"
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
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Changing Lives - an initiative by MPhasis to train differently-abled people
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
Thursday, April 24, 2008
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
"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
Monday, August 14, 2006
Raageshwari-Shreyas attend Deaf Expo 2006 - Daily News & Analysis
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1041653
Friday, July 14, 2006 18:29 IST
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.
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.
...
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…"
"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.' "
...
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.' "
...
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
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
Net video leaves the deaf behind - The Red Tape Chronicles - MSNBC.com
Sunday, May 28, 2006
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
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
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
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
Saturday, April 22, 2006
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
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
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Hearing-impaired pilot
http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=28517&pn=local
About Johan Hammarström - hearing impaired who became a pilot and now undertaking round the world trip to become the first severely hearing-impaired pilot in the world to complete a round the world flight in a light aircraft.
About Johan Hammarström - hearing impaired who became a pilot and now undertaking round the world trip to become the first severely hearing-impaired pilot in the world to complete a round the world flight in a light aircraft.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
More disabled-friendly steps at JNU
More disabled-friendly steps at JNU
JNU is gearing up to become more "disabled friendly" with wider doors, better access to rest rooms, braille notice boards, audio loops, etc. JNU claims it is a "role model" in building disabled-friendly environment.
JNU is gearing up to become more "disabled friendly" with wider doors, better access to rest rooms, braille notice boards, audio loops, etc. JNU claims it is a "role model" in building disabled-friendly environment.
Friday, March 31, 2006
A handy tool for the hearing impaired
About usefulness of videophones as means of communications. Surely a useful idea for those who know sign language and those who know lip reading. Has reference to "Association of the Deaf (South India). "
The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A handy tool for the hearing impaired
The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A handy tool for the hearing impaired
Monday, March 27, 2006
Why is there no closed-captioning in India?
Closed-captioning is the captioning (or commonly called subtitles) for TV and for movies in theaters. In USA and in some other coutries, this is known to be mandatory by law.
I used to like watching TV and have now given up any serious watching (except for some action movies, sports or reruns of movies I have already seen, which I watch with the audio muted). I have also given up watching movies in theatres. I have moved to DVDs but have to make sure they have English subtitles, which in many DVDs are completely absent, have horrible transliteration or mysteriously disapper during climax or important scenarious (arrgh, can you guess what happens to me then?). Note though, subtitling is different from closed captioning, the former being just transliteration of spoken words, meant primarily for non-English people, while closed-captioning is specifically meant for deaf and HOH with a running commentary on all these folks are missing out (Example: [Door Closing], [Gun shot], etc.)
Coming back to my original point, why is it in India we are late to wakeup to the need for closed-captioning? Why not make a start with informational programs first - like News or awareness programs like Global Warming on Nat Geo? These educational or awareness channels like National Geographic or Discovery could take a lead and initiave. If you think there could be implementation problems, the News channels would already have teleprompters. And I am sure for other programs, the script would be available in electronic format. Why not add a small piece of software that could display these captions as tickers? I accept I am totally ignorant of production and broadcasting technologies, but if there is an intention, it can be done, technology is never a limitation.
Come on guys, this would be of immense help to include the deaf and HOH community into the mainstream. Who knows what talent is lurking there, being obscured by lack of access to mainstream information?
I used to like watching TV and have now given up any serious watching (except for some action movies, sports or reruns of movies I have already seen, which I watch with the audio muted). I have also given up watching movies in theatres. I have moved to DVDs but have to make sure they have English subtitles, which in many DVDs are completely absent, have horrible transliteration or mysteriously disapper during climax or important scenarious (arrgh, can you guess what happens to me then?). Note though, subtitling is different from closed captioning, the former being just transliteration of spoken words, meant primarily for non-English people, while closed-captioning is specifically meant for deaf and HOH with a running commentary on all these folks are missing out (Example: [Door Closing], [Gun shot], etc.)
Coming back to my original point, why is it in India we are late to wakeup to the need for closed-captioning? Why not make a start with informational programs first - like News or awareness programs like Global Warming on Nat Geo? These educational or awareness channels like National Geographic or Discovery could take a lead and initiave. If you think there could be implementation problems, the News channels would already have teleprompters. And I am sure for other programs, the script would be available in electronic format. Why not add a small piece of software that could display these captions as tickers? I accept I am totally ignorant of production and broadcasting technologies, but if there is an intention, it can be done, technology is never a limitation.
Come on guys, this would be of immense help to include the deaf and HOH community into the mainstream. Who knows what talent is lurking there, being obscured by lack of access to mainstream information?
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Cochlear implant surgery - Gift of hearing
Cochlear implant surgery - Gift of hearing
An article about Cochlear implant, its high costs and need for sponsorship for such implants. Has reference to KKR ENT Hospital & Research Institute (Chennai?).
An article about Cochlear implant, its high costs and need for sponsorship for such implants. Has reference to KKR ENT Hospital & Research Institute (Chennai?).
"Save The Children" - Special Care Centre for hearing and speech impaired gets a new building
About a not-for-profile organisation called "Save The Children" getting a new Special Care Centre building of their own at Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai.
India Education - Griha Pravesh ceremony of Lakshmiben Hansraj Latwalla Special Care Centre
The Children of Save the Children India cordially invite you to the Griha Pravesh ceremony of Lakshmiben Hansraj Latwalla Special Care Centre
In the presence of: - Hon'ble Governor of Maharashtra, H.E. Shri S M Krishna - President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, Smt Prabhatai Rav, and - Actor and Ambassador of Save The Children India, Shri Suniel Shetty
Mumbai, Mah, India, 2006-03-14 (IndiaPRwire.com) -- Date: Sunday 19 th March, 2006 at 5.00 pm
Venue : SF9, G Block, Adjacent to American School of Bombay, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai 400098
About the Special Care Centre:
Save The Children India has been running a Special Care Centre since 1982 in the Drive-In theatre premise in Mumbai. The Centre currently caters to the rehabilitative and educational needs of 213 children who are either mentally challenged or hearing and speech impaired. This Centre which is recognised by the Govt of Maharashtra provides formal & non-formal education, pre-vocational training, health check-ups, counseling, mid-day meals, speech therapy and self-help skills for the special children, street children and adolescent girls from the nearby slums, as well as ensures integration with normal children.
As the Drive-in theatre is being demolished and converted into a commercial premise, Save The Children India has constructed the new Special Care Center, a 5-storey building with facilities such as vocational training centers, special classrooms, children's clinic, occupational therapy, library, documentation & research cell, counseling center etc.
About Save The Children India
Save the Children India is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1988 and has been working towards the empowerment of the underprivileged women and children, with its health, vocational training and education programmes. Today over 200 children who are either mentally challenged or hearing/speech impaired study at the Special Care Centre. More than 16258 boys and 9368 girls have successfully availed of the Balwadi education programme and more than 4175 children have benefited from the Comprehensive school programme run by STCI. Our proudest accomplishments include bringing health & education to nearly 200,000 children. STCI has created special focus for advocacy, prevention and repatriation of trafficked women and children.
For more information, Please contact:
Monika Bhatkhande, Sr Exec, Imprimis PR, 9819483738, 24375620, mbhatkhande@imprimispr.com
India Education - Griha Pravesh ceremony of Lakshmiben Hansraj Latwalla Special Care Centre
The Children of Save the Children India cordially invite you to the Griha Pravesh ceremony of Lakshmiben Hansraj Latwalla Special Care Centre
In the presence of: - Hon'ble Governor of Maharashtra, H.E. Shri S M Krishna - President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, Smt Prabhatai Rav, and - Actor and Ambassador of Save The Children India, Shri Suniel Shetty
Mumbai, Mah, India, 2006-03-14 (IndiaPRwire.com) -- Date: Sunday 19 th March, 2006 at 5.00 pm
Venue : SF9, G Block, Adjacent to American School of Bombay, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai 400098
About the Special Care Centre:
Save The Children India has been running a Special Care Centre since 1982 in the Drive-In theatre premise in Mumbai. The Centre currently caters to the rehabilitative and educational needs of 213 children who are either mentally challenged or hearing and speech impaired. This Centre which is recognised by the Govt of Maharashtra provides formal & non-formal education, pre-vocational training, health check-ups, counseling, mid-day meals, speech therapy and self-help skills for the special children, street children and adolescent girls from the nearby slums, as well as ensures integration with normal children.
As the Drive-in theatre is being demolished and converted into a commercial premise, Save The Children India has constructed the new Special Care Center, a 5-storey building with facilities such as vocational training centers, special classrooms, children's clinic, occupational therapy, library, documentation & research cell, counseling center etc.
About Save The Children India
Save the Children India is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1988 and has been working towards the empowerment of the underprivileged women and children, with its health, vocational training and education programmes. Today over 200 children who are either mentally challenged or hearing/speech impaired study at the Special Care Centre. More than 16258 boys and 9368 girls have successfully availed of the Balwadi education programme and more than 4175 children have benefited from the Comprehensive school programme run by STCI. Our proudest accomplishments include bringing health & education to nearly 200,000 children. STCI has created special focus for advocacy, prevention and repatriation of trafficked women and children.
For more information, Please contact:
Monika Bhatkhande, Sr Exec, Imprimis PR, 9819483738, 24375620, mbhatkhande@imprimispr.com
Monday, March 13, 2006
Anti-encroachment cripples hopes of disabled- The Times of India
Anti-encroachment cripples hopes of disabled- The Times of India
A News item about demolishing of "encroaching" shops which included some kiosks alloted to disabled people by the Rotary Club. Looks like at the least an opportunity should have been given for explanations and clarifications. No official comment available.
A News item about demolishing of "encroaching" shops which included some kiosks alloted to disabled people by the Rotary Club. Looks like at the least an opportunity should have been given for explanations and clarifications. No official comment available.
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