General

Global white cane day observed in city

Global White Cane Day was observed under the aegis of Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF), in association with the National Association for the Blind (NAB), with a rally and cultural programmes.

A vision for the visually impaired

The year 2007 was a significant year for theatre artist Aneesha Madhok when she questioned her parents for the first time. Through her debut play, Aliza Free that will be staged on October 23, she continues to ask the same questions—‘‘Why is there a segregation between the visually impaired and the ones who are not? Why haven’t I ever seen any blind people at parties? Why are they always excluded from the mainstream life? Why are their lives so different from all of us? Why haven’t we been able to extend a hand of friendship towards them?’’ asks Aneesha, restlessly.

Light from the shadows

Fifteen visually impaired students of the city collaborate with Korean artist Lee Jinjoon to create an installation for the ongoing IIC Experience festival.

Abraham Nemeth, Creator of a Braille Code for Math, Is Dead at 94

Abraham Nemeth, whose frustrations in pursuing an academic career in math prompted him to develop the Nemeth Code, a form of Braille that greatly improved the ability of visually impaired people to study complex mathematics, died on Wednesday at his home in Southfield, Mich. He was 94.

Naseeruddin Shah urges to change views about disabled and disability in DD series

Renowned actor Naseeruddin Shah has strongly supported the telecast of a series on visually impaired and blind achievers on Doordarshan saying “people need to break away from the societal stereotypes and commonly held perceptions about disability and success or happiness.”

White Cane Day observed today

Today is White Cane Safety Day, a national observance set aside since 1964 to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired, and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence, the white cane.

The mission of White Cane Day is to educate the world about blindness and how the blind and visually impaired can live and work independently while giving back to their communities; to celebrate the abilities and successes achieved by blind people in a sighted world; and to honor the many contributions begin made by the blind and visually impaired.

Disabled say they’ve got raw deal, demand work

A wheelchair-bound para table tennis champion with a gold medal from Thailand Open 2013 has no job that the state can offer. The 31-year-old has to climb three floors to be coached for free in a private complex in Madurai.

Coaches in a government playground turned her away after she didn't have the money to pay them, she says. If it is difficult for people with disabilities to find a job, it's equally harrowing for those who did manage to get a job under the government quota.

EMC India COE holds awareness drive on visual impairment

Many employees were amazed with the skills and capabilities of the volunteers with visual impairment during the demos of these assistive aids

EMC India Center of Excellence (CoE) recently concluded an awareness workshop for its employees on assistive technologies for visually impaired individuals at its Bangalore campus.
The program targeted to create awareness and sensitize managers, hiring leads, leadership and other teams on visual impairment and how assistive technologies can help a person with visual impairment function successfully at work.

‘90% of visually impaired live in developing countries’

The Eastern Mediterranean region is home to the second largest number of people in the world with visual impairment, according to estimates.

There are a total of 285mn visually impaired people in the world - 246mn with low vision and 39mn are estimated to be blind.

About 90% of the world’s visually impaired live in developing countries while 80% of all visual impairment can be avoided or cured.

Also, 1.26mn children are blind and 19mn are visually impaired.

Sightless but not without vision, they inspire with their cameras

A photography exhibition questioning the conventional wisdom of 'vision' is currently on at the India International Centre featuring works by three international lensmen, all of whom, once sighted, are now completely blind.

The display, titled 'Vision Unseen', showcases seemingly impossible photographs shot by Frenchman Evgen Bavcar, US national Flo Fox and Kuniaki Ito from Japan.