From the States

Chennai

Jorhat

Lucknow

Mumbai

The blind navigate a rally..

The Madras Motor Sports Club in association with the National Association contacted a rally for the blind on January 29. At the rally, visually handicapped people were the navigators, and they read out the instructions in Braille. The rally flagged off from the Gymkhana Club at 9.30 a.m.

The prize distribution was held at the same venue at 3.30 p.m. Based on a TSD (Time, Speed and Distance) format, the rally ran through the city and its suburbs, covering a distance of around 80 km in approximately 3 hours. Prizes were given for four categories - experts, regulars, novices and women.

Anyone with a civil driving license could participate and there were no restrictions on the make or type of car used. The maximum number of people in a car, including the navigator, was restricted to four. Entry fee was Rs.500 per vehicle and the last date for receipt of entries was January 27. Briefing and pairing of competitors took place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 28 at the Punjab Association, Peters Road opposite New Collage, Royapettah.

Source: Rally for a cause. The Hindu, Chennai, 24th January 2006.

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The blind go on hunger strike for their rights..

The Ujani Axom Drishtiheen Suraksha Parishad went on an indefinite hunger strike in front of the Deputy Commissioner's officer against the non-fulfillment of its demands. According to the association, 221 reserved posts in the Social Welfare Department to which interviews were held in June last year were yet to be filled.

They demanded immediate filling of these vacancies. They further demanded that the government formulate schemes for the visually handicapped in line with those meant for the unemployed, so that they could become self-dependent.

A member of the Parishad said that the Ujani Axom Drishtiheen Suraksha Parishad had been knocking at the doors of various ministers and commissioners since 2003. But all their pleas had fallen on deaf ears; as a consequence they took this extreme step to get the attention of the authorities. He claimed that till date no politician or the Deputy Commissioner had met them.

Source: Visually challenged fight for their rights. The Sentinel, Guwahati, 25 January 2006.

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Placements for the disabled..

It was indeed a unique effort. Sparc India organized a meeting of 25 disabled persons registered with the placement cell of the organisation with prospective employers at a seminar on 'Creating Equal Employment Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities' at Taj Residency.

The prospective employers ranged from individual businessmen, small companies and big corporates like Reliance and Coca Cola. Sparc India has been working in the field of disability for the last nine years and has created a placement call called PLACED to address the economic needs of educated as well as uneducated disabled.

The disabled persons who had gathered on the occasion included persons with disability of lower limbs and vision problem. This endeavor was also taken to get information regarding the employers' expectations from such candidates. Six employers and representatives who were present on this occasion gave a positive response.

Human Resource Manager, Coca Cola, Sharat Kumar said that they were ready to establish kiosks and provide cooling machines at subsidized rates. Their effort would be to see that such people are self-reliant. Sunil Oberoi of Hindustan Petroleum offered six mobile PCOs. Vijay Kumar, Chikan Emporium said that they would provide jobs as sales persons.

MM Roy of the CITVI said that they were ready to offer any financial help to a person wanted to start his own business. Similar were the views expressed by Chandreshekhar Rastogi, who runs his own business, and Ashok Diwedi of APEX Commercial College.

Anil Gupta, a businessman, said that what he looked for in a prospective employee was the level of confidence. He said that they do not like giving charity. They would readily give a chance to any disabled person who has the confidence to walk up to them and say that he can do the job better than any other employee.

Source: Placements for disabled. The Pioneer, Lucknow, 25 January 2006.

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Cars for the disabled..

Neenu Kevlani was afflicted with polio when she was nine months old. Today, she is 35 and a successful consultant, but her "ultimate fantasy" still remains to drive a car. She attributes the daily commuting hazards in Mumbai to unruly taxi drivers, cars with narrow passageways and, of course, 'the notoriously higher seats'.

She makes the perfect target audience for automobile major Maruti Udyog's Solio, a disabled-friendly vehicle that was recently unveiled at the eighth Auto Expo in New Delhi. But as per a Maruti spokesperson, they may not launch it; they are filtering the interest the car received at the expo.

The expo saw a footfall of 1 million, which Maruti is scanning to check response to Solio. The cautious approach follows the company's earlier failed attempts in creating a market for this segment. During the late 1980s, Maruti was the only company to launch an automatic transmission version to the Maruti 800, pegged as 'the car for the disabled'.

Auto experts clarify that the car, though priced low, sold well only for a few years. The general public then usurped the demand, as automatic transmission, a clutch-free system, was still a new phenomenon. Their real target audience missed out and the car was later shelved.

The second attempt came disguised in a good marketing package called Zen Easy Drive in 2001. Easy Drive came with automatic transmission and the option of nine disabled-friendly combination-adjustments where car movement could be adapted to the disabled person's needs. Both attempts failed, as "there was no demand," stressed the Maruti spokesperson.

Solio, the company's third attempt, is still a 'concept' in the company corridors. It is a variant of Zen Easy Drive, in the WagonR format with some extra features: The front, co-driver's, seat rotates right out of the vehicle to enable the passenger to get in easily, there is also ramp at the rear to allow easy passage for a wheelchair.

According to Bijoy Kumar Y, editor of an automobile magazine Motoring, companies do not show interest in this segment, as it is not incentive driven: The government has not given any benefits to manufacturers for this segment. And then these days, most cars come with automatic transmission. So many dealers just put in disabled-friendly systems.

Automobile engineer Ferdinand Rodricks - his resume boasts cars designed for Professor Stephen Hawkings during his visit to India - feels manual adjustments are a good alternative to automatic transmission. Rodricks's Feero Equip initiative has produced 400 vehicles for people with mobility aids.

He explained that the number of people losing their limbs in accidents is on the rise and many keep approaching him for cars. Another person who had to bend to the growing demand is Flora Foundation's Arun Sabnis, who is planning to introduce 100 disabled-friendly taxis as part if his Call-a-Cab initiative.

And more than 50 Maruti Versas and 50 Tata Marinas will be customized with ramps for wheelchairs and attendant service. He said that they have received requests from various disabled people to include this initiative as they commute regularly.

That's good news for Kevlani. She says that it is initiative like these that can mainstream disabled people. These days, they are aware and progressive. She gives her own example; she commutes daily and is employed. Now all she wants is her car.

Source: Twice bitten, Maruti mulls car for disabled. Indian Express, Mumbai, 30 January 2006.

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Students design disabled friendly railways..

A blue train called Independence Express halts at a station called Swavalambanpur. Raju, a physically disabled person, makes a hassle-free entry into the train. Visually impaired and hearing-impaired people travel easily in the red City Metro.

This was the idealistic dream of six young minds from KEM's Occupational Therapy hospital whose cardboard and clay rendition won them the first prize at the 43rd Annual National Conference of All India Occupational Therapist Association (AIOTA).

The six-member team including Megha Kamani, Gauri Chavan, Vijay Kasbekar, Asmita Sarang, Samira Dhamapurkar and Manisha Karande spent about three weeks researching the topic, 'Disabled-friendly Railways'. They visited various railways stations, Internet sites, talked to disabled parents and also took inputs from RB Dixit, DCM of CST railway station.

What is striking in this model made of corrugated cardboard, craft paper, walkman headphones, aluminium nets and clay is the attention to detail and feasibility. The model has innovative features that focus not just on wheel-chair-bound individuals but also on the visually, auditory and the cognitively impaired.

The highlights of the design encompass guiding pathways, Braille maps and signs for the blind, induction loop for the hearing impaired, lifts for energy conservation, portable ramps for accessing trains and non-skid flooring. Dr Ashwani Vaishamapayan who guided the students felt that unlike others, their group took both local and long-disatance trains into consideration.

Hence there is little wonder that the judges were impressed. KEM Hospital, on its part, is making sure that these ideas do not become history. Professor Dr Anjali Doshi is planning to speak to RB Dixit to see if these suggestions can be incorporated in new trains and stations.

She said that some of the ideas are cost-effective and need very minor modifications in the existing infrastructure. Meanwhile, RB Dixit said that they had come to him with their suggestions and that he was working on incorporating some in future trains.

Source: Students design railway model for the disabled. DNA, Mumbai, 26 January 2006.

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