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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



'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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