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Editorial Education of the visually impaired has received warm acceptance from different corners of the globe. This is due to upraise of different sightless individuals in different sectors of the society. Needless to add in this connection that some of them have established themselves as teachers or professors or readers in different educational institutions. Some of them have proved themselves worthy as Lawyers, business magnets, railway announcers, and men of literature.
This is undoubtedly an inconceivable advancement for the sightless due to their individual talents and utilisation of science and technology for their fantastic progress. Once the gates of knowledge were shut to the sightless owing to lack of adequate Braille materials. Thanks to Webel Mediatronics Ltd for the innovation of the Braille Software that has opened the golden gates of knowledge to the visually challenged people. Once P.B.Shelly observed “Sympathy is the golden key that unlocks the treasure of wisdom” I like to replace the word “sympathy” with the new word “Braille software” that has unlocked the treasure of wisdom to the sightless in 30 Centres all over the country. I must refer to the fact that there are different Braille printers all over the Globe but these software is indigenous and may be used by each and every sightless individual mainly for their education and even for there professional activities.
It is high time to consider the importance of this Braille Software prepared by Webel Mediatronics Ltd and to take the benefit of the same all over the country, for it is economic and indigenous qualities.
So I invite rapt attention to every institutional Head for the Blind to consider it’s credibility comparatively, as this software can be used efficiently in Brailing in 12 Indian Languages while other equipments cannot serve the sightless all over the country in all pervasive manner.
So let us salute to this Braille Software and get this implemented in every educational institution for the sightless. -------------
Address to the Regional Symposium on Disability at Dhaka, 9 – 11th, December, 2003. Barrister, Sadhan Gupta
May I express my pleasure, appreciation and gratitude for this opportunity to address this symposium? I feel somewhat thrilled at this opportunity to address the symposium in this city, because I was born here spent little more than five years of my infancy here in, and even after I left this city, I visited it and my village 30 kilometres or so from here every Puja holiday till 1948. I still retain pleasant memories of all these visits and aching pain for the separation since then.
I cannot claim to have any expertise on any matter connected with disability or disabled persons. I therefore rely on my experience acquired over a rather long life of 86 years out of which almost 85 years–84 years and 9 months to be precise-were spent in total sightless condition. During this period my experience in the disabled field was acquired from about 7 years study in a school for the blind and as a result of membership of governing bodies of several institutions for the visually and hearing handicapped. However, I have had the rare opportunity, which is usually not available to disabled persons, of lifelong participation in the social mainstream in various capacities. It has been my good fortune to get an educational career in college and university along with others, to actively participate in the students movement for about 4 years, to be member of different trade unions of working class and middle class employees, to be in the Senate of the Kolkata University for sometime to be in the West Bengal Legislature and in the Indian Parliament for some time and, above all as a legal practitioner for more than 61 years which affords the opportunity of coming into contact with people with all kinds of social background and of different characters. Over this long period, and in all these diverse situations I have “kept my eyes open”, if you will excuse me for using such an expression, and in the light of all these experiences gained to evaluate the possibilities and problems of mainstreaming the disabled. The problems are immense but the possibilities are still more immense if the problems are correctly understood and vigorously tackled with correct understanding.
From the literature supplied to me I find that your vision is that by 2010 all people with disabilities will have equal opportunity to participate in the main stream of society including securing educational, economic, legal, political and social opportunities. It also appears that you are seeking to bring about this social integration by 2010 through collaborative and innovative initiative of Governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the field of disability.
I would submit for your consideration whether collaborative and innovative works of governmental and non-governmental organizations alone would succeed in bringing about the radical social change which is your vision and mission or whether much broader participation of people of Bangladesh would be indispensable for achieving your vision and mission. To consider the problem and overcome the difficulty confronting social integration of the disabled, it is necessary to appreciate the difference between the struggle for securing the rights and integration of the disabled and the struggle of other different classes and sections of the people to win their rights.
In most, if not in all, other cases the struggle is between two antagonistic groups. One group has vested interest to hold on to, and deprive the other group of, the rights, which the other group claims. The interest of the other group is to win those rights, which are vested in the opposing group. One group profits at the expense of the other group. This is so not merely in the struggle for securing rights of workers from factory owners or of employees from owners of commercial concerns, of agricultural workers from landlords or rich peasants, of women for improving their status, of students against educational authority or government, of youths against various authorities for securing various rights.
In the case of the disabled there is no antagonist at all. No one is interested in opposing the complete social integration of the disabled in his own interest. What stands in the way of main streaming the disabled is not an opposing interest tradition but a tradition, more universal, and far deeper rooted, than any other tradition anywhere in the world. If we can get rid of this tradition, 95% of the problem of integration of the disabled will be solved. All that will remain is to impart different kinds of special training to overcome the impediments caused by disability and to provide, where necessary, special assistive devices and equipments to neutralize the particular disability. However, the traditional diffidence in the ability of the disabled is so deep and widespread as to sap the confidence of even organization of the disabled in the possibility of social integration.
As a result of this tradition, all over the world work for the disabled at national and international levels has been principally concerned with welfare and lip service to integration. In 1981, the international year of disabled persons (IYDP), integration came to be emphasized. But inspite of this emphasis little progress has been made even after 22 years have gone by. In fact, the very title of the year-International year of “disabled persons” shows that the realization was lacking, that integration of the disabled in the social mainstream is a meaningless contradiction. The truth is that a person who is really “disabled” can never be integrated in society. What is however, much more true is that if anyone can be integrated in society, he is by no means “disabled”. But the expression “disabled” is so firmly established that if we start quarrelling with the expression it will derail the effort for integration. Recently the word “challenged” has come to be used and is very slowly gaining currency, but the expression “disabled” still holds the field. The persistence of the word “disabled” shows how deep the tradition against the disabled is and how difficult it is to get rid of this tradition.
To get rid of this tradition we have to appreciate why it is so deeply and firmly established. It is so deeply and firmly established and so widely prevalent because for almost 160000 years the tradition was based on reality of human life. The human race originated about 160,000 years ago. Since then, until the other day a disabled human being has in fact been helpless and useless to society. Once in a blue moon a Homer has emerged but such geniuses could be expected once in thousands of years, and are rare exceptions, which prove the rule.
In some 150,000 year of jungle life, human beings had either to kill animals or pluck fruits or both, to be able to live. A disabled person had no place in such a society. This was the position everywhere in the world. During some 10,000 years of human civilization the disabled, by and large, lived on the charity of society as useless social burdens unless they had sufficient family income. I said “by and large”, because even in some civilized societies the disabled were considered so useless that a newborn disabled child used to be destroyed. In Sparta, for example newborn disabled children were destroyed by being thrown down from hilltops. However, even if they lived on the charity of society or on unearned income, they were useless to society.
The change came during the last 200 or 300 years. During this time various inventions were made and various means were evolved, making it possible for disabled persons to take part in different professions and occupations and to make contributions to enrich society. The position now is that disabled persons can contribute to society in thousands of ways, just like any other person.
What stands in their way, however, is the persistence of the unshakeable tradition against the ability of the disabled. This tradition is even now so universally prevalent that every attempt at social integration of the disabled in all most every country comes up against this stone wall.
I find from the vision and mission that you have undertaken to complete social integration in Bangladesh by 2010 that you expect to complete integration by 2010 through joint effort of governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the interest of the disabled. The question I submit for your consideration is whether such a vision can be translated into reality merely by governmental and non-governmental organization working for the disabled.
To realize your vision and mission, the first and by far the most essential task is to completely demolish and clear out this firm and almost universal tradition. You will find that this tradition is deeply rooted in almost 13 crore hearts and minds in Bangladesh. You will find that even the government and governmental organizations, with which you envisage joint effort to effect social integration, are affected by this tradition. In my experience as a legal practitioner I have found that inspite of obtaining order from court all sorts of difficulties are created in recruiting disabled persons. For instance, sometimes sightless persons are not allowed to sit for recruitment examinations by imagining difficulties in the way of their being able to carry out duties. Some times they are allowed to sit for examinations but not allowed scribes and in case they succeed in recruitment examinations all sort of difficulties are imagined and created in the way of their appointment. This is not due to hostility, but due to imaginary difficulties suggested by the traditional diffidence in their ability to undertake their duties if they are recruited. Unless this tradition is totally uprooted, the process of social integration is bound to be extremely slow. It necessarily follows that to succeed in your vision and mission the first and most important task is to get rid of the tradition.
Even assuming that the Government, governmental and non-governmental organizations working for the disabled are not affected by this tradition-this is an unreal assumption in most countries – eradication of the tradition is too gigantic a task for organizations of disabled and the government alone. The primary tasks of the organizations working for the disabled and of the government is to create a mass awakening about the potentially immense contribution of the disabled to society and the benefit to the entire society-disabled and non-disabled alike-if that contribution is made possible. A sustained and determined effort will have to be made by organizations working for the disabled and by government to draw in, educate and inspire all organizations and individuals with substantial influence on different sections of the masses to convince the entire population of the country about the everyone will receive, disabled and non-disabled alike, if the vast disabled population is integrated into society and enabled to contribute in various and innumerable fields. A plan must be evolved for drawing in every aspect of national life. Organizations as well as individuals have to educate themselves and others about the necessity and benefit of social integration of the disabled and about the damage that society is suffering from their non-integration. It has been found in a U.N. Survey that in every country of the world 10% of the population is disabled. In Bangladesh the number would be approximately 13 millions. In India it would be approximately 100 millions. It is obvious what a loss society suffers by their non integration and lack of contribution. It is still more obvious how much society would be enriched if their contribution were made possible. In such a context it would be impossible to keep the disabled population idle and to deny the benefit of their contribution not to the disabled alone, not even principally to the disabled, but to society as a wrote just because of a tradition which is no longer valid. An all out effort to uproot and cast away this tradition must be made in every country. For this purpose not merely organizations and persons working for the disabled most be convinced and inspired, but the entire masses of the people will have to be roused for actively participating in creating this mass awakening. The efforts of all organizations and individuals having any influence on broad sections of the masses must be galvanized and inspired to contribute. Organizations like trade unions, organizations of woman, students, youths, clubs and other mass organizations should be utilized to spread the message and inspire action for social integration of the disabled for the benefit of all. Dramatic and literacy groups and film makers may be inspired and utilized to spread this consciousness. I understand that there are a large number of dramatic groups and producers of TV serials which can be inspired to disseminate consciousness. Individuals with influence over different large sections population like school and college teachers, Imams and village elders must be educated and drawn in to help this process.
In this connection the role of different media must be emphasized. Even today almost every medium, literature, drama, cinema, radio and television in every country helps to create a helpless image of the disabled. Strongest effort in the interest of society as a whole must be made to convince every medium that such helpless image is no longer a true image and that to continue to project the traditional image of the disabled leads to immense harm to society.
There are numerous obstacles in the way of fulfilling this task; but it is not impossible if a determined and convinced effort is made. This effort must be made with a strong conviction that in the interest of the country as a whole, disabled persons cannot be allowed or compelled to remain a burden on society and that the superstition about the disabled cannot be allowed to continue to deprive the community as a whole of their valuable services. This task is by no means easy in the face of the age old tradition but must be undertaken in the interest of everybody. I am convinced that if this task is earnestly undertaken, there will be, what is called in economics, “Increasing return” and integration may be achieved within 20 or 30 years. This is not an unduly long time in the face of a 160,000 years old tradition. If we however leave this task to government and governmental and non-governmental organizations working for the disabled alone, there is a probability that the vision and mission you have undertaken will be far from fulfilled in spite of your most earnest efforts. It might even happen that the traditional attitude about the helplessness of the disabled will continue in some, if not in may of these organizations.
Before concluding may I express my heart felt thanks at this opportunity of addressing you and hope that through the deliberations of this symposium you will succeed in laying hand on the means of solving this very intractable problem for the benefit of Bangladesh and by your example, of the whole world. -------------
Electronic Library Mr. Ashoke Choudhury Ex-Principal, Calcutta Blind School
Please listen to the triumphant march of Science & Technology that has illuminated the non-visual world. The wonderful Braille software innovated by Webel Mediatronics Ltd. and sponsored by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India has revolutionized the education of the visually impaired not only in the matters of production of Braille Books and Large prints for the visually impaired and Low vision children but also in matters of setting up of Electronic Classroom Environment and Electronic Library for facilitating the scope of the sightless learners in computer based environment opening the Golden Gates of knowledge of the sightless. This could not have been dreamed of even few years earlier. But the Braille software has achieved this miracle with the devoted service of the staff of Webel Mediatronics Limited.
Let us try to comprehend the get-up of the Electronic Library rendering unique services to the sightless users of the Library. It may be noted in this connection that it is not a dry library stuffed with books in different shelves that the librarian to handle the whole affairs. On the other hand it is a living library electronically operated from the librarian Terminal’s desk. Any Braille user can use a book according to his/her choice operated from the librarian Terminal’s desk.
This library is a Computer based interactive reading room where the visually impaired individuals are able to read texts to their own choices from the Electronic registry of reading materials. We may divide the main functions of this library into the following:- It maintains an administrator/librarian terminal for monitoring, feeding texts, connecting/disconnecting of tactile readers. It maintains a set-up of multiple reading desks at a time equipped with tactile readers (with voice support). It maintain an archive of Braille ready texts for text books of primary, secondary, Higher secondary levels and extra-curricular reading materials for example literature, Science, technology, sports and games etc. It has comprehensive catalogues for easy access to the sightless readers. It maintains verifying users ideas and record of daily usage of e-Library. It is crystal clear that it is a fantastic library operated by electronics with the help of the Braille Software and Librarian’s terminal desk. It is not a fantastic achievement for the sightless? The more we use this Braille Software and are acquainted with the multiple program the more we will be enlightened by the tremendous benefit it renders to the non-visual world. Let us wait for the time to come, when all the institutions for the sightless will be in a position to be utilising this benefit as maximum level as input of their knowledge.
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Mr. Ashoke Choudhury Ex-Principal, Calcutta Blind School
It is know to all that Webel Mediatronics Ltd. has innovated the Braille Software for the visually impaired to facilitate their reading and writing and to broaden their knowledge in different branches through huge production of Braille Books that has enriched our knowledge in different branches and simultaneously saved time in producing large number of Braille Books. In fact the Software has brought revolution in the realm of Education, Training and Rehabilitation of visually impaired. Apart from three major opportunities for the visually impaired rendered by this Software, it has set-up E-Classroom environment for the sightless learners. E-Classroom is the Computer based Electronics classroom with interactive responses both from the teachers and the learners. The main intention of this classroom is to prepare study materials, record the progress conducting the tests for students, record the attendance of the students, Preserve evaluation reports of each students based on classroom interaction and answer scripts of the examination. An E-Classroom has (i) A facility of array of at least 5 No. students desks having one Braille keyboard (with voice support) each connected with teachers’ computer through cable. (ii) A teachers’ terminal is loaded with software for monitoring data entry by students voice, communication of the students, setting up of study materials, question sets, recording of answer scripts etc. and also recording of students attendance, proceeding of classes and progress reports of the students along with facility of text prints. It is evident from the above description that E-Classroom is not a dry classroom. It is not also variable deliberation of the teacher to the students on particular subject. On the contrary, it is a living classroom vivid with constant interaction between the teachers and the students. It is found in experience that students do not get interest through theoretical lectures of the teachers. But in E-Classroom it provides unique opportunity to record the feed back of the sightless learners at the same time. The students may correct through errors in conceptualizing the subject. They are learning through the response of the teachers on their particular queries. The great facility E-Classroom affords is to provide 8 keyboards to 8 candidates and the connection of the keyboard is connected with the cable of the teacher’s computer. In this way, the comprehension of the learners gets constant impetus through the active interaction of the teacher with the help of the computer. The sightless will get gradually interest of this system of teaching and learning which will one day help the students to appear in the examination with Braille script without the help of the amanuensis and this Braille script will be automatically converted to text print for the examination of the seeing examiners. Science and technology are on their onward march. It has not only opened the floodgates of knowledge of the seeing but also unlocked the treasures of wisdom to the sightless learners. In course of time the benefit offered by the E-classroom will be acquainted with the sightless learners and teachers of the sightless are waiting for the momentum to come to extend this benefit to one and all belonging to the visually impaired group.
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Those who indicated the real path Binoy Kumar Roy (Calcutta Blind School)
Once world was enveloped in darkness by ignorance and superstition. At that momentum Shree Chaitanya Deb appeared as deliverer of human suffering. Sins and sufferings were removed by his magic touch. He infused incantation of Lord Krishna into the human mind for salvation.
Next followed Shree Ramakrishna with his great message. The people immerged themselves into his powerful words that showed a flood of light to the people to be civilised.
So many people became wise following his ideas. We know the names of so many disciples, followed his ideas to the later. Our motto is to follow the lobster to arrive at our cherished goal.
(Translated by Shri Ashoke Chowdhury) -------------
DISABLED IS THE HINDERANCE – NOT DISABILITY ..........Dilip Loyalka LLB.FCA
As per conservative estimate there are 2 crores of visually impaired persons in India out of the world visual impaired population of 4 crores. They constitute a community that continues to be the victim of negative social attitudes and pessimism. In most cases the circumstances of a visually impaired person, along with poverty, ignorance and general apathy, force him into a position where it becomes virtually impossible for him to participate in even the most mundane and routine activities. Disabled are the weakest section of the society. The positions of the blind women are even worse. They have been totally isolated and marginalized. It’s not the lack of ability but the lack of faith and confidence of the people for the visually impaired is the major cause of their sufferings. Due to this lack of faith they are not provided with the opportunities of education, vocational training or other exposures in life. Of India’s blind children less than 5% have access to education. According to the Directory of Institutions compiled by the National Information on Disability and Rehabilitation of India, there are more than 2000 NGOs working in the area of disability. Among these over 700 NGOs are working in the field of blindness. Most of these organizations are engaged in service delivery, providing education, distributing aids and appliance and imparting vocational rehabilitation. The voluntary sectors’ pioneering effort in providing services to the disabled people is indeed credible, but in terms of employment they have very little to offer. Prejudice is the major hurdle in attaining success in this area. Recently, National Center for Promoting of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) in collaboration with The National Association for the Blind Delhi conducted a Research Study on the scenario of employment, education, vocational training availability of books and appliances, level of participation of people with disabilities in decision making and other services that are being provided to disabled persons in India. The study reveals that 1628 private sector companies were approached in the last two years for placement by the respondent NGOs but could provided employment to only 1157 disabled people. While 804 public sector companies were approached, only 220 disabled people got jobs in this sector in the last two years. Only 33% of the respondent NGOs could register their beneficiaries with Employment Exchanges. Only 212 disabled people were placed through this channel out of the total job placements of 4812 disabled people. Only about 33% of the respondent NGOs provide hostel facility and only about 20% provide client services like scholarships, loans etc. In order to overcome this problem, some effective measures have to be taken. All schools and colleges who are receiving government aids or even enjoying income tax deduction must impart education to 7% of the disabled students free of any charges so that the problem of education of disabled can be taken up in an effective way. Government of India passed The Persons With Disabilities (Equal Opportunities Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act. 1995 in the year 1996. The act provide some legal protection to government employees who acquire disability during their service. Beside this all other provision like prevention and early detection of disabilities, free education to children with disabilities, making of comprehensive education scheme, providing for transport facilities, supply of books, identification of posts which can be referred for persons with disabilities, providing schemes for ensuring employment of persons with disabilities, reservation of seats in schools and colleges, providing incentives to employers to ensure 5% of the work force is composed of persons with disabilities, providing aids and appliance have ornamental values only but no legal force because the act provides that appropriate government will take necessary steps the implement these provisions without have any time frame and guidelines. No result is likely to be achieved by enacting such sermons. It is high time to take effective measures which have been successfully adopted in other countries e.g. in China which provided that any enterprise having 35% disabled work force need not to pay any income tax. With the result employers took initiative, gave training to disabled persons and engaged them in their industry. At present in China there are over 1600 industries having more than 40% disabled work force and all of them are running at profit. The unemployment in China among disabled is less than unemployment of normal persons. In India also we have income tax exemption for setting up industries in backward areas, northeastern region, export etc. and such tax exemptions have achieved the desired results. Therefore there is no reason of not granting tax exemption for employing disabled persons. The loss of revenue in enacting will be much less in comparison to the resulting social welfare. Further it is understandable that the required assistance to disabled could not be provided due to lack of adequate resources in the country. But there is no reason to take away anything from a disabled person who earns by dint of his hard work and sincerity. A disabled person earning 5 lakhs rupees in a year could have earned 50 lakhs rupees had he been normal, which means he is paying a handicap tax at the rate of 90%. Taxing him further is not only unjust but inhuman. As such tax on disabled should be withdrawn immediately and concessions for employing disabled to encourage employers should be provided without further delay.
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All in one Surojit Das (Calcutta Blind School)
Some address flower, either as “Full” or as “Pushpo” In fact it is one and the same, there is no difference between them. Some again address water either as “Jaal” or as “Pani” Is it not the same, what all of us know?
Fire is addressed either as “Fire” or “Agni” Practically it’s main function is to burn whatever is offered on the flame. Many names there are, and they belong to different groups or tribes. Their creeds may differ, all though they are basically recognised as mankind.
(Translated by Shri Ashoke Chowdhury)
TECHNOLOGY AND VISUALLY CHALLENGED Ms. Kanchan Gawa Technology is constantly changing day by day, changing how we find out information how we access the curriculum, the jobs we do, the ways we learn, and the way we interact with the society. Without the ability to use these emerging technologies, persons with visual impairment are excluded from all the opportunities and experiences that technology can offer them. Therefore, it is almost mandatory for a visually challenged to learn all these techniques for his all round development following our some of them which a middle class person with partial vision and no vision can learn and use to make his/her life better and at par with his sighted associates.
COMPUTER Besides high sounding jobs, these days computer is being used in our day to day activities. Visually challenged person can use the computer with a product that enables to use it with audible feedback of what is displayed on the screen, called “SCREENREADER” or “SPEECH OUT PUT SYSTEM” a standard computer, whether laptop or desktop can be adopted by adding a screen reader, which enables the computer to talk. The screen reader allows navigation around the computer screen and presents what is happening on the screen to the user in a meaningful way using the speech out put. The computer is being used by combining a standard keyboard and keyboard shortcuts instead of a mouse. Therefore the screen reader gives an opportunity to a visually impaired person to communicate through email on his own, to access all window program and access to all vast reading material available on CDs and internet opening the door of vast knowledge to him from which he is being excluded from centuries.
OVERLAY OR CONCEPT KEYBOARDS Overlay keyboards, sometimes called concepts keyboard, can be used as an alternative or additional input device to the computer. They are available in two sizes, A4 and A3 and have a programmable touch sensitive grid marked upon them. Each square in the grid can be used Individually or in conjunction with each other to make large areas. A paper or plastic overlay marked with pictures, letters, Braille, words or tactile objects can then be placed on top of the grid to indicate the input when the keyboard is pressed. The advantage of this is that overlays can be made to suit the individual needs and keys can be programmed in different ways to generate sound or speech, produce letters, words, or phrases or move the mouse printer. Students that partially sighted may benefit from overlay created with high contrast or large letter size. People with no vision may use an overlay with tactile objects on it to read a talking book or learn tracking skills for reading Braille.
TOUCH SCREENS A touch screen enables a user to control the computer by pointing to or touching an area of the screen. A touch screen is an alternative access route to the computer for someone who has some useful vision but has difficulty using a QWERTY keyboard, overlay keyboard mouse or switch. It is a tool to enable user to understand cause and effect and gives a more direct link between visual presentation and the effect of touching. A touch screen is either integrated into the computer monitor or sits in front of the screen. The integrated touch screen are probably the most robust and effective, however they are more expensive. There are several different types of touch screen technologies, however the two most often used in education are pressure sensitive and infra-red. The main difference between the two is that the pressure sensitive screen requires quite a firm touch to control it, whereas the infra-red devices can detect the presence of the object pointing at it and require no pressure.
SCANNING Access to printed material is essential to anyone with partial sight or no sight weather they are at school, college, at job place or at home. With the help of scanning technology vast printed material, source of knowledge, is accessible to visually challenged removing his disability to read and dependence on others. Electronic Reading Aids, Scanning and Optical Correctors Recognition OCR technology provides access to printed material through speech output, Braille display or magnification on PC. This technology enables some one to get access to document such as newspapers, books, letters, lectures notes or any printed materials.
ELECTRONIC NOTE TAKERS Technology is providing new opportunities for learning and communication as it can assist with writing and storing information using Braille and text. Types of devices that can accomplish this are particularly useful for students who wish to take notes in lessons and lectures or for those people in employment who wish to take notes in meetings or work on information at home. Many devices exist for taking notes. A keyboard is needed to input information and this can come in two types, a Braille keyboard or QWERTY keyboard. Note takers with a Braille keyboard are small portable devices that have six keys and a space bar arranged in the typical way for typing Braille. They feedback information using speech output and/or Braille output by use of a small Braille display integrated into the device. Combinations of the six Braille keys and the space bar are used as function keys to initiate programs within the note taker. QWERTY keyboard note takers are useful for blind people who are not Braille user or are just learning Braille. The user can record information much faster by touch typing. Most of these note takers feedback information to the user through speech. Other more dedicated hardware is available such as the Type Lite from Blazie. It is a QWERTY keyboard with a Braille display so it can be used as a note taker or as a standard keyboard for ones PC without the need to purchase a separate Braille display. Different note takers do have different features but most have different features but most have their own bespoke organizer software which includes word processing, spell checking, diary, calendar, address book and file manager. They can usually be connected to a PC or a printer for transferring information. Some can also print grade 2 Braille to an embosser. Some of the new types of note takers have additional features such as email capability and can run windows based software, which allows greater compatibility and connectivity between ones note taker and the PC. If one has a PC with speech output, some note takers can also be used as an alternative to a Braille display.
DIGITAL RECORDERS AND POCKET MEMOS Digital recorders and pocket memos are used by visually impaired people to take memos, store appointments, record telephone numbers and contact details. Portable Mini Disc players/recorders are the latest among the digital recording devices that are now competing with the cassette medium. The Mini Disc format provides the ability to record in stereo or in mono high quality audio. Unlike the tape in a cassette the mini disc does not wear out and different recordings can be accessed far more quickly, in the manner that music tracks are accessed on a music CD. The walkman models tend to have larger control buttons and LCD display than the miniature models. Portable personal organizers designed for visually impaired people, also use voice recording using electronic chips. These units have a smaller storage capacity for speech but will have a good range of personal organizer features. These features usually include a phone book, notepad, appointment book, alarm clock and calculator. Some of these products have the ability to retrieve telephone numbers using voice recognition technology.
CASSETTE RECORDERS There are a number of miniature tape recorders available that use standard C30, C60, C90 and C120 cassettes. These are not much larger than pocket memos and may be suitable for some people who just want a simple recording device. Most products have tone indexing facility, which enables the user to find their way around the recordings on the tape effectively. Some recorders have voice activation capability and audible warnings. Therefore, we HAVE SEEN Technology can make an important contribution to the lives of visually impaired individuals, whether a child or adult in education, a person in employment, a lifelong learner at home or someone who uses technology as an aid to independent living. Technology can help to provide independence and facilitate social communication and interaction. Technology provides opportunities and breaks down the barriers that have long excluded visually impaired people from being included in a rapidly growing technological and online community. It is important however that as technology continues to develop, accessibility is something that is always considered early on rather than an afterthought.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS Calcutta Blind School is organizing a Cultural Competition on Integrated level involving 250 participants in the program on 1st February, 2004. This cultural competition takes place every year with a view to integrating sightless and sighted students from different institution through cultural exhibits. This competition is aimed at mainstreaming of the handicapped and non-handicapped students. Calcutta Blind School has organized a variety program on open air before the image of Godess Saraswati on 26th January at 4.30 p.m. Paschim Banga Rajya Pratibandhi Samilani has organized Sports for different handicapped on 27th January at Hooghly Lenin Maidan. Blind Opera has conducted different theatrical show from 14th to 18th January at different vanue. The program commenced with Pan Supari festival at Shyambazar Reading Library followed by theatrical performance on different stages which ended with seminar on the importance of cultural programme to be participated by the handicapped on 18th at Bangla Academy were important speakers highlighted the theme. Sanghati Natya Mela involving actors from Mumbai has taken place from 21st to 25th January, 2004 at different leading halls of Calcutta for cultural unification. Two Hindi dramas and three Bengali dramas were staged, organized by Rotary Club of Anadalok. With a view to explaining the purpose of this Natya Mela a press conference was arranged at Press Club of Calcutta on 17th January where the Club President and other members took active role in presence of Dist. Governor Rotary 329. Electronic Classroom has been newly installed at Calcutta Blind School for promotion of education to the Sightless Students in a classroom environment. The purpose of this classroom is to give Lesson plan to the students and receive responses from the candidates by teacher through his computer terminal desk. The students are equipped with Braille Keyboard which are connected to the computer at the teacher’s desk. This is a type of classroom enjoyed by each and every student not in a traditional manner but through technological utilization.
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