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Bangla eSpeak training with NVDA
The NVDA team conducted an eSpeak training in Bangla on December 19 and 20, 2014 at Blind Empowerment Foundation (BEA) in Kolkata.
Report on training workshop at NAB Delhi R K Puram
The workshop was held at the National Association for the Blind, Sector 5 R. K. Puram, New Delhi on December 17, 2014. The objective of the workshop was to help the staff members understand NVDA and its functioning with the Indian languages so that they efficiently attend to the queries of the visitors and the callers at helpdesk.
Availability and Accessibility of Government Information in Public Domain
The information provided on most Government websites such as Acts, notifications, rules, orders, minutes of meetings and consultations, etc. is usually in the form of electronic documents. However, these lack authenticity and accessibility and cannot be (text) searched., This policy brief identifies the problem areas with the current work flow being used to publish documents and proposes suitable modifications to make them easy to locate, authentic and accessible.
Telugu eSpeak Training with NVDA
NVDA team conducted a two-day workshop at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) for lecturers and students for reading and writing in Telugu using eSpeak with NVDA on December 1 and 2, 2014.
Report on Training in Basic Computing with use of NVDA at NAB, Delhi
The objective of the workshop was to help the staff members understand NVDA and its functioning with the Indian languages so that they efficiently attend to the queries of the visitors and the callers at help desk.
Report on Training in the Use of eSpeak Gujarati with NVDA
The training was imparted at Blind Peoples Association, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad on November 17 and 18, 2014. Thirteen delegates underwent the training. R.P.Soni was the local coordinator.
Central Guidelines and Schemes
The Department of Disability Affairs under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in India. The office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities has been set up under the Ministry to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities.
Comments to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014
On behalf of the Centre for Internet and Society (“CIS”), the following are the comments and recommendations on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 (“RPD Bill”). It was submitted to the Parliamentary Standing Committee in October 2014.
The Legal Framework for Enforcement of Rights of Persons with Disabilities
In order to get a complete understanding of the legal framework governing the rights of persons with disabilities, we need to understand the several legislations that cover the field. The Constitution of India is the founding legal document guaranteeing fundamental rights to all persons which includes persons with disabilities. The main legislation on disability rights is the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 ("PWD Act") which this chapter will be providing a detailed overview of.
Smartphones and the Return to Dependency
The new age smartphones that operate by touch mean much more than exciting new technology to persons with visual impairment, they signify the return to the world of dependency, a situation that the group had successfully steered out of some years ago with the support provided by accessible devices and assistive technology.
India's Ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty Celebrated; Accessible Books Consortium Launched
On Day 1 of the 28th Session of the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (“SCCR”), the WIPO organized an event to mark India’s ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, 2013 (“Marrakesh Treaty”), and to launch the Accessible Books Consortium (“ABC”).
For a Truly Inclusive Consultative Process
At Inclusive Planet we attempt to engage as many people with disabilities as possible with the consultative process which precedes the enactment of legislation and policy, and we are very happy with the NDA Government’s positive steps in putting out all proposed amendments to the public at large for feedback.
Open House with George Abraham: Mainstreaming Persons with Disabilities
CIS collaborated with Ashoka India to host ‘Open House with George Abraham’ – an open discussion on inclusion of persons with disabilities in mainstream society on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at the Ashoka premises.
Summary of Judgements on Disability Rights
The following are some of the landmark judgments given by the Supreme Court and some of the high courts in India on disability rights.
The Road to Financial Inclusion
It is increasingly frustrating to hear about wonderful steps being taken for financial inclusion within the private sector which completely ignores the question of inclusion of persons with disabilities.
France, Greece, India and the European Union Sign the Marrakesh Treaty
On April 30, 2014, on Day 3 of the 27th Session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, a Signing Ceremony was conducted for member states wishing to sign the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to books and other reading material for the print disabled.
Polling Pains
While there has been a lot of outrage and furore over the dropping of names of eligible and previously registered persons from voter's lists across the Country, what hasn't received a lot of coverage is the large scale apathy towards the needs of voters with disabilities across the Country.
Central Government Schemes
The various central government schemes are compiled in this blog post. This research was done by the Centre for Law and Policy Research and Anandhi Viswanathan.
Enabling Elections
For making the 2014 General Elections in India participatory and accessible for voters with disabilities the Centre for Law and Policy Research and the Centre for Internet and Society have come up with a report. The report addresses the barriers that people with disabilities face during elections and recommends solutions for the same.
Accessibility of Political Parties Websites in India
Given the impending elections in India across April and May 2014, a test was conducted to determine the accessibility of websites of the Election Commission of India, the Parliament and some key political parties in India. This report summarises the results of the test.
