From the States

New Delhi

Poonam Natarajan - National Trust Chairperson

It appears that the New Year has begun well for the disability sector. There were cheers of jubilation as the news of Poonam Natarajan being appointed as the Chairperson of the National Trust spread through the country. Especially happy are those who care for persons with mental retardation, multiple disabilities, cerebral palsy and autism as many feel that a parent would be in a better position to understand the needs of the child and the family.

She takes over from Ms Aloka Guha. Poonam is a senior figure in the disability sector with over twenty years of experience. She undertook a course in Special Education from the Spastics Society of India, Mumbai, in 1982, in order to teach her child who had Cerebral Palsy.

Natarajan founded Vidya Sagar in 1985 when she moved to Chennai and realised that there were no services available there for children with multiple disabilities. Vidya Sagar, which commenced operations in 1985 with only three children, now caters to over 2,000 children and young adults with cerebral palsy in a single year

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Smart Cane, a boost for the visually impaired..

India's 10 million visually impaired people will soon be aided by radar technology in their mobility. Students at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, have developed Smart Cane, a walking stick that detects objects in the way and alerts the visually impaired.

Four undergraduate students working under the supervision of two college professors have developed a cane for the visually impaired in co-ordination with the National Association for the Blind. The cane will detect distant objects up to a distance of six feet above waist level and is awaiting a grant for a patent.

The current model has a cell phone like vibrator and an ultrasonic ranger that is interfaced with the cane and will inform the visually impaired about horizontal objects like sing boards and tree branches. The cane runs on pencil cells and will cost about Rs 1,500, once it is launched in the market. The ultrasonic ranger in the cane, which detects the distance of objects, is imported from US.

They have approached the department of electronics to make the device for them so that the cost can be brought down to Rs 70. The two major problems that the 10 million visually impaired are facing today are obstacles that are above the waist as the cane can only detect obstacles up to the knee.

Secondly, blindness is equated with poverty in India. Visually impaired are not rich enough to own a car and that too with a chauffeur, so they travel in buses. They have tried to make their white cane their power by installing radar technology in it. The cane prototype will take another six months to come out for trial runs. The cane could also have added features.

At bus stands the visually impaired have to ask others the bus numbers; they are working on designing a device in the cane that will tell them all the bus numbers that will stop at the stand. Once the cane is ready they want to approach the transport ministry to install these in all the buses.

Source: Smart cane to boost mobility of visually impaired. The Statesman, New Delhi, 29th December 2005.

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Cabinet approves new policy for the disabled

The government announced a new national policy for the disabled focusing on equal opportunities, rehabilitation and prevention. Under the policy approved by the cabinet at a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the government would also set in place a mechanism to ensure equal opportunities for the disabled, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.

'The national policy for persons with disabilities aims to set up mechanisms for promotion and protection of rights of persons with disabilities and provide them equal opportunity to participate fully in the society. This will also enhance their dignity and self-respect,' claimed Dasmunsi. The policy focuses on prevention of disabilities, rehabilitation measures, early detection and intervention, provision for supportive devices and development of rehabilitation professionals.

It also stresses on education and economic empowerment through self-employment, creation of a barrier free environment and social security. The new policy addresses the problems of women and children with disabilities, defines the role of NGOs in providing services and emphasizes on the need for specific research and data collection.

'It will provide guidance to central government ministries, state governments, NGOs and other stakeholders for taking up programmes for persons with disabilities,' the minister said. However, what has been forgotten in the process is the fact that a former Joint Secretary of the Ministry had at a public meeting in November 2005 said in New Delhi that the final draft of the national policy would be shared with the sector before finalization. Alas, the powers that be thought otherwise!

Source: Indo Asian News Service

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