Science & technology

Kerala University academic council permits 100% visually impaired student to pursue Science course

Serving Army officer allowed norms relaxation for MBA programme

The Academic Council of Kerala University on Friday decided to admit a candidate with 100% visual impairment to BSc Physics course.

While the undergraduate (UG) prospectus of the university has thus far permitted admissions for only visually impaired candidates with less than 40% disability to Science subjects, the current decision is likely to enable more differently-abled aspirants to pursue higher education.

'Talking Bill' service for blind people in United Arab Emirates

Customers can subscribe to the service at no extra cost.

Etisalat on Sunday announced the launch of a 'Talking Bill' service that enables visually impaired customers to access bill summary details of their account free of charge.

Customers can subscribe to the service at no extra cost by dialing 101 or visiting any of Etisalat's retail stores. Upon successful activation, customers will get an automated call from Etisalat to explain the summary bill details of their account in English or Arabic from next month onwards.

Actiview and Pixar Animation Studios Collaborate, Giving Access for the Blind and Hard of Hearing to Experience “Incredibles 2” In Theaters

Berkeley, CA, USA: Actiview, a Bay Area based technology company, is collaborating with Pixar Animation Studios to provide support for all Blind/Low Vision and Hard of Hearing attendees of the new Disney•Pixar feature film “Incredibles 2,” opening in theaters nationwide June 15^th. Moviegoers will be able to download Audio Description and Amplified Audio tracks to their mobile phone from the Actiview app, and play them alongside the film while they watch in the theater. Tracks are available to all audiences and compatible with any theater in the U.S.

Isobar India launches 'The Blind Faith Upgrade' a tool that promotes Accessible Tourism

Isobar India has launched the ‘Blind Faith Upgrade’ a kit that enables hotels to transform any of its rooms into a visually-impaired-friendly room.

First introduced at Hotel Ramada, Ajmer in Rajasthan, the Blind Faith Upgrade Kit uses innovative design to provide customer service for the differently-abled traveller as well as create business opportunity by supporting accessible tourism.

New smartphone app aims to improve cataract surgical outcomes

IAPB
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is an alliance of civil society organisations, corporates and professional bodies promoting eye health through advocacy, knowledge and partnerships.
Organisation: IAPB

Press release: A global consortium of leading eye health organisations today launched a new app to help improve cataract surgical outcomes, especially for people in developing countries.

Ford car window helps blind passengers 'feel' the view

Ford is developing a new smart car window to let blind passengers experience the passing landscape.

A prototype, called Feel the View, uses high-contrast photos to reproduce scenery using LED lights.

Passengers can touch the display to feel different shades of grey vibrate at different intensities.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People said the charity "wholeheartedly supports" the company's effort.

Genome surgery for eye disease moves closer to reality Study shows that a CRISPR-based treatment can restore retinal function in mice

Researchers from Columbia University have developed a new technique for the powerful gene editing tool CRISPR to restore retinal function in mice afflicted by a degenerative retinal disease, retinitis pigmentosa. This is the first time researchers have successfully applied CRISPR technology to a type of inherited disease known as a dominant disorder. This same tool might work in hundreds of diseases, including Huntington's disease, Marfan syndrome, and corneal dystrophies.

Our technologies to keep empowering India in 2018: Microsoft

NEW DELHI: Various technologies at Microsoft that began transforming the lives of individuals and communities in India last year will gain further momentum in 2018, the company's President Anant Maheshwari said on Tuesday.

In a mission statement, Maheshwari said he is proud to play a role in the transformation of India's core pillars of education, health care, agriculture and governance, among others.

Today, about 25 per cent students drop out from grade 10 to grade 11.

PU installs scanners for visually impaired

Chandigarh, October 30

Punjab University (PU) today installed two scanners for visually impaired students of the varsity.

According to PU librarian Dr Raj Kumar, with the help of scanners, visually disabled students can scan books, notes, magazines and other study material. After scanning, it gets stored in their laptop or computer in the PDF format. Then the text could be converted into audio book. The total cost of the scanners with software is around Rs 1.3 lakh.

Webcasting and Braille slips for visually impaired

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 13

There will be extensive use of 27 IT solutions during the polling for the 68 Assembly segments on November 9 with webcasting from 2,000 booth, including the 51 vulnerable ones, and first time use of Braille voter slips for the visually impaired.