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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 2010 Issue



A special park for visually impaired in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Jan.31: An institute for Blind people in Chandigarh city has set up a sensory park to offer a safe environment for the use of visually–impaired people, which also helps them by augmenting their other senses.

With the help of the Chandigarh administration and Municipal Corporation, the park has been established to provide a safe place for visually– impaired to walk around in a better and fresh environment, away from the accidental traffic threats and pollution.

"Our specially trained teachers help in imparting mobility to visually–impaired. They are taught to walk with the help of walking stick in order to make them independent, so that they can walk freely without being dependent on anyone. As we see, the traffic has become one of the major problems for such people to walk on the road. Even we do not feel safe to send them out on roads. That is why this park has proved very beneficial for these visually–impaired students and I am sure they will make the best of it," said Kuldeep Sodh, the institute's vice–principal.

Apart from this initiative, the institute has already incorporated an infrastructure which comprises other learning skills, such as reading Braille, learning to use computers, playing musical instruments, and engaging students in creative activities such as singing and dancing.

This sensory park not only provides a breath of fresh air and mobility to these students, but also attempts to enhance their sense of smell. The students are taught to differentiate between plants and flowers by their aromatic fragrances.

"All our senses, which are intact, get better as we smell and feel the things, here in this park. We can distinguish between various plants whether big or small, and our senses to touch and feel enhance," said Labh, a visually impaired student.

Employment generating activities like caning chairs, handloom weaving and candle–making are a part of the course curriculum, which not only engages the students in constructive work but also helps them in good monetary remuneration. These activities also help enhance the courage and self–confidence of these visually impaired students.

Source: http://news.oneindia.in

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Disabled people unhappy with Kolkata Book Fair

Kolkata, Jan 30: The 34th Kolkata Book Fair completely ignores the needs of persons with disabilities, said the Disability Activists Forum (DAF), a body comprising individuals and NGOs fighting for equal rights of disabled people.

The Forum said the book fair, Asia's biggest, is "insensitive to the needs of persons with disabilities who are an integral part of our society". About 2.5 million visited the fair last year. Despite 10 per cent of the global population living with some form of disability or the other, the book fair completely ignores the existence of these people using wheel chairs, crutches, artificial limbs as well as those with other forms of disability including visually impaired, people with hearing and speech impairment, the forum alleged.

"We visited 40 stalls. Only six foreign country stalls conform to the standards for movement of the disabled with wheel chairs," said Snigdha Sarkar, DAF secretary.

Over the last few years DAF has reportedly made repeated efforts and appeals to the book fair authorities for ensuring an inclusive environment but to no avail, she said.

"This despite the Publishers and Book Sellers Guild general secretary assuring DAF that he would request all the participant publishers to make their stalls accessible."

A book fair visit on January 27 by DAF members including persons using wheel chairs, mobility aids and artificial limbs revealed that the fair was completely inaccessible to them as before.

Very uneven fair ground, inaccessible stalls and toilets made the visit for the DAF members a very forgettable one, the forum said.

Source: http://www.indiablooms.com

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3% jobs to be reserved for disabled people: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapruam: The Kerala cabinet today decided to reserve 3% jobs for the disabled people in public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, universities and co–operative institutions.

To help disabled people, the jobs would be reserved in posts suitable for them, chief minister VS Achuthanandan told reporters here after a cabinet meeting.

The government also decided to bring in a comprehensive prison law focussing on, among other things, prisoners' security and education.

The cabinet has given approval to the Bill in this regard, he said. The legislation would also have provisions for rehabilitation of prisoners and welfare measures.

The cabinet decided to set up two separate courts to deal with cases of atrocities against scheduled caste and scheduled tribes in the state. The courts would be established at Manjeri and Kalpetta, he added.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

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