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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. DNI– Subscription


Disability News India – August Issue



Disabilty–specific training for disabled people

Lucknow, August 22: The state Disabled Welfare department will now have training institutes for disabled people based on different disabilities and also the level of disability.

According to department officials, so far, disabled people training centres were generalised, where people with any kind of disability were given training.

A senior official, preferring not to be named, said, "Except the visually–impaired, all the other disabled persons were given similar training in our institutes. The training was irrespective of their disability. Often, we realised that not all of them could complete the training."

The department now plans to have institutes based on individual disabilities. According to the plan, people with similar disabilities will be trained together, as it will help them learn a vocational skill according to their disability level and aptitude. For example, those with amputated or paralysed arms will be trained in skills where they can use their legs. "This way, they will have expert teachers instead multi–taskers," said an official.

The organisations working to help disabled people said such a measure will certainly help. Amresh of Sense International said, "People with disabilities will not only come to such institutes for a vocational skill, but they can also share their experiences. This will help them cope with their disabilities in a big way."

Source: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php

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Income Tax makes them 'disabled person'

PATNA, Aug. 22: Want to protect your money from the prying eyes of income tax sleuths? Just go "disabled". This is what over 50 teachers, principals and senior staff of an "academically–disabled" university in Bihar have done to prevent the IT department from deducting taxes from their hard–earned salary!

According to reports, over 50 teachers working with several colleges under Veer Kuer Singh University (VKSU) at Ara in Bhojpur district have overnight turned "physically disability" as the deadline for filing of IT returns comes closer. Reports said suggest that those teachers have submitted fake "disability certificates" to the IT department in a bid to check the deduction of tax from their salary, although they are physically fit and attending the offices without using any crutches or cycle rickshaws. Intriguingly, most of the "disability" certificates have been issued by a single doctor, it is said. The IT department has extended the deadline for filing the tax returns till 15 September.

University sources said all the teachers had been using this "trick" for long to avail of IT relief under Sections 80U (person with disabilities) and 80DD (medical treatment of disabled dependent) of the Income Tax Act that provides for hefty relief in IT deducted at source in the case of persons having physical disability and bearing cost of treatment of dependents who also suffer from disability, in the family.

Source: www.thestatesman.net

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No proper medical facilities for disabled people

New Delhi: Most children in the small village of 2000 people, Semra Manik Chak, located in the Gorakhpur district in Uttar Pradesh are born with hearing, sight or physical disability. Some have even died in the womb of their mothers.

"Some of the children cannot hear after their birth, some die in the womb of their mothers and some become physically challenged," said a resident of the village, Dulari Devi.

"There are no proper facilities, otherwise there would not have problem. There are no proper medical facilities and about dozens of children are physically disability ," said Ram Badan Prajapati from the village.

Medical experts say deficiency of minerals in the women during pregnancy and childbirth may have lead to birth of physically disabled children. There may also be genetic problems, which need to be tested.

"The reason why children are disability is 20 years ago the soil of Purvanchal had iodine deficiency and so most of the women and children have developed goiter. But since it's a particular village, the main reason is deficiency of minerals," said gynecologist Anju Mishra.

According to UNICEF, out of 26 million children born in India every year, as many as 12 million are unprotected against Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD), such as irreversible brain damage, deaf– mutism, dwarfism and severely depleted levels of productivity.

Till the issue is seriously addressed by the local administration, villages like Semra Manik Chak will continue to bear children with physical disabilities.

Source: http://www.ibnlive.com

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NTPC, DU to set up IT centre for disabled students

New Delhi, 21 Aug: The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Delhi University (DU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up an Information and Communication Technology Training Centre for disabled students.

Delhi University Logo
The centre will be the first of its kind in providing the latest IT skills to economically backward and disabled students.

As per the agreement, the NTPC foundation will provide equipment and software and DU will provide teaching and support staff for the centre, to take care of the day to day functioning of the centre.

Students with visual, hearing, mobility and cognitive impairment will benefit from the newly setup IT centre.

Source: http://www.indiaedunews.net/Universities

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Disabled people exempted from profession tax

HYDERABAD: The Government has issued orders modifying the AP Tax on Professions, Trades, Callings and Employment Act 1987 that exempts disabled persons, with 40 per cent disability of any kind, from paying profession tax. Earlier, under the Act, only to severe disabled people were given the facility, Women and Disabled Welfare Minister N. Rajyalakshmi said at a press conference here on Friday. The order is deemed to have come into force from June 15, 1987.

Mrs. Rajyalakshmi lashed out at Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu for showing concern for the disabled persons now. "During his nine–year rule, the TDP Government never bothered to improve the wellbeing of the disabled people," she noted.

Terming as 'strange' the charge that the Government was ignoring the 'just' demands of disabled persons, the Minister said the YSR regime had enhanced the disabled welfare budget to Rs.100 crore in 2007–08 from Rs.21 crore in 2003–04.

The Government was paying disabled pensions to all eligible persons instead of the previous regime's condition that only those above 18 years would be considered for pensions.

Highlighting the initiatives taken in the last three years, she said that it was strictly implementing the 3 p.c quota for disabled persons in employment and APPSC Group I and II services. Efforts were on to earmark a quota in promotions and also provide loans to the disabled at four per cent interest. Refuting the TDP chief's charge that land belonging to the Government Hostel for Blind was allotted for the Malakpet flyover in the State capital, she said Hyderabad Collector had agreed to allot 2.3 hectares in Mallepally belonging to the Employment and Training Department for establishing the Disabled Welfare Directorate.

Source: www.hindu.com/2007/08/18/stories/2007081854070400.htm

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NDMC toilets are inaccessible for disabled people

New Delhi, August 17: NDMC toilets or advertisement billboards? This question was raised recently in an audit report prepared by the NGO Svayam. A copy of the report was also given to NDMC Chairperson Parimal Rai.

The audit report shows that most of the 165 NDMC toilets which were handed over to private companies for renovation and maintenance on contract basis reap in good revenues through advertisements for the companies but they cannot be used as toilets.

The report also says the toilets are inaccessible to disabled, unsafe for women and located in areas where no one uses them. The area around the toilets is highly encroached, thus not visible. The report also says that many of the toilets charge money despite of being declared free.

"The company earns up to Rs 1 lakh per month from these advertisement billboards, but the NDMC takes only Rs 1,000 from the company with the understanding that the company would provide good service," said Mukesh Bhatt, a senior NDMC Council member.

"Many people are not even aware that this small space carrying advertisement billboards on its walls is actually a toilet, because all the space is devoted to advertisements while there is no proper sign saying that the place is a toilet," said NGO director Abha Negi. With revenue generation being the prime motive, the report found that many toilets have even encroached upon pavements to increase their ad space. "It has also been found that in many areas toilets are built where they are not needed. As a result no one really uses them," said Negi.

NDMC Medical Health Officer P K Sharma said, "With many built–to–operate (BOT) toilets charging money in spite of the ad revenue, many people are avoiding them." The report also points to the fact that many of the toilets were being used as storage space. For example, the one in Sarojini Nagar is used as personal bathing and washing rooms for taxi operators, the one in Jor Bagh as water supply point.

When Newsline visited a toilet near Sarojini Nagar, it had a huge ad on its walls. It had only men's section, but that too was locked. Ram Siwan, caretaker of the toilet, said, "I have to keep it locked because it is hardly ever used. Moreover, I am the only staff here so any small theft could cost me my job."

"In fact we came across many BOT toilets that are at prime locations but are inaccessible or are locked," said Negi.

According to the report, another major problem are that these toilets are disabled unfriendly. "Our requests to make these toilets accessible to disabled people were ignored," said Bhatt. Mitali, one of the surveyors, said, "At many places I felt unsafe using these private toilets because the entrance was at the rear side, with strange men giving bizarre looks." Many of these new toilets did not have ventilations or adequate lightings.

Despite criticism, the NDMC is planning to hand over the remaining 59 toilets to the same lot of companies. However, Sharma said, "We will try and incorporate features in the new toilets so that it can be accessible to disabled as well."

Source: http://cities.expressindia.com

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Disabled people cannot be denied air passage

CHENNAI: The Office of the Directorate–General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued new civil aviation requirements for disabled passengers that are scheduled to come into effect from Wednesday.

According to the new requirements, "no airline shall refuse to carry physically disabled person or incapacitated persons or persons with disabilities," as long as they "do not pose a threat" to the safety of other passengers or the evacuation procedure for the aircraft.

Airlines will also not be permitted to limit the "number or types" of disabled passengers on a particular flight, except "where required for operational reasons." The procedure for limiting disabled passengers will also be documented. Airlines will now also have to run "sensitisation and developing awareness" training programmes for staff.

Calls from rights groups
There have been increasing calls from rights groups for clearer guidelines on the transportation requirements of disabled passengers following the prevention of Rajeev Rajan with cerebral palsy and activist with Vidyasagar, a non–governmental organisation for the disabled ? from boarding an Air Sahara flight in Chennai on June 18 for failing to produce a medical certificate.

In an effort to clarify aviation requirements for disabled passengers, the DGCA issued a draft on July 25 on its website (http://dgca.nic.in), specifying the new guidelines for airlines and "inviting comments" on the new recommendations. The DGCA said the new recommendations were to come into effect on August 15.

Dhanasekharan, a representative of Vidyasagar, told The Hindu that the August 15 deadline did not give disabled rights groups enough time to respond to the recommendations. "We were shocked to discover that the deadline was to day [August 15]," Mr. Dhanasekharan said. "By just putting it on the DGCA website, how can they expect all of us to be aware of it?"

"Extend deadline"
Vidyasagar has written to the DGCA asking it to extend the deadline for implementing the new requirements. "Before they put the requirements into effect, the DGCA has to have a consultation with disabled groups as after all we are the stake–holders," Mr. Dhanasekharan said. "They clearly seem to not want any suggestions from us."

"Ambiguous"
Mr. Dhanasekharan alleged the new requirements were "ambiguous." "They have used the word 'incapacitated' to define the disabled," he said. "What do they mean by incapacitated? And what is 'severe' disability? All this needs to be clarified with the stake–holders before they are implemented."

Source: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php

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Blind players seek Rahul's help

NEW DELHI, Aug. 17: Refused support by the Board of Control for Cricket for India (BCCI), the cash–strapped Association for Cricket for the Blind in India (ACBI) has approached Rahul Dravid to help raise funds for sustaining itself.

"The BCCI says that blind cricket is not cricket. When Jagmohan Dalmiya was the chairman, he at least used to take our phone calls but the present setup does not even respond to our letters," ACBI chairman Mr George Abraham said today, announcing a thirteen–member Indian team, led by Manvendra Singh Patwal, will leave tomorrow for the tour of England, its first outside Indian subcontinent, that features five one–dayers.

"Our expenses are not more than Rs 18 to 20 lakh per year. So we just need half a per cent of the millions they earn. This kind of indifference from the richest cricket board in the world hurts," he added.

Mr Abraham said the BCCI's apathy has forced the ACBI to look for support from corporate world and members of the Indian team. "VVS Laxman has been a vocal supporter of blind cricket and has even attended some of the matches, which has helped. I have been speaking to Dravid as well and I think he is keen to help as well," he said. "I met him (Dravid) when we took our team to Bangladesh for a series and he said that he was open to supporting us. The only problem is time. These players have such busy schedules now that they are left with no time for such activities after all the cricket."

He also lashed out at the Sports Ministry for not supporting blind cricket. "When Sunil Dutt was Sports Minister we had come very close to getting some support but unfortunately he died soon after and since then it has been an uphill task to even get through somebody at the ministry," Mr Abraham said.

The Indian team is the same that played in the Blind World Cup Cricket in December 2006 and eventually became runners–up after being beaten by archrivals Pakistan.

Squad: Manavendra Singh Patwal, (Captain), Rajendra Verma, Ketan Patel, Subhash Boya, Pushparaj, Asish Negi, Dilip Munde, Manoj Kumar, Shekhar Naik, Joe Shibu Fernandez, Nanaji, Rakesh Prajapathi, Bishorejit Singh. Manager: Dr Noor Mohamma. Coach: Mr Uday Gupte.

Source: www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php

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Seminar on Media and Disability Communication held at MERC

Srinagar, Aug 17: Speakers at a national workshop on Media and Disability Communication on Friday said that there is need to remove the barriers confronted by persons with disabilities.

Referring to different barriers faced by them, a speaker urged the media to play a positive role in overcoming these barriers.

Information, environmental and access barriers faced by the disabled persons need to be removed, said K.Kannan, the Media Advisor to Plan International Asian Region, a non–governmental organization. Media can play an important role in highlighting the need to overcome these barriers, he said in his presentation entitled Role of Print Media in Disability Communication.

Kanan said that these special persons have a right to education and information. Disability should not be treated like a disease, Kanan said at the seminar, organised jointly by the Kashmir Universitys Media Education Research Centre and Ali Yawar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, Mumbai. Media can act as a mirror and reflect the need of having a sophisticated and quality infrastructure for the disabled persons, Kanan added.

In a lively discussion with the students of MERC, Kanan urged the budding journalists to come forward and highlight the potential problems faced by the disabled persons.

In another presentation entitled A style guide for media communication professionals, a speaker emphasized on the importance of language while communicating with the disabled persons. Language is essential for communication, said Martin Mathew, the Media Officer to Ali Yawar Jung Institue. It should empower persons with disability and eliminate discrimination, he added.

Matthew urged the media not to sensationalize stories about disabled persons. The media professionals must adhere to standard norms of news writing with stories on disabled persons, Matthew said. They need to follow a style book based on professional standards in journalism, he added.

Referring to the shortage of necessary infrastructure for disabled persons in the valley, some students from the MERC said the state government has failed to come up with a comprehensive policy for them.

We dont have many schools for disabled here even though they are badly needed, said a student. The schools should be provided with quality infrastructure and technical expertise, he added.

In his remarks, the Head of the MERC, Nasir Mirza urged the participants to take a cue from the workshop and play a positive role in highlighting the problems of persons with disabilities.

Media can contribute a lot toward removing the access and information barriers faced by the disabled persons, Mirza said.

Speaking to Greater Kashmir on the sidelines of the function, a participant from Ali Yawar Jung Institute said, If the valley is facing shortage of infrastructure for disabled persons, people need to come together and form pressure groups to solve the problem. We ask government to solve the problem, and if such groups fail we file Public Interest Litigation in a court and get the matters solved legally, he added.

A visually impaired person also shared his experiences at the workshop. He said, Journalists should know what we are lacking; they should update themselves about the way disabled persons are treated outside. Only after knowing the difference, they can help in highlighting the problems of disabled persons.

Source: www.greaterkashmir.com

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Lack of support is cause for concern

New Delhi, August 17: As the Indian blind cricket team leaves for England for the five–match one–day series, with exponentially less fanfare than their 'mainstream' counterparts, captain Manvendra Singh Patwal and his team are struggling to overcome more than their opponents on the field.

Patwal, employed as a personal assistant in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, talks about the daily battle that they face. "The whole situation is almost ironical when you consider where I work. Working for the welfare of the disabled and being one of them (he is a B2 category person, with 2/60 vision), I sometimes encounter problems like not getting sports leave," he says.

"But that apart, a lot of people don't recognise the fact that we also play and compete seriously. We have never received any cash incentives even after continuous good performances.

"We're World Cup finalists from the last edition, for instance, how many people even know that? Finances, however, are just the tip of the problems we're faced with everyday."

The other team members have similar stories to tell. Ketan Patel, for instance, accomplished his desire of playing for the country through the Association for Cricket for the Blind, but playing cannot help him survive.

At the moment, Patel is working in a factory in Gujarat. And every time he goes for a tournament, he has to leave his job?he doesn't get leave to play?and find a new one later.

Although sponsors like Reebok, Standard Chartered Bank and Sightsavers International facilitate tours organised by the Association for Cricket for the Blind in India, that alone is of little help.

Source: http://cities.expressindia.com

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Computer course for hearing and visually impaired

Mumbai, August 13: The Helen Keller Institute For The Deaf And Deafblind (HKIDB) will soon come up with a full–fledged 3–semester course in computers by early November.

"Until now, communication skills were taught the old–fashioned way using books or charts in Braille. Today, computers have become an important part of the educational process at the institute," explains Beroz Vacha, founder and director, HKIDB.

Vacha and along with the institute's dedicated team of teachers will now open doors to students across the continent. "Dually–impaired students from across the country and also from elsewhere in Asia are welcome for the course," said Ram Agarwal, technical advisor, HKIDB.

An integral function of the Helen Keller Institute is the Computerised Mini Braille Press. Set up in January 2002, it is a pioneering project which teaches the specially–challenged children to use computers and undertake computer–related programming and designing.

This computer training unit–cum–mini Braille press produces a variety of materials to suit the needs of deaf–blind, blind, low vision and hearing–impaired individuals.

With its current capacity of 10 monitors, the course will start on a 'one–to–one' teaching basis. Students aged 14 onwards, having a basic knowledge of typewriting?taught at the Helen Keller Institute at Mahape?will be trained in this system.

"They will be taught to work on normal keyboards. They can feel whatever appears on the screen on a 'focus Braille' attached to the monitor and errors can be corrected through Braille," said Agarwal.

The course syllabus will have communication skills, office applications, and internet surfing. Those graduating from the course will be encouraged to coach other students as there is a serious dearth of teachers in India. They will also be equipped to set up private Braille transcription centres.

The experiment was a success with two students?Pradeep Sinha(29) and Zamir Bhale (32)?passing their SSC exams through National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in 2003. Today Zamir, working with an NGO, is an advocacy officer of deaf–blind and earns a handsome Rs 12,000 per month whereas Pradeep is assisting his teachers take classes for other special students.

"We are looking for accreditation from the Rehabilitation Council of India as they have recognised MSCIT (Master of Science in Computer Information Technology) course for the blind alone," added Agarwal.

According to the official figures there are 4,50,000 dual–sensory impaired students, and students having associated disabilities in India and only 37 organisations in 19 states to teach basic communication skills.

The idea is to break the barriers of communication.However another barrier that they will have to overcome is the lack of funds from the government. "If education has been made compulsory under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan for normal students, why not for the deaf–blind?" asked Agarwal.

Blind–user friendly materials like maps given out by several government–recognised Non–government Organisations (NGOs) actually do not serve the purpose. "There is no uneven surface for rivers in the map, only mountains are highlighted also the Indian boarder is in plain black ink and the whole thing costs the institute Rs 2500. Even the medicines do not have a brailled name, price and expiry date," said Vacha.

On Saturday the union minister for social justice and empowerment Meira Kumar visited the institute and promised to provide them with the necessary basic facilities.

Source: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php

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Amendments to Persons with Disabilities Act discussed

NEW DELHI, Aug 14: Emphasising on the need to empower disabled persons living in remote areas, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar on Tuesday said the ground realities should always be kept in mind while framing legislations in this regard.

"We have to remember that the basic purpose of the whole exercise is to empower persons with disabilities specially those living in remote, inaccessible and rural areas," Kumar said at a convention discussing amendments needed to be brought into the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995.

"I would suggest that while making recommendations, we should keep the ground realities in view," she said adding, "special emphasis has to be given to empower women and children with disabilities.

"We have to bring them into the mainstream of life and improve their quality of life," Kumar added.

The convention, the third in the series, discussed suggestions for amendments to the Act with stakeholders in the northern region. Earlier, similar meetings had been held in Chennai and Patna.

Most of the suggestions pertained to widening the ambit of the term disabled and incorporating disabilities like dyslexia and autism.

Participants also called for greater accountability in the implementation mechanism of schemes and sought affirmative action by the private sector, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Veena Chhotray told reporters.

"The amendments would be brought about only after consultation with stakeholders from all parts of the country," Chhotray said.

Apart from this, efforts are also being made to incorporate proposals made in the UN convention on disabled people, she said.

Source: www.dnaindia.com/report.asp

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Dispur disables rights of disabled people – Union reminds Gogoi of promise

Aug. 13: They do not want pity, which is what they invariably get. They want their rights, but that is something they seldom get.

The All Assam Disabled Development Union and the BTAD Disabled Persons' Association have taken exception to the government's lackadaisical attitude when it comes to implementing the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Protection).

The secretary of the development union, Ajoy Kumar Sharma, said during a news conference on Sunday that the social welfare department was yet to implement the clauses pertaining to investigation, research on disability, prevention of disability, education and appointments .

"Disabled students still do not get free educational opportunities and many give up their studies because of poverty. Only a handful of students are awarded scholarships and those who give up studies do petty jobs," he said.

Sharma also highlighted the problems faced by schools for deaf people and blind in Assam.

The job scenario for disabled is grim, too. The government has still not implemented the 3 per cent job reservation promised to disabled people in government, semi–government and private organisations.

The committee that was to identify employment avenues for disabled people has not been formed either.

When representatives of the Sadou Asom Pratibandhee Jutiya Sangram Prashad met chief minister Tarun Gogoi on January 6, he assured them that the government would recruit 426 physically disabled candidates to various departments.

Reminding the chief minister of his promise, Sharma said physically disabled candidates who were interviewed in June 2005 for grade III and IV posts and cleared the test must be appointed first. The results of that recruitment test were announced in February last year.

The union also wants jobs in government departments for 200 disabled people from the four districts under the jurisdiction of the Bodoland Territorial Council.

A delegation from the union visited New Delhi on August 1 and met social justice and empowerment minister Meera Kumar. The team sent memorandums to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pratibha Patil and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Source: www.telegraphindia.com

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SMS service for disabled people

MUMBAI: In a first–of–its–kind initiative, the city police have started an Short Message Service (SMS) service to facilitate the disabled people to get in touch with law keepers while in distress.

"We have the toll–free number–100–where common people can call and inform the police. But the disabled people cannot use it, for which we have started the SMS service," Joint Commissioner of Police (administration) Hemant Karkare said.

One officer in the main control room will be kept exclusively to deal with SMS, he added.

A disabled people can SMS any information to the number, 93202 00100, to enable the police to take necessary action, Karkare said, adding that the service will be operational from August 15.

The service is not toll–free at present but the police are thinking of tying up with some mobile operators. The police also plan to rope in special schools and NGOs to spread awareness about the facility, Karkare added.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai

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UT plans free education for disabled students

Chandigarh, August 10: Giving a boose to disabled students in the city, the UT Education Department is going to provide free education to all disabled students up to Class XII in all government schools in the city. The proposal is going to be finalised within a week's time.

The education department initiated this proposal following the episode in which Abhimanyu Partap, a disabled student, was denied admission to Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, and his parents then moved the High Court.

Talking to Newsline, a senior official from the education department said the High Court had suggested the department regarding making education free for all disabled students. The official also confirmed that the proposal is in its final stages and is lying pending with senior UT Administration officials.

DPI (S), S K Setia said, "We have decided to do away with tuition fee for Abhimanyu. And senior officials in the department are also considering making education free for all disabled students seeking admission in government schools."

Besides doing away with fees for disabled students, the current scholarships available to them will also be revised, sources said.

At present disabled students from Class I to V get Rs 25 per month as scholarship and students from Class VI to VIII get Rs 35 per month. This amount, as per sources, would be revised.

Besides, meritorious students belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) /Scheduled Tribe (ST) category with 55 per cent marks get scholarship of Rs 20 per month for Class VIII, IX and X, while students in Class XII get a scholarship of Rs 25 per month.

Sources said all the scholarships, whether for the disabled or students belonging to SC/ST category, would be increased to Rs 250 per month.

Source: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php

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India floods: Orissa province – disabled people left out

In a survey conducted 15 days back, Youth Service Centre workers spoke with 3000 people living with disabilities in Balasore. Some are visually– impaired, several cannot walk, others have hearing impaired.

During heavy rains and floods, disabled people are among the hardest hit and benefit least from relief and rehabilitation efforts.

In response to the floods, the Orissa government plans to spread the safety net by stepping up provision of jobs under the National Rural Employment Guarantee programme. It has urged district and block level officials to issue job cards as soon as possible.

" Persons with disability are unlikely to get any benefit from this," says 35– year– old Pravin with disability, Boghrai village, Balasore. Pravin works with the Orissa Viklang Manch (Orissa Disabled Forum) of which Youth Service Centre, an ActionAid partner organisation, is a part.

Temporary shelters erected with plastic sheets and bamboo sticks do little to keep villagers safe, and even less for those with disability.

" While others may find it easier to move to more secure places like schools and government anganwadi centres during heavy rains, disabled people are often left behind," says Umesh Purohit of Youth Service Centre.

Emergency food kits are supplied without utensils or firewood which disabled people find difficult to procure. " It frustrates us to see that the government' s job ends at distributing dry rice. What are we to do without cooking material? How do we collect firewood amid this chaos?" asks Pravin.

Relief camps not for all
After heavy rains and floods that hit Balasore 15 days back, the government set up medical camps to examine patients.

" Those who cannot walk are unable to travel to the medical camp, disabled people who can make the journey, too often find themselves at the end of the queues. And those who cannot talk or hear find it difficult to communicate with the doctor and tell them about their condition," says Pravin.

Among disabled people, ActionAid partners also met with 300 children. Ramps to facilitate movement of disabled kids in village schools get destroyed during rains. So even as other children return to school, disabled children are forced to stay behind.Because of muddy paths and water logged roads disabled children feel further discouraged.

Latest from Orissa: Even immediate relief inadequate
Inland Orissa is bracing itself as the cyclonic depression over the Bay of Bengalthat caused heavy rains in coastal districts over the last few days (3– 7 August) has now moved to interior areas. Meanwhile local organisations in coastal areas say communities are still waiting for government relief.

Districts of Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Balipatna, Khurda, Puri, Jhajhpur, Balasore and Kendrapada are facing severe water logging. Fifteen persons have lost their lives, according to media reports. In Jhajhpur district alone, three hundred houses have been damaged or destroyed.

Slum dwellers in Cuttack
Reports say Cuttackis marooned with 300,000 people severely affected by the flood. The district received 45 centimetres of rain in the last three days.

An ActionAid team is assessing how slum areas in the city are coping. Along with residents, teams will make the local administration aware of badly– affected communities.

Balasore needs protection
In Balasore district, the state government has not yet repaired breaches in river embankments after floods hit the area 15 days back. Water rushed into four villages of Balasore district from the swollen VamsadharaRiverduring heavy rains since Friday.

While waters are now receding, Balasore remains at risk of flooding as long as embankments remain damaged.

Livelihoods hit
Thanks to intermittent flooding, the rice yield expected from affected villages is nil this year. Transplanting of paddy cannot happen in sodden fields for the next eight days.

" Water logging along the entire coast of Orissahas pushed back the agricultural cycle by eight days. Landless labourers will be without work for at least a week. Daily wage earners are the worst– affected by lack of agricultural activities," says Manas Ranjanof ActionAid.

Fifteen days back, the state government had distributed kits containing 15 kilos of rice, one litre of kerosene and a kilo each of dal and salt in 30 villages of Balasore. But nothing now.

" How can one– time aid by the government take care of recurring floods in the monsoon season?" asks Umesh Purohit of Youth Service Centre, an ActionAid partner organisation.

Purifying powder was also given to villagers then to disinfect open wells. But nothing has been supplied this time around.

" Water in open wells is now contaminated. Safe drinking water is not available to villagers. Health hazards like diarrhoea can strike anytime," says Umesh Purohit.

So far the state government has sought central government funds to rebuild roads. Local groups say the state is likely to take a month to calculate the number of damaged and destroyed houses.

" At least six months will elapse before the state government starts constructing new houses to replace damaged ones. Also, it has not promised any compensation money to affected villagers till now," states Umesh Purohit.

Source: www.reliefweb.int

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Ramps, rails for disabled people ' must meet specifications'

CHENNAI: Ramps and rails by themselves are not enough to make a building barrier– free and inclusive; it' s important is to ensure that they meet specifications, activists and architects told a meeting here on Friday.

They were taking part in a one– day workshop on a barrier– free environment, organised by the Department of Architecture, Anna University.

Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority member secretary M. Nasimuddin, who inaugurated the workshop, said the second master plan for the city would be more disabled– friendly. " We will impose a condition that the minimum facilities needed to make the buildings user friendly must be provided," he said. The CMDA has also proposed to sensitise its planners to the need to make buildings inclusive, he added.

The focus of the workshop, jointly organised by Sukriti Social Foundation, was that ' all slopes are not ramps' . It is necessary to ensure that the ramps conform to specifications. Architects Abhishek Ray and Monolitha Chatterjee, Amar Seva Sangam secretary S. Sankara Raman participated in the technical session.

The speakers felt that since people with disabilities were not often seen on the road using wheelchairs the need for an inclusive building had not yet percolated down. Just as green buildings were gaining focus as a concept even in classrooms, it was necessary to evaluate every classroom project for integrating barrier free environment, the speakers felt.

Head of the Architecture department Ranee Vedamuthu said the students would be taken to buildings, including the Egmore Railway station, which had recently installed facilities for people with disability.

Source: www.hindu.com/2007/08/04/stories/2007080459820300.htm

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Programme for rehabilitation of disabled people

PUDUKOTTAI, 6 Aug: A special National Programme for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disability (NPRPD) will be implemented in the district. It aims at ensuring early intervention for checking the severity of disability. :

Sponsored by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Human Empowerment , the programme will be implemented in co–ordination with various State departments, including Education, Social Welfare, Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and the District Rural Development Agency, besides non–governmental organisations (NGOs) working for the cause of the disabled persons.

Nine NGOs, which have been identified for the purpose, have appointed 225 community–based rehabilitation workers and 10 multi–purpose rehabilitation workers to execute the programme.

Work on updating the census of disabled persons in the district has started in the district on August 1. The census will help ascertain the number of needy persons, and the nature of assistance they require. Vocational training programmes will be organised to help disabled persons take up self–employment. Steps will also be taken for forming self–help groups (SHGs) and ensuring credit–linkage with banks.

The focus of the programme will be to make the disabled persons lead a decent life with an income on par with normal persons, and to eradicate the social stigma. The NGOs will also offer counselling to the family members for treating the disabled with dignity.

A committee chaired by District Collector will monitor the programme's implementation. The committee will include project officers of Mahalir Thittam and DRDA, District Disabled Rehabilitation Officer, Chief Educational Officer and District Social Welfare Officer.

Pudukottai is one of the five districts selected for the implementation of NPRDP, the other districts being Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Tirunelveli and Sivaganga. The duration of the programme is expected to be three years but would be extended based on the results, official sources told 'The Hindu' here on Sunday.

Source: www.hindu.com/2007/08/06/stories/2007080650400100.htm

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HC notice to Centre for not giving job to disabled people

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Centre, Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Employees State Insurance Corporation ((ESIC) to reply by August 17 as to why they had not given a job to a disabled person despite having a reserved category in the government jobs.

Justice Kailash Gambhir took suo motto notice on the newspaper report in which one Ravi Dutt with 75 per cent disability was not given his due by the government in giving him a job under the reserved quota.

Ravi Dutt is a commerce graduate and holds a diploma in Elementary Teacher Education. He also possesses a computer application certificate. He appeared in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination on August 28, 2006 and for the Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) on October 25, 2006 against the reserved seat category. Although he got good marks more than the required cut–off marks, he has not got any job yet.

The court has intervened on its own, to get a job for Ravi Dutt under the Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation Act, 1995.

The Court has appointed advocate K K Sharma as Amicus Curiae in the matter, to help the candidate for filing his papers in the court.

Source: www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug42007/scroll2007080417122.asp

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Directorate General of Civil Aviation drafts policy for disabled fliers

NEW DELHI: Airlines may soon have to provide information sheets on aircraft and what to do in an emergency in Braille to blind passengers. Following the recent case of airlines refusing to fly a disabled passenger that led to a nationwide outrage, the chief commissioner for Persons with Disabilities had asked the aviation ministry to frame a policy for incapacitated passengers. Now, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has prepared a draft with a very strict list of dos and don'ts for airlines that may get effective in a couple of months.

The draft civil aviation requirement (CAR) admits that "whereas incapacitated passengers are increasingly given the possibility to travel by air, there lies a need to standardise the conditions for travel of such persons so as to facilitate their acceptance and handling of their carriage by airlines and other operators. It asks airlines not to refuse to carry incapacitated persons unless they pose a threat to the safety of other passengers and the plane. Or unless they their evacuation in an emergency situation is going to be extremely tough.

"No airline should refuse to carry persons travelling in a stretcher or incubator, persons with severe mobility/hearing and vision impairment if they are accompanied by an able bodied escort who will be responsible for them and their needs on enplaning and deplaning during flight, and during emergency evacuation," the CAR says. Airlines will also have to run special sensitisation course for their employees along with a refresher course every three years. Only specially trained staffers will be deployed for assisting incapacitated passengers at airports and inflight.

Airlines have been asked not to ask for medical clearance or special forms for passengers who only require special assistance at the airport for assistance in embarking/disembarking. The same may be sought only if ? the passenger is believed to be suffering from a contagious disease; who may develop an unusual condition that may impact co–passengers; who could be a potential hazard to flight safety and those requiring special care inflight.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Easy loans for disabled people

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Handicapped Persons' Welfare Corporation will extend loans to physically disabled persons to start income generation activities, Irrigation Minister N.K. Premachandran said here on Saturday.

The Minister was inaugurating a one–day seminar on micro–finance scheme for disabled persons. The Corporation is the coordinating agency in the State for the National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation. Disabled persons can avail up to Rs. 25,000 as loan at a minimum per annum interest rate of five per cent. The loan can be given to the same person repeatedly subject to certain conditions, including repayment of earlier loan amounts. An Indian citizen with 40 per cent or more disability could apply for the loan.

The Corporation will provide credit through NGOs in rural and urban areas. It will further finance beneficiaries either directly or through self–help groups (SHG). The office–bearers of NGOs interested in joining the micro–financing scheme should not be elected members of any political party.

Most of the physically disabled persons are constantly in need of small loans for augmenting their income. Their requirement can be met only by quickly processing loans and making it available to them at their door step. The gap that persists in meeting the credit needs of the poor should be bridged. Several nationalised banks have come up with micro–finance programmes for the poor.

Source: www.hindu.com/2007/08/05/stories/2007080550320200.htm

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Lifts to help disabled people at Metro subway

Mumbai, August 2: Come November and pedestrians will have a state–of–the–art subway at the Metro Cinema junction. Built under the Pedestrian Grade Separation Scheme (PGSS), it would have hydraulic lifts on four sides, exclusively for disabled people.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Executive Engineer C V Khandekar said the decision to install lifts in the subway was prompted by the state government resolution which said all public structures should have either ramps or lifts for disabled people. "As ramps are not feasible, lifts stand as a better option," said Khandekar.

The lifts, components of which are being imported from abroad, will cost Rs 19 lakh a piece. Khandekar said the delivery of the components is expected by November, the time scheduled for the subway work to end.

The objective of PGSS, a part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) underway with World Bank assistance, is to provide "safe and exclusive pedestrian crossing" and fewer vehicular delays at major intersections by constructing exclusive transit routes for pedestrians?either subways or foot over bridges.

"Considering the heavy traffic congestion at Metro junction and the hassles faced by the physically challenged for safe crossing, the subway is the corporation's first of its kind endeavour to ensure better mobility," said Khandekar.

About the possibility of installation of lifts at other PGSS projects, he added, "As it is mandatory to have either lifts or ramps on public structure?subways or foot over bridges?lifts will be installed."

The BMC, which is exploring the alternative of escalated foot over bridges at the three recently scrapped subway projects at Sena Bhavan, Siddhi Vinayak and Kataria Marg, will also have lifts at the three sites for the physically challenged.

Source: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php

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Mangalore: 'Make Specially–abled Persons Self–reliant'

Mangalore, Aug 2: Rehabilitation–based training course for visually impaired and disabled people. was organized by the Mobility Training Centre for the Blind (MTCB) in Attavar in association with Women's Polytechnic in Bondel here on Wednesday, August 1.

Commissioner of City Corporation Krishnappa Poojary inaugurated the rehabilitation course and said that disabled people do not need the sympathy of any one but they need the means to be self reliant. Lauding the great work being done by MTCB, Poojary stated that the centre works for the betterment of the visually and disabled people, therefore the work of the centre needs to be deeply appreciated.

He further informed that the Mobility centre is an institution undertaken by the Rotary club and has been providing training for the blind and physically disabled people for the past 7 years. All persons who have undergone and completed training at the institute have been provided a certificate from the institute, since last year he added.

Poojary on this occasion distributed the said certificates to the candidates who had successfully undergone training in various crafts like candle making, door mat making, paper bag making, tailoring and computers.

Coordinator Suryaprakash Bhat and president of the centre Dr Rammohan Rai were also present.

Source: www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp

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'Unlimited Ability' Stars Disabled Actors in Unique Show

NORWALK, Calif.–Whether in wheelchairs or on crutches, eight disabled performers from India demonstrated their dramatic skills in a two–hour long presentation July 28 entitled "Unlimited Ability" at the Excelsior Auditorium here, as part of their West Coast tour. The day before, the program was presented by the Hindu Temple and Community Center and Indo American Society of Bay Area in Sunnyvale.

The show, directed by choreographer Syed Sallaudin Pasha, made its U.S. debut on the West Coast with the Northern California performance before coming to the Southland, and will be traveling on to stage a show in Phoenix, Ariz. A return engagement at a later date is being planned.

"This is a historical first," Pasha told India–West. "All our performances are a historical first. Nobody has done anything like this before."

The show features the performers in elaborate costumes acting in scenes from Durga, the Ramayana, and the Bhagavad Gita as well as scenes depicting the baptism and temptations of Jesus and the miracles he performed when he healed the blind and rose Lazarus from the dead.

The eight performers "are equal to 50," Pasha laughed, noting that each actor would be playing anywhere from eight to ten characters.

Also featured as part of the production were several martial arts demonstrations, where wheelchair bound warriors faced off against opponents in wheelchairs or on foot, that were inspired by "Thang," the most dangerous form of martial art that flourished in the ancient kingdom of Manipur.

Founded in New Delhi by Pasha 25 years ago, the Ability Unlimited company is the first professional dance–theater troupe in India to educate and employ people with disabilities through innovative choreographed works and public performances that integrate the arts with career opportunities and training.

Since its founding, the company has staged more that 100 different productions and to date has approximately 15,000 artists registered throughout India whose talents are showcased through professional venues.

"It's a revolution in India," Pasha said. "We carry a great message of dignity, equality, inclusivity of education and employment for the persons of disability."

India, he pointed out, "is not a disabled–friendly country. We don't have disabled–friendly public parks or places and we have almost 17 million disabled persons in India. Because of the infrastructure, they are an invisible minority. They don't come out."

The "Unlimited Ability" production is being presented by Georgy Bhaala's New Jersey–based Catch the Rhythms production company, which plans to raise funds from future "Unlimited Ability" shows to build the first disabled–friendly auditorium in New Delhi.

The facility, which will cater largely to audiences in wheelchairs, is still in its planning stage. "We are working with the architects and determining the cost," Pasha said. "Such an auditorium will be a first of its kind in India."

The Southland program was locally hosted by the Mahatma Gandhi Leprosy Foundation, a non–profit organization founded 25 years ago by Anand Rao that has refocused its charitable activities on the disabled in India, now that the threat of leprosy has abated.

The entire proceeds from the show will be distributed by the foundation to the Mamata Kendra organization, which is located in the northern part of Gujarat and caters exclusively to the needs of handicapped children.

The July 28 show began with Sanjay Shah given the honor of lighting the ceremonial lamp. Over the years, Shah, who was trained as a computer engineer, has become totally deaf and blind, yet despite these infirmities, he went on to develop Braille–based technology at the Helen Keller Institute.

Brought on stage and honored with bouquets of flowers for being the main sponsors of the "Unlimited Ability" event here were Bhupesh and Kumud Parikh as well as Dr. Gnyandev and Kalpna Patel. Vallabhai Patel, who recovered the use of his legs after a near–tragic accident, gave the welcoming address.

Source: http://www.indiawest.com/view.php

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