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Educational Satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will link all the 40 training centers for the blind situated in remote areas of Gujarat with the Ahmedabad- based Blind People's Association (BPA) through indigenously developed Educational Satellite (EDUSAT). Ten centers were linked in Phase I in early September 2005. In the past, satellite technology has been applied for educational programmes in India by UGC, IGNOU, NCERT and several universities for teachers and students training.

The 60-year-old BPA is a pioneering non-Government organisation engaged in education, training and providing jobs to the blind and other physically challenged people in the State.

In a first-ever project of its kind in the world, ISRO provided the western beam of its Ku-band in EDUSAT to uplink these training centers in remote areas like Bavla, Dahod, Kapadwanj, Sayala, Visnagar, Indar, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Surat.

EDUSAT was put into space through the indigenously developed Geo-Synchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in September 2004. The satellite has been provided with one national beam in C-band and five regional bands in Ku-band.

Source: Edusat to link 40 blind schools. National Herald, New Delhi, 2 September 2005.

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Entrepreneurs start employing persons with disabilities

A 75-year-old company in the heart of Bhavnagar city is a manufacturing division for plastic fasteners and markers. The company - Microsign Products - is not a big firm but behind the plastic molding machines and compressors, there are some very special employees.

Over fifty per cent of Microsign's staff is physically or mentally challenged. And by integrating their skills, director Nisheeth Mehta brings out products that confirm to global standards: ISO 9002 and QS 9000.

Mehta says that his was not an act of charity or philanthropy. It was just that he felt that he wanted to give them an opportunity and focused on strengths rather than weakness. Today, the 20-odd physically or mentally challenged employees consider themselves second to none. With a regular employment and respect from their peers, they are a part of the mainstream.

The story of Mukesh and Ranjanaben Patel is exemplary. When physically-challenged Mukesh married Ranjanben, his family refused to cope with two" disabled" persons and asked them to leave their Ahmedabad home. As Mukesh recalls that day he was on the streets with his newly-wedded wife, with no job, and with nobody wanting to give one either. No one would give us job. For a year, they lived in penury in Kalol. Now both work in the 'Trimming and Removing Division,' where they give finishing touches to products.

Mukesh says that they receive the same salary as other non-handicapped employees and feel very proud to be independent. They have bought three-wheeler and a small house. Even his family is more respectful now.

Mehta had started Microsign Products in 1978. Sensitive to the needs to people with disadvantages, especially since his own niece had a hearing impairment since childhood, a chance encounter with some physically-challenged persons put ideas in his mind.

In 1990, he decided to employ as many such people as could. Now, of the 35-strong workforce, about 12 are hearing- impaired, eight are physically-challenged and a few have learning disabilities.

Mehta explains he has assigned them duties in which they feel comfortable. For example, those who are hearing impaired, operate the machines, which are rather noisy. Those with learning disabilities get jobs like 'sorting' or 'removing' which may be boring for others. Each takes home between Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000. It might seem little, but for them it brings the dignity and respect they all are eligible for.

Over the last few years, after working at Microsign and gaining confidence, many have moved to better positions elsewhere, taking up teaching jobs or becoming instructors in special schools.

For it efforts, Microsign has received the FICCI 2003-2004 annual award for Empowerment of the Physically Disabled, the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, Helen Keller Award, 1999, and the National Award for welfare of people with disabilities, 1999.

Source: Where disabled means excellence, ISO 9002. Indian Express. New Delhi, 5 September 2005.

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Smooth journeys from Bhopal to New Delhi

The country's first ISO train that runs between Bhopal and Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi, the Shane-E-Bhopal Express, has added another feather to its cap - that of becoming the first disable-friendly train in the country.

The train already had an exclusive coach for the physically-challenged. It has now added tags specifying seat and berth numbers in Braille in all the coaches. These tags are fitted along the aisle so visually-challenged persons can feel their way to their seats without disturbing other passengers.

The project was undertaken by a Bhopal-based NGO Arushi, after the Bhopal Railway Division gave the go-ahead. Arushi coordinator Anil Mudgal said that the tags in Braille were made by visually-challenged volunteers and that Arushi would be willing to replicate the project in other trains originating from Bhopal.

On anther note, a Bhopal Railway Division spokesman, the Braille tags were fixed on experimental basis and were providing difficult to maintain. This was because coaches are replaced frequently. He ruled out the possibility of extending the facility to other trains from Bhopal at the moment, saying the Bhopal division controlled only two trains - the Shan-e-Bhopal Express and the Rewabound Rewanchal Express.

The NGO is currently in talks with the West-Central Zone Railway about taking the project ahead to make more trains disabled-friendly and also to get ramps on trains to help the wheelchair bound embark and disembark.

Source: First disabled-friendly train. The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 31Aug 2005.

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Wings to their dreams

The Rotary Clubs of Meenambakkam, Chennai Samudra and Chennai Gemini organised the Fifth National RYLA for the challenged, at the Nehru Park Stadium on 3rd September 2005. Around 300 physically challenged athletes from across the country came together to compete.

The events included 100 m race for the visually challenged, shot put, javelin, discus throw as well as wheelchair and caliper races. Apart from this, Cultural and special abilities competitions were held in the evening.

The attitude of the athletes was full of fight. Ramesh Tikaram, an athlete-turned-coach, is an engineer from Bangalore, an Arjuna Awardee and winner of Karnataka's Ekalavya and other state sports awards.

He is also the first challenged person to be put on the Dhronacharya selection committee. He proudly points out his protégés: Sharath M. Gaykwad, winner of the National Best Child award this year, Anandakumar and Pushpalatha, both gold medalists.

The contingent from Madurai had international stars. Ranjith Kumar, a travel agent, and Kathiresan, a high court lawyer, have won medals at international meets. From Chennai, there was S. Krishnamoorthy, a veteran who has participated in international meets in 15 countries and, incidentally, acted in the Tamil film, Kaadhal.

The need for the government to grant recognition to challenged athletes as well as conduct sports meets for them was stressed.

Source: Physically disabled display athletic prowess. The Hindu, Chennai, 4 September 2005.

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Increasing numbers

Mohammad Ashraf, 45, resident of Kupwara cannot move from one place to another on his own legs. He needs a wheel chair because he has lost both of his legs in a land mine blast, near a frontier village Harai. Thanks to the Composite regional center, the only national rehabilitation center in Jammu and Kashmir for persons with disability, Ashraf has his personal mobility support system.

An average of 50 to 60 patients visit this center daily to receive medical aid and different types of therapies. The center has been established in June 2000 and is one of the six institutes, established by the government of India in the country.

As per the PWD (Equal opportunities, Protection of rights and Full participation) Act, 1995, which enjoins upon both the central and the state governments to take a large number of steps for the disabled persons, the state government has failed to come up with a special department for the purpose.

The Department of Social Welfare provides some minimal monetary support in terms of pensions. But the lack of a state government run center for such patients is slowly and gradually increasing the number of people with n access to facilities.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has more disabled persons as compared to the other states because of various factors. Besides others, the mountainous terrains, blasts, land mines, lack of medical infrastructure, poverty and lack of proper education to mothers lead t a higher number, says administrative officer N. Ravi Shankar.

Dr. A.P Singh, who is a faculty member of the center believes that the health sector in Jammu and Kashmir lacks modern sophisticated infrastructure which is also a reason for the increase in the number of disabled persons in the state. For example, with no facilities for reconstructive surgery doctors have no alternative but to amputate affected organs.

The Composite Regional Center situated at Bemina Srinagar provides mobility aids, mobility training, therapies and mobility education to orthopedically handicapped, hearing handicapped, visually handicapped, mentally handicapped and multiple disabled persons.

Manpower development is an area where the establishment is making inroads. The CRC has also established District Disability Rehabilitation Centers, which are fully equipped at Leh, Anantnag and Udhampur. These DDRC's cater to the local needs in these three districts and a new center at Jammu is planned for the future.

The Center has plans for counseling of patients with psychological trauma, a proposal that is pending approval. Once approved, the long pending demand for counseling of such patients in this conflict ridden zone will be met.

It appears that the state government is not yet in a mood to establish a rehabilitation center with rehabilitation, aid and educational facilities and everything has been left to the central government.

Says the Minister of State for Social Welfare Ghulam Hassan Khan, "I agree that there is no state government run center for disabled persons, but we have distributed some wheelchairs in some border districts. The number of such patients is more in Jammu and Kashmir and most of them are the victims of land mines and blasts. We give them some pension and wheelchairs also. I have discussed the issue with chief minister and let us see what happens". And the matter lies!

Source: Need to establish govt-run center for disabled in J&K. Kashmir Times, Jammu, 29 August 2005.

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Have we progressed at all?

The Mumbai high court directed CBSE and ICSE to consider the case of a dyslexic student. The Mumbai high court directed all the concerned parties to sit together and find a solution for the mother of a 12-year-old boy who had petitioned to the high court that facilities made available to normal children were being denied to her son.

A bench consisting of the Chief Justice of Mumbai High Court Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice S.J.Vajif Dar gave these directions. The mother Ms. Vinci Disilva informed the court that her son had a learning disability and was of normal intelligence and was not mentally handicapped. Despite this the school denied him the facilities sanctioned by the CBSE in spite of his condition.

Source: Nai Duniya, Indore, 1 September 2005.

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Special camps for handicapped people

The Physical disabled Welfare Society and all India Handicapped Awareness Committee, Delhi region, organized a polio camp in old Subzi Mandi area. Abut 168 people were registered and 12 operations were held in the camp. Also 10 cycles, 10 wheelchairs, 5 calipers, 10 pairs of crutches and 5 pairs of shoes were distributed amongst the handicapped.

Source: Dainik Jagaran, New Delhi, 3 September 2005.

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