Achiever: Baldev Gulati

• Baldev Gulati didn’t let his visual impairment come in the way of his work. He now employs people with disabilities not only in his spice factory, but also helps them get placements.

• 80 per cent of the staff at "NP Masale" are disabled

• Gulati’s employment drive is not restricted to his factory. He hires 10-15 disabled people in his factory, trains them for three to five months and then gets them placed in other units. In the last year and a half, he’s placed some 273 such people.

• 'I am a ruthless employer, I punish the workers for coming late to work and taking erratic breaks. I tell them to not expect leniency from anyone just because they are disabled. Only then, they can hope for equality.' - Gulati.

Quoted from: Spice route to empowerment on Indian Express

Deaf Anthem

This poem can very well be the deaf and HOH anthem!

Listen to Me

I may not hear you,
But I can listen,
Listen to your hands,
Your face and your eyes.
All I ask of you
Is that you do the same.
Listen to the words
That I want to tell.
Look past hearing aids
And see the real me.
Look at what I can be
Not what I cannot.
Heather Whitestone showed you
That I can be beautiful.
Marlee Matlin showed you
That I can be in movies.
Thomas Edison showed you
That I can make history.
Ludwig van Beethoven showed you
That I can make music.
Sir John Warcup Cornforth showed you
That I can win the Nobel Prize.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky showed you
That I can send rockets to the moon.
Helen Keller showed you
That I can overcome anything.
Now, let me show you
That I can be a friend.
I have things to tell you.
Listen to me.

— By Tawnysha Lynch

From the e-magazine World Around You (SPRING/SUMMER 2002 VOL XXIII ISSUE 3)
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/WorldAroundYou/Spr-Sum-2002/spr-sum-2002-WAY.pdf

Copyright belongs to Gallaudet University Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center/author. I do not claim ownership.

Four year Bachelor of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology (BSLPA) Course

Found information about a professional Bachelor's course in speech and hearing:

BSLPA trains one to become a paramedical professional dealing with people who are hearing impaired or who have speech defects. This course is available in institutions such as All India Institute of Speech and Hearing - Mysore, SR Chandrashekhar Institute of Speech and Hearing Hennur Road, Bangalore and Samvaad Institute of Speech and Hearing - Hebbal, Bangalore (Phone 9845018302 www.samvaadinstitute.org). Applications to be made at the institutes directly.

Came across in Deccan Herald: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun52008/dheducation2008060471674.asp

Achievers: Shayan Lahari and Prateek Asnani

• Shayan Lahiri got 92.6 percent to emerge topper among the special category students in CBSE Class X.
• ... he fractured a bone behind the ear at the ... age of two ... [leading] to a hearing impairment.
• “The CBSE offered me an extra hour as I was from the special category. But I refused to take that. Why should I take extra time when I can compete with the other students? I finished my papers within the stipulated time,” said a confident Shayan, a student of Sanskriti School here at Chanakyapuri. Shayan, who uses hearing aid for both the ears, has decided to take up Science in Class XI with Maths and Computer Science and is keen on studying engineering.

• Prateek Asnani scored 91 percent in CBSE Class X.
• Prateek ... student of Blue Bells International School ... has set his sights on aeronautical engineering.
• “He has always been a bright student. We put him in school with the normal students. He got all the support from the teachers and classmates. We are very happy that his dream has come true.” - Prateek's father

Read full article in:
The Hindu: Success story of Delhi’s achievers

Also reported in:
The Times of India: Better & better, it hots up

Express India (Indian Express): CBSE results out: HOTS betters performance, govt schools improve

Hearing Impaired Achiever: Manoj Kumar Khara

"Manoj, nick named Bulu, had lost his hearing power after suffering from diarrhea, while he was in standard IX. This made him speak uncomfortably too. Whatever he wanted to communicate, he had to write on a piece of paper." However, Manoj "secured all India rank 165 in the recently-announced results of all-India examination conducted by the union public service commission (UPSC)".

From The Statesman

Solar powered inexpensive hearing aids

* Howard Weinstein, a Canadian who "parlayed valves and faucets into a major business, then sold it for a bundle to a Fortune 500 corporation, staying on as president" has worked in Africa to come up with an inexpensive ("$100"), solar-powered hearing aids.
* Weinstein has actually used hearing-impaired people to realise this vision. "Because mastering sign language takes acute hand-eye coordination, deaf people are well suited to the fine soldering and microelectronics that go into making hearing aids."
* And to top it all? "He didn't know the first thing about audiology. 'I didn't know a decibel from Tinkerbell.' Even so, he didn't need a degree in physiology to understand the scope of the problem."

Read at Newsweek: Something to Shout About

Hearing Impaired Achiever: Ranjini Ramanujam

Ranjini Ramanujam is the Arjuna, Ekalavya and Karnataka Rajyotsava awardee, who has so far won 23 medals in national and international tournaments in both badminton and chess.

Read more at: Deccan Herald - Hearing the sweet music of success

WALK IN INTERVIEW FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AT MPHASIS: TRAINEE SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Related to my previous post (Changing Lives - an initiative by MPhasis to train differently-abled people), Mphasis is serious about recruiting differently-abled people. Here is an announcement for a special walk-in session.

WALK IN INTERVIEW FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AT MPHASIS - AN EDS COMPANY

DATE: SATURDAY, 17^TH MAY 2008

TIME: 11.00 A.M.

POSITION: TRAINEE – SOFTWARE ENGINEER

VENUE: NO. 65/2, BAGMANE PARIN, BLOCK-A, LEVEL 6, BAGMANE TECHNOLOGY PARK, BYRASANDRA, CV RAMAN NAGAR, BANGALORE 560093

AGE: 21 & ABOVE

QUALIFICATION:

· X & XII & Engineering or MCA, MCM (Computer Science), M .Sc (Mathematics or Physics) – 1st Class
· Good communication and analytical skills
· Open to flexibility – Working across Technologies, in Support Projects, Rotating shifts
· All offered candidates would have to undergo training at ELLA-EDS Learning and leadership Academy (Mangalore) for 75 day. Post this training, they would be allotted various location to work, based on Business Demand
· Candidates should be comfortable relocation

SELECTION PROCESS:
Written Exam – evaluates candidates for skills in:
• English Grammar
• Logical Reasoning
• Mathematics
• Technology

– Technical interview

– HR interview– evaluates candidates in:
• Culture fitment
• Communication
• Comprehension

We would also like to encourage people with hemophilia, thalassaemia, dyslexia, etc. who are not mentioned under the Disability Act to also come for the interview and take advantage of the special drive.

Note: Travel / stay will not be provided for out station candidates for attending the interview.

Please share this information with other NGOs, universities and others you feel will benefit from it.

Please publicize this as widely as possible.

For any details/clarifications/accommodations before the interview please contact the below mentioned.

P.S: Services are available across a wide range of technical platforms and encompass mainframe, client/server and open systems ,Web technologies , Enterprise Applications, Integration, Database administration, embedded technologies , testing. Service applications include Application Management, Development and Integration; Application Migration and Refresh; Project Management; Performance Management; Performance Assessment; Testing and Quality Assurance Services. This Recruitment Drive is for placements in 2009.

MEENU BHAMBHANI | Manager - Community Initiative| M P H A S I S an EDS Company|

The Millenia, 7th Floor, Tower A, 1&2 Murphy Road, Ulsoor, Bangalore 560 008, IndiaTel: +91 80 41882200 Ext: 1751

www.mphasis.com

Changing Lives - an initiative by MPhasis to train differently-abled people

"
Helping the differently-abled is one thing, and giving them a regular life is quite another.

Project Communicate, the unique effort tries to train differently-abled people with basic communication skills, soft skills, analytical skills, is a partnership between MphasiS and APD (the association of people with disability).

“We’ve just finished with our pilot batch of training and have already recruited 15 people. IBM has recruited one and Hungry Bangalore has recruited two people from this programme” - Meenu Bhambhani, manager, corporate social responsibility at MPhasis

Once the training programme is over every person has to go through the regular recruitment channels and is not treated any differently. This in fact, has given all the candidates the extra boost to perform better and not expect favouritism.

"While 64 percent of IT companies do recruit people with disabilities, they don’t invest much in training. Only those who are already employable are offered jobs."
"

Full Article from Mid-Day

The movie "Taare Zameen Par" in sign language

Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par has been dubbed in sign language for the benefit of hearing and speech impaired children. Indore-based non-government organisation, Anand Mook Badhir Kendra, had initiated this project.

- Said Gyanendra Purohit of Anand Mook Badhir Kendra

http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2008/apr/15tzp.htm

Texting for the Deaf

Texting for the Deaf:

"KENNEWICK, Wash.- Text messaging has changed the lives of millions, but there's one group who's lives have been transformed through the simple ability to text."

Read more

Raageshwari-Shreyas attend Deaf Expo 2006 - Daily News & Analysis

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1041653

Friday, July 14, 2006 18:29 IST

DNA

Shreyas and Raageshwari

in India, deaf people still struggle without basic aids and equipments that can make them independent. This is exactly what Deaf Expo 2006 is out to achieve.

“There’s not one college in India that has the basic technology to teach deaf people how to read news reports or make a phone call on their own. In America the progress has been to the extent that they have bulbs that flash when a baby cries,” said pop singer Raageshwari who is the brand ambassador for Deaf Expo 2006.

...

6 million hearing-impaired children India

http://newstodaynet.com/15jul/rf19.htm
Chennai, July 15 2006
...
Only about 1,200 medical professionals are available throughout the country to serve six million hearing impaired children in India. Hence, the course is aimed at creating more professionals who can cater to the needs of the hearing disabled', he (Dr. Mohan Kameshwaran, president of the Madras ENT Research Foundation Charitable Trust) said.
...

Thai AirAsia rejects deaf people from boarding without assistance

Deaf Blog: Alternative Solutions Center (ASC) » Fly the Friendly Skies?:

"No Boarding Pass for You: If you’re a Deaf traveler flying on your own in Thailand anytime soon, Thai AirAsia will not let you aboard. Just this week, the airline announced that anyone who is Deaf, blind, or has a disability cannot fly unaccompanied on any of its planes within the country. Officials explained that because they are a budget company, they cannot afford to provide ground support staff to these travelers. This means if you’re Deaf, the only way you can fly Thai AirAsia is to book an extra seat for your hearing “assistant”…even if you don’t require any “ground support staff”. Here we go again with budget issues and excuses regarding access for Deaf folks! So much for their logo - if you squint your eyes to see the tag line at the right, you’ll notice that it says “Now Everyone Can Fly”. Everyone?? Hmm…"

A song for the deaf- The Times of India

A song for the deaf- The Times of India:
10 Aug, 2006
...
"Raageshwari is currently working on a album which will feature a song for the deaf, she says, 'Sign language accompanies the lyrics of the songs in my album. Post its release (scheduled for October), I am working on a concert which will also incorporate sign language. It's high time the entertainment industry thought of the hearing impaired as a lucrative audience as well.' "
...

Net video leaves the deaf behind

Article on now Net Video lacks closed captioning, making it of limited use for the deaf community. A good move, atleast we will be able to watch closed-captioned news on Internet. There is utterly no concept of closed captioning for TV in India.

Net video leaves the deaf behind - The Red Tape Chronicles - MSNBC.com

For them, Tamil Nadu has become friendlier

The state of Tamil Nadu became a pioneer of sorts in conducting "disabled-friendly" elections. Special ramps, audio signals, braille inscribed Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), were in place.

This article also mentions there are 1.7 million differently abled people in India and 1 in 10 of all handicapped people in the world live in India. Tamil Nadu alone is supposed have to have 500,000 of them.

Read full article here: DNA - India - For them, Tamil Nadu has become friendlier - Daily News & Analysis

What affirmative action can be all about

This article in Financial Express mentions "A Chennai company gave its canteen contract to a cooperative of hearing and speech impaired women after appropriate training. While a short-sighted IT company rejects a polio-affected software engineer, another is eager to employ such persons affirmatively, as their training and retention is easier." I would like to get more specific details on this.

Surprisingly, this article (or is it a reader comment?) written as a pro-reservation viewpoint, does not have author mentioned.

What affirmative action can be all about

The Hindu : New Delhi News : A pioneer in therapeutic theatre

"Guru Syed Sallauddin Pasha instils confidence in differently-abled artistes by training them in acting and dancing".

Very interesting, seems like the hearing impaired have good ear for the music and dance!

See related story:

The Hindu : New Delhi News : A pioneer in therapeutic theatre

Grant W. Laird, Jr. Blog - Regarding the Quality of Closed Captioning

Grant W. Laird, Jr. Blog - Blog Archive - Regarding the Quality of Closed Captioning

Heck, we, at India, are still too far away to complain about quality of closed captioning!

http://glad-to-hear.blogspot.com/2006/03/why-is-there-no-closed-captioning-in.html