Friday, May 11, 2018
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Mumbai: Differently abled body writes to MMRDA: ‘Provide employment, separate ticket window’
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| Among their demands is that they should receive a 75 per cent concession on tickets and their reserved seats should be more prominently marked and should also be more accessible |
In a letter submitted to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Wednesday, they demanded that these jobs should be granted without consideration of their educational qualifications.
Members of the Divyang Sena sought a four per cent reservation in jobs for the differently abled on the existing and upcoming metro corridors of the city. In a letter submitted to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority(MMRDA) on Wednesday, they demanded that these jobs should be granted without consideration of their educational qualifications.
“These projects have been implemented by the Centre and state government and it is a mandate to give jobs to the differently abled as well. But that is not happening here. Due to their handicaps many of them are not able to complete their education, which must also be considered,” said Prasad Salvi, Divyang Sena president.
Among their demands is that they should receive a 75 per cent concession on tickets and their reserved seats should be more prominently marked and should also be more accessible.
“There are seats reserved in each of the Metro compartments for us but they are not easily identifiable. We are not able to access the seats due to the crowd. They need to make the symbol more prominent,” said Nitin Gaikwad, secretary of Divyang Sena from Maharashtra, who is also differently abled.
They also want the Metro stations to have a dedicated ticket window for the differently abled, manned by one of them. “It will only make sense if the counter is manned by a differently abled. The railways has a separate line for us, which makes things more convenient,” added Gaikwad.
Their demands also include that the announcements on the platform should be in a format easily understandable by them. To improve their employment opportunities, they want a few stalls to be reserved for them to run business at every station.
MMRDA spokesperson Dilip Kawathkar said, “We will look into their demands and take action as per law.”
According to the Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), which operates the existing Metro One between Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar, the metro stations are equipped with some facilities for the differently abled, like keeping the gap between the platform and the train floor minimum to allow wheelchair-bound or visually-impaired commuters to get inside easily without getting their feet trapped.
“For the visually challenged and hearing/speech impaired the trains are equipped with passenger visual display system and regular audio announcements which informs passengers about the approaching station, door side or safety while alighting or catching the train,” reads a statement by MMOPL on their features for the differently abled.
The Automatic Fare Collection gates have a special section for allowing wheel chairs to pass easily.
Reliance Infrastructure-promoted MMOPL spokesperson said, “At each of the Mumbai Metro stations, we have our Customer Care Executives who assist differently abled customers to get their ticket. The reserved seats for differently abled are prominently marked in each of the compartments…”
Differently-abled mustn’t be treated differently
Making life convenient for one and all is the key to overall development and growth of a family, locality, country, or the world. Measures and reforms aimed at uplifting individuals in disadvantaged positions go a long way in adding to peace and prosperity. Among other deprived individuals, disabled people — who continue to struggle to secure employment and navigate their way around with poor infrastructure and are still treated as “others” — need more attention and care. India, where around 2.21 per cent of the total population is incapacitated, is making efforts — both at the Centre and state-level — to provide equal rights along with better facilities and opportunities to the special people.
The Odisha government, for example, has initiated steps to empower disabled persons with skills, acumen and entitlements, so that they can be employed to eventually become economically stable. For recruiting the disabled persons, the employer’s contribution towards the ESI and the EPF for five years would be borne by the state government. Punjab too has come up with new schemes on the same lines. Few other states are also reportedly trying to make the implementation of “Rights of Persons with Disability (RPWD) Act, 2016 a success.
But majority of the state governments do not seem to take right to dignity for people suffering from disability seriously. The recent scolding from the Supreme Court makes it more evident.
Last year, the apex court had directed all the states to provide proper and safe access to roads, transport, buildings and public places to differently-abled persons by June 2019 as per provision of the RPWD Act. Only six states and two union territories have so far filed their status reports in the matter.
Even the entities that come under the Central government, in general, have loopholes when it comes to serving people with disability.
The railways, for example, provides wheelchairs to differently-abled persons at the station. But they are of no use to 50 lakh visually-impaired people of the country. The Delhi High Court, while hearing a case, rightly pointed out that a visually or speech impaired person does not require a wheel chair as they walk themselves but need human assistance.
Women and girls with disabilities in India, according to the latest Human Rights Watch report, are at a higher risk of sexual violence. And the challenges faced by its survivors to get justice are even greater.
Nidhi Goyal, one of the authors of the 61-page report “Invisible Victims of Sexual Violence: Access to Justice for Women and Girls with Disabilities in India”, said the infrastructure in the country is not friendly for a person with a disability and being a woman adds an additional layer of difficulty.
The recent gangrape of a physically challenged Dalit woman in Vijayanagaram district of Andhra Pradesh is just one of the many cases. The woman was going to her sister’s house in a three-wheeler when the auto driver, accompanied by two other men, took the victim to an isolated place and violated her.
The only good thing amid all the recent developments is that the general public and judiciary are assuring that right to dignity, which is ensured in the constitutional set up for every citizen, is applied with much more vigour in cases of persons suffering from disability.
If the RPWD Act, 2016 — which recognises 21 kinds of disabilities compared to the previous seven, including dwarfism, speech and language disability, and three blood disorders — is properly implemented, India will become a better place for special people.
Vodacom debuts SMS service for hearing impaired
Vodacom has launched South Africa’s first SMS Emergency Service for deaf, hearing and speech impaired customers.
The Vodacom 082 112 SMS Emergency Service is free and provided for Vodacom Prepaid, Contract and Top Up customers who are Deaf, hearing and speech impaired.
The service addresses a serious need that currently exists in the market. Previously deaf and hearing impaired persons were unable to contact an emergency service centre, as it could only be accessed via voice calls.
The new Vodacom 082 112 SMS Emergency Service now provides these customers with the option to request emergency services such as police, fire and ambulance services by sending an SMS to 082 112. In order to use this new service, customers need only register their details by sending an SMS to 082 112.
Karen Smit, Vodacom Principal Specialist for Specific Needs, says that this is a first for South Africa and the continent and continues on Vodacom’s promise to provide peace of mind for deaf and hearing impaired persons.
“We are confident that this initiative will assist in promoting the ability to communicate for deaf and hearing impaired customers through digital inclusion as they can now request help should they experience an emergency situation. Vodacom is committed to adding value and we are excited to be able to offer this service to some of our more vulnerable customers.”
Vodacom has been providing accessible products and services to customers with disabilities since 2004. The Specific Needs division has received a number of accolades including the Change Agents and Disability Champion amongst South Africans Award at the Human Rights Summit from the Disability Alliance (SADA). This award recognises Vodacom for being fully engaged and innovative in the process of accessible and affordable ICT in South Africa.
As part of the group’s CARE initiative and inclusion strategy, Vodacom has over the years developed a number of products and revamped its service models to cater for the disability and elderly segment of the market. Some of the targeted products and specialists services offered on the network include; a device repair priority process, easy to use devices with a big keypad and inclusive design smartphones. The device repair priority process enables disabled customers to have their devices repaired in a shorter period of time. The phones with a big keypad cater for the elderly and allows them to easily see the keypad and words when typing. A large range of inclusive design electronic devices have built-in text-to-speech software that makes them accessible to visually impaired persons.
Another innovation is the HearZA app which was developed in partnership with the University of Pretoria. HearZA is a smartphone-based national hearing test app. The app helps with early detection of hearing problems which is essential in mitigating possible hearing losses. Vodacom further meets the needs of deaf and hearing impaired customers by providing them with special contract phone deals that consist of data and SMS, without minutes.
Deaf and dumb minor raped
Kurnool: A 16-year-old deaf and dumb girl was sexually assaulted by two youth in Kocheruvu village under Dhone police station limits in the district on May 5. However, the incident came to light on Wednesday.
According to sources, the incident took place when two of her brothers, who were mentally challenged, were also present in the house. Taking advantage of mentally challenged brothers and the absens of parents, the duo entered her house and committed the crime.
The victim narrated the incident to her mother after parents returned in the evening. Later, the parents lodged a complaint with Dhone circle inspector K Raja Gopal Naidu. After filing a report, the police referred the victim to Kurnool General Hospital for medical examination.
Indore: Deaf students present cultural programme in Pakistan
Indore: The deaf students of Muk-Badhir Sangathana led by All India Deaf Art Culture Society visited Pakistan to take part in cultural programme. The 21-member delegation stayed in neighbouring country from May 1-6.
Monika Punjabi Verma and Rajkumar Punjabi led the delegation of deaf students. After returning from Pakistan, Monika said cultural functions were organised by Pakistan Deaf Culture society at Al-hamra Hall of Lahore where Indian deaf students presented programmes on May 2.
They presented dance, drama, national anthem and conveyed message of cleanliness. Pakistan’s deaf artists presented comedy and drama. Indian team gave training on Indian sign language in a camp organised by Inayat Foundation Academy for the Deaf. A cricket match was played which Pakistan team won. On May 3-4, Indian delegation visited historic monuments of Lahore including Jain temple, hospital, Lahore Fort etc. Pakistan Deaf Art and Culture society appreciated the role of Indian delegation.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
மருத்துவ சான்றிதழ் வாங்கச் சென்ற மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகளுக்கு அவமதிப்பு அரசு டாக்டர் மீது போலீசில் புகார்
ஆனால் மருத்துவர் பழனிசாமி சான்றிதழ் தரமறுத்து, அவர்களை தரக்குறைவாக பேசியதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. இதை கேட்டுக்கொண்டிருந்த மாற்றுத்திறனாளி கலியமூர்த்தி, மருத்துவரிடம் தரைக்குறைவாக பேசவேண்டாம் என சொன்னதற்கு, அவரையும் மருத்துவர் திட்டி அனுப்பியுள்ளார். இந்நிலையில் இதை கண்டித்து தமிழ்நாடு அனைத்துவகை மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகள் மற்றும் பாதுகாப்போர் உரிமைகளுக்கான சங்கம் சார்பில் அதன் மாவட்ட தலைவர் ஜெயபால், செயலாளர் கோபிநாத், பொருளாளர் புஷ்பநாதன் உள்ளிட்ட 10க்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகளை அழைத்துக்கொண்டு நேற்று காலை மருத்துவ மனை டீன் அனிதாவை சந்தித்து புகார் அளித்தனர்.
புகாரை பெற்றுக்கொண்ட டீன், துறை ரீதியாக விசாரணை நடத்தி உரிய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என உறுதி அளித்து, வேறு மருத்துவர் மூலம் உடனடியாக மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகளுக்கு சான்றிதழ் வழங்கிடவும் நடவடிக்கை எடுத்தார். இதனை ஏற்றுக்கொண்ட மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகள் மற்றும் சங்கத்தினர் அங்கிருந்து கலைந்து சென்றனர். பின்னர் ஜிஹெச் காவல்நிலையத்தில் மருத்துவர் பழனிசாமி மீது ராஜேந் திரன் புகார் அளித்தார். இதையடுத்து போலீசார் புகார் மனு தொடர்பாக விசாரணை நடத்தி வருகின்றனர். இது போன்ற சம்பவங்கள் பெரும் வேதனை அளிப்பதாக சமூக ஆர்வலர்கள் வேதனை தெரிவித்துள்ளனர். அரசு மருத்துவமனையில் மாற்றுத்திறனாளியை அவமதித்த சம்பவம் பெரும் பரபரப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
$25mn Microsoft AI initiative to empower people with disabilities
The programme will put AI tools in the hands of developers to accelerate the development of accessible and intelligent AI solutions for people with disabilities.
Seattle (Washington): Harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help people with disabilities, Microsoft has announced "AI for Accessibility" -- a new $25 million, five-year programme for developers globally including in India.
The programme will put AI tools in the hands of developers to accelerate the development of accessible and intelligent AI solutions for people with disabilities.
"It is important for us to figure out how to empower more people. It has been a personal passion of mine to help people suffering with disabilities like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and autism," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told the gathering at "Build 2018," the company's annual developers' conference here on Monday.
"AI for Accessibility is a grand programme for the researchers, NGOs and developers -- providing them with platform technologies so that they can help over one billion people with disabilities," Nadella added.
Only one in 10 people with disabilities globally has access to assistive technologies and products.
Meanwhile, several Microsoft applications are currently helping people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing with real-time captioning of conversations.
In India, students are creating AI and Machine Learning (ML)-based apps with the help from Microsoft.
"Practikality" app, developed by Amity International School, Gurugram, is one such ML-based assistant to help the differently-abled communicate efficiently.
"It is very interesting to see that students are applying the AI technology in different ways in several use cases, helping us in industries like healthcare and education," Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, recently told IANS.
The tech giant last year hosted its first "Accessibility Summit" in India.
The summit featured unique technology-based projects that empower people with disabilities. These included innovations from non-profit organisations, assistive technologies developed by partners as well as Microsoft solutions.
The "AI for Accessibility" programme will be run by Microsoft Accessibility team and its leader Jenny Lay-Flurrie who is Chief Accessibility Officer.
"By making AI solutions more widely available, we believe technology can have a broad impact on this important community," said Microsoft President Brad Smith.
"AI advances like these offer enormous potential by enabling people with vision, hearing, cognitive, learning, mobility disabilities and mental health conditions do more in three specific scenarios: employment, modern life and human connection," Smith reiterated.
To begin with, the programme will provide seed grants of technology to developers, universities, non-governmental organisations and inventors.
"Next, we will identify the projects that show the most promise and make larger investments of technology and access to Microsoft AI experts to help bring them to scale.
"Thirdly, as we infuse AI and inclusive design across our offerings, we will help our partners incorporate AI innovations into platform level services to empower others to maximise the accessibility of their offerings," Smith informed.
Helpicto, an application that turns voice commands into images, is enabling children in France with autism to better understand situations and communicate with others.
"Seeing AI" and auto alt-text features are helping narrate the world for people who are blind or low vision.
Microsoft last year introduced "AI for Earth" -- a comprehensive programme to apply AI towards unlocking solutions to climate, water, agriculture and the biodiversity issues.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Gurugram: Deaf-mute man attacked by stray dog
A black dog attacked him near Block C. He tried to run away and call for help, but couldn’t. The dog is being kept under observation.The city witnesses approximately 17-20 cases of stray dog bites every day. GURUGRAM: A 40-year-old deaf and mute man suffered serious injuries in his arms and legs after a stray dog attacked him in Kendriya Vihar on Saturday.Ashish Bhartia, a resident of Block C, was rescued by neighbours after they found him lying on the blood-strewn landing being mauled by a dog. His family has lodged a complaint with Sector 56 police station, MCG and Kendriya Vihar RWA.Madhu Bhartia, Ashish’s mother, said, “My son went out for a walk around 8.30pm. “We have hired an agency, Friendicoes, which has been undertaking sterilisation drives across the city.
GURUGRAM: A 40-year-old deaf and mute man suffered serious injuries in his arms and legs after a stray dog attacked him in Kendriya Vihar on Saturday.Ashish Bhartia, a resident of Block C, was rescued by neighbours after they found him lying on the blood-strewn landing being mauled by a dog.
His family has lodged a complaint with Sector 56 police station, MCG and Kendriya Vihar RWA.Madhu Bhartia, Ashish’s mother, said, “My son went out for a walk around 8.30pm.
A black dog attacked him near Block C.
He tried to run away and call for help, but couldn’t.
Neighbours spotted him and managed to free him.”“It must have been a horrific experience for my son, as he was unable to shout for help while the dog repeatedly bit him.
He suffered grievous injuries in his arms and had to receive several stitches.
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