switch and voice activated environmental control units, voice activated telephones and accessible cell phone solutions. http://www.sajetech.com/aboutus.html

Posted by Aqeel Qureshi

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Callidai Motor Works launched franchise opportunity

Chennai: Callidai Motor Works is the Largest manufacturer in India of Battery Powered, Joystick Operated Wheelchairs and the only manufacturer of a Range of Mobility Equipment for use by persons with severe Mobility Disability. Callidai is an Equal Opportunity Organisation and employing people with disabilities in all Departments. More information on the company and its products please visit the website http://www.callidai.com

In order to reach the products and services to as many Physically Disabled People as possible, Callidai has planned to Scale up its operations substantially. An Investment of Rs. 600 Lakhs in Production and Marketing has been planned and a New Plant near Chennai to manufacture Wheelchairs and other Equipment which would be the Biggest facility in India. The New facility would employ over 150 persons of whom 100 would be People with Mobility Disability.

Our Vision, Callidai is planning to have franchise in all major cities in India (State Capitals and a few more), within the next 6 months and hopes to reach in ALL 500 District Headquarters in India in 24 months.

We would like to Start franchise in the following cities immediately:

Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Cochin, Mangalore, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Coimbatore, Indore, Kanpur, Cuttack, Trivandrum.

To continue it's tradition of providing opportunities to Physically Disabled People, Callidai is looking for Partners with Mobility Disabilities. The offer is for persons with all types of disabilities and family Members of persons with Disability ? father or mother or brother or sister of a Physically Disabled People. However, Physically Disabled People should be made a majority Share Holder/ Partner or Owner of the business with no Liabilities attached.

The second option could be taken up by persons who have a member in the family affected by Intellectual Disability or Quadriplegia or any other Neuro–Muscular disorder leading to Severe Disability.

The business could provide Continued (Long Term) financial Security to persons with severe Mobility Disabilities.

There could be a few options to choose from:

Option 1 – Franchise with Investment

The person would have to provide Space of about 300 sq.ft in a area that is no more than 5 km from Centre of city. The space could be at home or any other place, BUT have to be in the Ground Floor of the building

The person will invest Rs. 2.00 Lakhs. The person would be given a 20% commission on Orders. No Minimum Guaranteed amount is payable. The person should maintain a Trained Technician at his/ her own cost.

Option 2 – Franchise without Investment

The person will have to provide space of about 300 sq. ft. in an area that is no more than 5 km from Centre of city. The space could be at home or any other place, BUT have to be in the Ground Floor of the building

The person would be paid a Commission of 10% on Orders OR Rs.10,000/– per month, whichever is higher. The Dealer would also be compensated for maintaining a Technician to the extent of Rs. 7,500/– per month which should include all local Travel and communication related expenses. However, if the commission is more than Rs.17,500/– on any given month, the Compensation for technician will not be given.

If the peron prefers to start with Option 2 and later shift to Option 1 (Depending on performance), it is acceptable to Callidai motor Works.

We would like to commence operations soon and request those interested to get in touch with us. Please contact

Mr. Bhargav Sundaram
Chief Executive OR Ms. Priya Bhargav ? Chief Operations
Callidai Motor Works
28, Desika Road
(Near Alwarpet Signal)
Mylapore
Chennai ? 600004
Mobile: Bhargav Sundaram (Chennai) – 98840 49007 OR Priya Bhargav (Chennai) 98840 39007
Email: bhargavsundaram@gmail.com
Website: http://www.callidai.com

Posted by Aqeel Qureshi

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BPCL launches disability screening project

KOCHI, 16 March: Bharat Petroleum Company Ltd (BPCL) in association with Adarsh Charitable Trust, has launched a novel project – Disability Screening and Early Intervention Project at Ambalamugal Medical Aid Society (AMAS).

District Collector M Beena inaugurated the project. Early detection of mental or physical disability is of utmost importance in bringing persons with disabilities to the main stream of society, Beena said in her inaugural address. The project is being implemented in four panchayats, which include Vadavukode–Puthencruz, Thiruvaniyoor, Thiruvankulam and Chottanikkara. It envisages identification of physically or mentally challenged pupils. There will be medical camps to determine the nature of therapy required, rehabilitation treatment with corrective devices and training.

Over hundred children attended the camp in which paediatricians, orthopedic surgeons, ophthalmologists, paediatric neurologists and rehabilitation experts were present.

Indian Academy of Paediatrics extended all kinds of support for the project.

E Nandakumar, executive director, BPCL Kochi Refinery Ltd, presided over the function.

K P Padmakumar, vicechairman, Adarsh Charitable Trust, M A Ravi of Thiruvaniyur panchayat, Dr K V Beena, district programme manager, National Rural Health Mission, Dr Tony Mampilly, president, Indian Academy of Pediatrics, and V R Girija, secretary, Women In Public Sector, spoke on the occasion.

Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com

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IGNOU launches diploma in educating disabled people

15 March: The Hindu Successful students at the IGNOU convocation in New Delhi on Monday. A host of disability related programmes was launched at Indira Gandhi National Open University's Twenty–first Convocation here on Monday.

The programmes include post–graduate professional diploma in special education in the area of mental retardation, visual impairment and hearing impairment, post–graduate professional certificate in special education programme in the areas of mental retardation, visual impairment and hearing impairment, M.Ed. in special education, M.Sc. in counselling and family therapy and certificate in early childhood special education enabling inclusion.

Sixty–six gold medals were awarded at the Convocation, which was telecast live on Gyan Darshan and held simultaneously at IGNOU's 43 regional centres.

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research former Director –General Prof. S. K. Joshi, who delivered the Convocation address, emphasised that education did not prepare students for dealing with life but merely prepared them for jobs. He also added that such education did not teach individuals how to examine life goals, to sort out conflicts and to deal with relationships.

Exhorting IGNOU to incorporate human values in its education system, Prof. Joshi said since human values had been ignored in the educational system, the rise in crime, erosion of social discipline and atomisation of family were being witnessed. Modernity and economic progress could be reconciled with human values, he added.

IGNOU Vice–Chancellor Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai said, in an attempt to diversify its range and mode of course offerings, IGNOU has launched a large number of programmes in the on–campus mode. These include programmes in journalism, electronic media production and management, social anthropology, chemistry, gender and development studies, extension and development studies, labour and development, actuarial science, social work and translation studies among others.

The university has also launched a new sign language programme for the benefit of professional education of deaf students throughout India. It includes a one–year preparatory course targeted at deaf signers leading to the B.A. applied sign linguistics degree reportedly the first of its kind in India.

This course aims at producing language teachers competent to teach literacy and sign language to children, adults, interpreters, parents of the deaf and teachers in more than 550 deaf schools in India with a scope for international outreach as well.

Source: http://thehindu.com

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Supreme Court restores job to J&K disabled teacher

New Delhi, 15 March: A disabled teacher's struggle for justice has finally borne fruit. The Supreme Court (SC) has told Syed Bashir–ud–Quadri that despite his celebral palsy, he is fully capable of teaching and has ordered the government to restore the man his job.

Quadri, who had topped the list of successful candidates for the government programme, was having a little problem writing, but the medical board and the education department certified that he was capable of doing the job.

However, a candidate who came fourth in the programme, questioned Quadri 's capability and forced a rethink in the matter. Initially, the state high court didn't see any problem with Quadri being a teacher. But it later changed its mind when a committee set up at the behest of the other candidate found he wasn't suitable. This happened two years ago and that's when Quadri moved the apex court, challenging the high court order.

Supreme Court allowed his plea, saying the panel constituted to assess Quadri's performance had formed a favourable impression of him, so he should be allowed to keep his job. Judges said they were convinced that the approach taken by local authorities and the HC was not in consonance with the scheme's objective, which is to rehabilitate disabled people.

Quashing the HC order, a bench of justices Altamas Kabir and Cyriac Jose ordered that Quadri be restored his job and asked the government to grant him all the notional benefits of service.

The judges called Quadri's appeal "a story of his struggle to make himself independent and to find an identity for himself against enormous odds".

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

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Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan fails blind students

NEW DELHI, 14 March: A national study shows that young visually impaired students fare extremely poorly in government schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Reason: Inexperienced teachers and shortage of appropriate equipment. Over 35% students did not even have Braille slates, a basic instrument for elementary education for the blind.

The study was carried out by an NGO, All India Confederation of the Blind. Titled "Assessment of blindness compensatory skills among visually impaired students of class IV & V in government schools under SSA," it was conducted among 200 visually impaired students across 10 states: Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

The study says that among the 10 states, Gujarat takes best care of its blind students and Haryana, the least. Gujarat has the highest state average in Braille writing, print writing and math. Haryana and second worst, Bihar, have several zeros on their respective scorecards.

Divided into categories of Blind, Very Limited Vision and Low Vision, the 200 kids were tested on their reading, writing and arithmetic skills using Braille or large print texts and tools like the abacus and Taylor frame. The average score in Braille reading was 5.79 out of 25 (23.16%) and 5.38 (21.52%) in Braille writing. In arithmetic on abacus it was an appaling 2.59 (10.36%) with the states of Bihar, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra and Rajasthan scoring zero and the rest not doing much better. Orientation and mobility was the only area in which they did relatively well with an average of 64.4%.

The study also mapped availability of equipment ? Braille textbooks, Braille slates, abacuses, canes ? for blind people. Of the 200 students, 123 had Braille slates, 111 Braille paper, 113 Taylor frames and only 88, abacuses ? all basic instruments for elementary education for the blind. 'Assistive' devices were rarer with only 68 having folding canes and 61 long canes. Moreover, in many states where equipment was available, says the study, "the number of devices made available did not match the number of their actual users according to visual status."

The situation is worse for older kids. According to figures obtained through RTI by the Confederation in 2009, the number of students in upper primary (classes six to eight) is far less than those in lower primary (classes one to five).

In Chattisgarh, for instance, there were 91,837 visually impaired kids in lower primary, far more than the 11,496 in upper primary. "Dropout rates are high for blind children. As they move to class six and beyond, they need sophisticated equipment like the Brailler that costs Rs 10,000. Under the government scheme, they are entitled to only Rs 1,200 per year. Lower classes can use the Braille slate which costs Rs 70," says A K Mittal, president, All India Confederation of the Blind.

Researchers also discovered that while there are "special educators" appointed under the government scheme to help students with disabilities, "a large number of them were not specially qualified in teaching blind people. The actual time spent by them with respondents could not be clearly delineated, but was generally found to be very limited."

"There are 2–3 teachers to provide resource support for the whole range of disabilities spread over the district which is a large geographical entity. 60–70% teachers were trained for other disabilities and could not help the blind. They can't teach Braille because they don't know it themselves. The mainstream school teachers can't teach them either. Teaching Braille is a very individualized one–to–one process," says Mittal.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Woman with disabilities accuses Salman of exploiting her photo

Mumbai, 13 March: A disabled woman has dragged actor Salman Khan and producer of the film Veer to the High Court, alleging that they exploited her photograph with the actor for the film's publicity.

Alleging criminal defamation, she has sought damages of Rs 25 lakh from Khan and others.

High Court has issued notice to police, Khan, producer Vijay Gilani, and a city tabloid.

Phoolbanoo Bakshi Ilahi, the petitioner, confesses to be an ardent fan of Khan's, and had met him in Filmcity in April last year with her mother and a sister.

Petition claims that the actor himself asked his own photographer to click their picutre with the actor, and she asked Khan not to sell the photograph to anyone as she was a religious and veil–wearing woman.

But in December, she saw the photographs in an English eveninger, alongwith a report, which said that Khan had given her Rs one lakh, out of compassion.

According to Phoolbanoo, this was false. Further, she claims that because of the photograph and the report, she had to face to gossip about her character. Not only that, but it led to breaking off of her sister's engagement, she alleges.

The photograph humiliated her as she never appears in public without veil, petition claims.

Despite her requests to the producer, no statement denying the newsreport was issued from Salman's side, the petition claims.

She approached V P Road police station, but police only recorded a non– cognisable complaint, refusing to lodge an FIR for defamation, the petition says.

The petition demands that police be directed to register the FIR against Khan, the producer and Mid–Day be directed to pay her compensation of Rs 25 lakh.

Source: http://movies.ndtv.com

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Reinstate teacher with Cerebral Palsy: SC to HC

New Delhi, 13 March: The Supreme Court has ordered the reinstatement of a cerebral palsy – government school teacher and pulled up the J&K high court for ordering his sacking.

Setting aside the petitioner Bashir–ud–din Quadri's dismissal order, a bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir pulled up the HC for holding him unfit due to his disability.

The court flayed the HC for its insensitivity and said cases of persons with disabilities should be dealt in a humane manner. It chided the HC for failing to evaluate Quadri's intellect even as two expert panels found him "brilliant" and "fit". It was on the basis of these two reports that Quadri's appointment was finalised.

Source: http://www.topnews.in

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Notices to colleges for not adhering to disability quota

New Delhi, 13 March: The Delhi High Court Friday issued notices to eight colleges run by the central government for not implementing the disability quota for teachers despite directions.

A division bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Ajit Bharihoke asked the colleges to file their reply by April 16 and state why their orders were not complied with.

Bharti College and Lady Harding Medical College are two of the eight colleges that have not complied with the order.

Colin Gonsalves, counsel for NGO Sambhavana Trust, said: 'There are only 39 colleges in Delhi University (DU) that have complied fully with the disability quota, 12 colleges have partially complied and 31 colleges have not complied at all.'

The court was hearing a public interest petition seeking an implementation of the law on quota for disabled candidates for teaching posts.

Sambhavana Trust, a registered society of disabled persons, had alleged that the varsity and its colleges had not implemented the law even 15 years after parliament passed it and six years after the court's direction in this regard.

It was also submitted that the university, after enactment of the law, had passed a resolution in 1996 to provide three percent reservation for disabled people, out of which two percent was to be given to visually impaired and one percent to orthopaedically disabled people.

Source: http://sify.com

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Administration fails to provide ramps, lifts for disabled people

LUDHIANA, 12 March: Despite several notifications by the local bodies department, the administration and municipal authorities have proved to be a failure in providing ramps and lifts in the government buildings for the convenience of senior citizens and disabled people. In such a situation, it becomes very difficult for disabled people and senior citizens to visit the government offices for their work.

Sources said in most of the government departments, including district administration complex, various MC zones except zone D, district transport office and civil hospital, the ramps were yet to be built. The authorities promised to do it several times but till now nothing had been done.

In February, 2006, the then deputy commissioner Anurag Verma had first asked MC and other officials to prepare these slanted structures in all the important public buildings in the district to facilitate disabled people as per the directions of the Commission for Persons with Disability.

Leaving aside a few departments, the ramps for the elderly and invalid have not come up anywhere. The officer had also directed the town planners to ensure that the buildings that would be constructed in future would also provide lifts.

''There should be facility of ramps in government departments for people like us who cannot climb up and down the stairs but the authorities hardly care for such daily problems,'' said Manjit, a physically–diabled person. It is because of lackadaisical attitude of the authorities that till now they could not provide the facility of ramps in all the government departments and people, especially disabled and elderly people, have to climb the stairs, asserted Dr Neelam Sodhi, director, Ashirwad, a city–based NGO.

Sodhi asserted that they had requested about it to the authorities several times but to no avail. ''I could not comment about other buildings and as far as my office is concerned there is one ramp for the convenience of disabled people or senior citizens but do not know about other offices,'' said MS Jaggi, MC joint commissioner.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Student with dyslexia wins her bid for extra time on board exams

KOLKATA: 12 March: Finally, Payel Sarkar's prayers were answered, as she not only got her admit card but also an hour extra in her Class XII Board exams.

Payel, a dyslexic student, had to fight a legal battle to get the admit card for the CBSE examination.

Alpana Das Sarkar, mother of 18–year–old Payel, had approached Birla High School for Girls ? Payel's examination centre ? on March 8 showing the circulars and amended examination bylaws.

According to the new rules set by the CBSE, dyslexic students should be allowed an additional 60 minutes in papers of three–hour duration. They should also get 50 minutes extra for a paper of 2 hour 30 minutes duration.

The Birla School authorities then asked Payel to bring a certificate from the Central School, Fort William, which would certify that the student with dyslexia. The certificate was issued by Fort William, along with Payel's medical certificate.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com

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'Disabled women face double discrimination'

CHENNAI, 9 Mar: Members of the Vidya Sagar and Aid et Action took out a rally in the city to underline the plight of disabled women and demanded equal status for them. A total of 150 people, including women's rights advocacy groups and disabled women and children, took part in it.

The marchers pointed out that the rights of disabled women had received special mention in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons of Disability, which India had ratified on October 1, 2007, said Meenakshi, a member of Vidya Sagar. But, India had failed to implement the provisions of the charter, she added.

"There is barely any attention being paid to the rights of disabled women", she argued. "Disabled women are subjected to double discrimination, both on the grounds that they are women and that they are disabled," she added.

A poster competition was also held on the occasion. Bhavna, a student of Ethiraj College, M Sandhya and Mariam of Loyola College, and Maria of Thiagam Women's Trust, Madurai were the winners.

Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com

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'Awareness, timely treatment can help cure schizophrenia'

LUCKNOW, 9 Mar: The brain is the core of an individual's personality, but some times it becomes one's enemy when it starts acting as another individual and creates an entire living world which only the affected can person see, hear and live within.

This is what happened with 27–year–old Shamin who sent the Lucknow police into a tizzy for over 40 hours last month. Medically, this condition called schizophrenia –– one of the many daunting mental health challenges that affect patients, their families, health care givers and even the society. Surprisingly, the media hype over Shamim episode has helped in creating awareness on mental disorders, claims Dr Harjeet Singh of psychiatry department, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU).

"There has been a three–fold increase in the number of patients with mental disorders coming to CSMMU...as many families became conscious after the Shamim episode,"

On an average, Prof Singh informed, his out patient department sees 120–160 patients in a single day. But the number has swelled up to 300 after the Shamim's case came to the fore. He said that most of the patients suffering with mental disorders can be grouped into two –– schizophrenia and bipolar depression.

Expert in the subject and director of Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), the only WHO collaborating centre in India for mental health research and training, Prof R Thara says that of all mental aberrations, schizophrenia is most threatening. "It affects a person in the productive years (18–35 years) of life," she said while talking to TOI on Monday. She is in Lucknow to attend the foundation day celebrations of CSMMU's psychiatry department.

Notably, schizophrenia is called the "greatest disabler of youth'' in many countries. Bright and qualified young men and women can develop this disorder which can thwart their future plans. More common in men, schizophrenia affects one in 100 persons across the world.

However, if identified and treated early, it is possible for a person to recover and return to normal life. But at times, the stigma along with lack of awareness deprives a patient from effective treatment. "The delays often aggravate a patient's condition thereby reducing the chances of complete recovery," she said, adding that this also has a bearing on patient's adjustment in the society.

This calls for an urgent need to destigmatise and rehabilitate the person suffering with schizophrenia. "Since we do not have any social security benefits for the mentally ill, it becomes essential for them to resume work soon. In short, a patient should not be a burden on the family for long," she said.

On how can the rehabilitation process help an individual, Prof Thara explained that once put through a proper module of rehabilitation, the disabilities in a patient get reduced. This facilitates him/her to regain some of the lost skills and integrate with the society. "In the specific case of schizophrenia, the disability may be poor social skills, difficulty in communication and forming relationships, and doing everyday tasks," she said.

"The key to rehabilitation is inculcate a work habit and a discipline among patients. This helps when they move outside for any purpose including jobs. This instils self–confidence and raises self–esteem of the patient, along with facilitating the recovery process," she said.

Prof Thara's has, in fact, developed a tool to measure disability caused by a mental illness. Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale (IDEAS) is used nationwide and has been gazetted by the ministry of social justice and empowerment as the official tool to measure disability. And, her centre, SCARF, has specific tools for managing schizophrenia.

India, however, lags behind when it comes to addressing the causes of mental health diseases. "The concept of rehabilitation finds no place in health policies. Even top institutes do not have adequate facilities to train their work force on this count," Prof Thara pointed out. Notably, according to rough estimates, about 1% of total health budget in India falls in the head of mental health diseases.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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First Computer Institution for visually–impaired in Gujarat

Vadodara, 7 Mar: The Vadodara–based Society for Training and Vocational Rehabilitation of disabled people has become the first institution in the state and one of the four in the country to have a specially developed computer system for visually–impaired people.

The project has been initiated by the Information and Technology Department, New Delhi and IT company Webel Mediatronics Ltd has been assigned the job to develop the computer system.

Around 60 institutions for the visually–impaired people across the country will be supplied with the new systems. Purshottam Panchal, the president of the Vadodara institute said, "We had been training the visually–impaired for last many years and our students have won several state and national awards for their extraordinary achievements."

The new computer systems were handed over to the students by well–known kathakaar Rameshbhai Oza at the Seva Tirth campus located on the outskirts of the city.

"The new computer system will bring a big change in the way visually–impaired use a computer as it includes not only voice mechanism but also a special software which will even have a special keyboard in Braille. Even the printouts will be in Braille," said Panchal.

Oza, who inaugurated the training centre for the visually–impaired, said: "It is an irony in the society that there are people who are physically fit but into bad habits and on the other hand we have physically–challenged people who are setting examples for all of us by becoming earning members of their families without anybody's help. In today's world, where computers have become a must, such initiatives will go a long way."

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com

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Workshop on RTI act for visually impaired

Mysore, 2 Mar: A one–day workshop on 'Right To Information Act for visually impaired' was recently organised at JSS Polytechnic for Disabled Persons in city.

This workshop was jointly organised by JSS Polytechnic for the Handicapped and Chennai's National Institute for Visually Impaired.

District Principal Civil Judge Raja Somashekhar, who inaugurated the workshop, observed that such laws and acts will be successful only when the Government implemented them in a transparent manner and the citizens actively involved themselves in its implementation.

"The handicapped are not in need of sympathy and instead should be given appropriate opportunities and training, whereupon they will ameliorate themselves," he added.

"With the exception of issues concerning national security and other key matters, all the citizens of the country can obtain information from all Central and State Government offices and aided Institutions under the Right to Information Act. Exploitation is on the rise as the people of the country lack knowledge about the laws. As such, an awareness should be created amongst them on laws that govern the country," he added.

JSS College Principal K.S. Suresh, who delivered the keynote address, spoke about the history of the Right to Information Act. Suresh said that though the RTI Act was introduced in 2005, its significance was lost as 95 percent of the population was unaware of it.

Also, some people, instead of making the best of it, are misusing it, he regretted while calling upon the people for judicious utilisation of the Act. P.V. Srinivasan, lecturer, National Institute for Visually Handicapped, Chennai, was the chief guest. SJCE Principal Prof. B. G. Sangameshwar presided. Polytechnic Principal Nanjundaswamy welcomed the gathering, while Computer Science HoD C. Nirupama proposed a vote of thanks.

Source: http://www.starofmysore.com

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Scheme for disabled people brings cheers to many

New Delhi, 2 Mar: Life has changed a lot for visually impaired Hilal, who was once worried over an uncertain future after he passed out of class ten.

Hilal's worries are now a thing of the past, thanks to a central government scheme which helped him pursue a diploma course in civil engineering and later get a job in Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) in Srinagar.

The centrally sponsored scheme for integrating the persons with disabilities in the mainstream of technical and vocational education has come to the rescue of many physically disabled people who were once facing a bleak future.

The story is no different for physically disabled Tabassum, who always wanted to stand on her own feet and support her family but was unable to do so.

"The programme of supporting people with disability came as a boon for me

Source: http://www.ptinews.com

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Govt should build shelter homes for disabled kids'

LUCKNOW, 1 March: JP Singh, member secretary, Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), believes that the state government should take initiative in building special shelter homes and training centres for disabled children.

"Being a welfare state as provided in the Constitution, it's the responsibility of the state government to take initiative for welfare of disabled children. But, if it finds any difficulty, then non–government organisations (NGOs) working for the cause can also be included in the endeavour," said Singh while talking to TOI during his recent visit to the state capital.

Singh was moved by the story of Rinku, the five–year old severe disabled boy who survived on the streets of Lucknow on leftover food thrown by passersby. No one including the government shelter homes admitted the boy citing shortage of space. Rinku first got shelter at Ashok Punarvas Sansthan and later, at the Child Welfare Committee's direction, he finally got `home' at Drishti Samajik Sansthan.

"You need to pressurise the government and at the same time sensitise people for the cause," said Singh, pointing out that number of disabled people is high but shelter homes are few. RCI is a statutory body formed in 1993 by the Parliament. The RCI regulates and monitors services given to the persons with disability, forms syllabi and maintains record of professionals working in the field.

The objectives of RCI also include regulation of training policies; prescribing minimum standards of education and training of professionals dealing with people with disabilities; recognising institutions running courses in the field of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities; promoting research in special education and rehabilitation, and encouraging continuing education in the field.

There are around 24,000 disabled children in the state, of which around 10% are destitute. Often parents from economically weaker section abandon babies with disabilities as they cannot afford their treatment and upbringing. The government should provide shelter to such destitute but despite sustained media campaign and awareness drive by NGOs, nothing has been done.

Singh said: "At present, let alone destitute disabled children, we are not even able to meet the requirements of those who live with their families." The number of institutes offering special training and education is very less, he added. Such services, he said, can be run properly only when people working in the field have a sense of service, otherwise any amount of effort will be less.

Singh suggested that while government can provide infrastructure and funds, NGOs can provide hands. "Together we can build a system to serve disabled children," he said, citing example of Tamil Nadu where an early intervention programme has been started by the government in collaboration with NGOs. The early identification of problem in a child helps in better management and training.

Singh added that since requirement is huge, it is not possible to build a number of training centres within a short period. "However, if we start special units for these special children in every school with dedicated teachers, the problem can be solved easily," he said. In Maharashtra, he said, the state government has provided Rs 113 crore to around 700 schools for creating special units.

"In these special units in a school, a disabled child studies along with the normal ones. The school has teachers trained to teach disabled children. The normal children are also taught how to behave with disabled classmates. Such endeavours automatically sensitise normal children about disability issues and at the same time help disabled children to join the mainstream," he said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Blind people in Delhi click photographs

New Delhi, 27 Feb: A camera in the hands of visually impaire sounds like a paradox but a group of such people have been found to practice the art of photography which challenges prevailing definitions of art and vision.

"I used to wonder how people could take pictures. Now, I am happy that I too can do it. My camera captures my imagination," says Nikhil Mundhe, born with visual disability. Mudhe, alongwith 15 others, is part of the "Blind with Camera" project, which aims to integrate visually impaired into mainstream society through photography.

Partho Bhowmick, the brain behind the Mumbai–based project conducted the first photography workshop for the blind in 2006 which saw participation increasing over the years.

"Photography by the visually impaired reveals that a photograph can be made successfully in the mind as much as by the eyes, free from techniques and rules followed by sighted photographers. It illuminates a new line of thought distinct from the way we look at this art," says Bhowmick.

"Using various tactile, audio clues, visual memories of sight, the warmth of light and other cognitive skills they create a mental image before deciding to click a picture. The camera is used as an extension of their self to explore the visual world," he adds.

Bhowmick, who is an IT professional, chanced upon a book by a French author detailing the process whereby even a blind person can click pictures.

Bhowmick researched the subject and enlisted the support of friends to start the "Blind with Camera" series. The almost impossible project, however had to face some real roadblocks before taking off.

"Convincing the blind that they can take pictures was very tough. It took me six months to get the first student to attend my first workshop which was conducted free of cost.

"It was only after two years of intensive research on blindness and visual art, and consultations with over 50 blind visual artists across the world, I was able to define the approach and get things moving,"says Bhowmick.

Participants say the unique effort has instilled a feeling of pride among them and created a source of new income opportunity for them.

"I have a feeling of belonging and pride accomplishing this seemingly impossible task. I also enjoy my newfound financial independence,"says Bhavesh Patel who was born blind.

The photos are usually sold in exhibitions at fixed prices ranging between Rs 5,000 to Rs 9,000. Bhowmick, has organised so far seven exhibitions and distributed Rs 40,000 accumulated from the sale among the artists.

"Our main buyers are artists, art lovers and those who support the cause. Most of them are driven by emotions since part of the proceed goes to the artist directly," he says.

During the workshop, visually impaired participants with a sighted companion share experiences with disability and how challenges of life are handled.

Intense "visual talking" and deep "inward" interaction helps the participants to conceptualise what they want to communicate through photos, says Bhowmick.

Visually impaired are asked to spend time feeling the space, sensing the layout of objects in the space, touching them (if within reach) or using their judgement. This process triggers a visual thinking for them and the first version of the mental image is abstractly created. By seeking more clues they create a refined version of the mental image. hen by touch and judgement, they measure the distance from the object and the space around it, place the camera in relation to the object, space and light, and finally 'click' a photograph.

"Participants with low and partial sight can some what see the photographs taken by them by bringing the photo print close to their eyes or under magnifying glass," says Bhowmik.

Completely blind participants depend on a sighted companion to describe the photography. Discussions on photos focus more on the conceptual and emotional aspect that helps visually impaired photographer to recollect a mental picture and relate it to physical prints.

"Surprisingly sometime they could point almost correctly the position of the objects in the prints," he says.

"The geometry of direction is common to vision and touch and where a sighted person looks out, a blind person reaches out, and they will discover the same things,"says Prof John Kennedy, Toronto University.

Meanwhile, Bhowmick says this art is still in its infancy in India. "Judging the work of blind needs a different sensitivity. Their work is not comparable with the sighted. I plan to start a photo competition for the blind in India very soon," he says.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

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