Centre for Internet and Society

A fight for the Right to Read

radha — 2011-04-02T14:53:14Z

The copyright Law remains blind to the rights of the Visually Impaired - An article by N T Balanarayan, DNA Bangalore - 24th September, 2009

As Indians we enjoy our right to education and to read, but should learning be restricted to books provided in school? What if, some wish to broaden their horizon and learn more, only to realise there are no books available? That’s the situation the visually impaired in India face now. But Bangalore-based Centre for Internet and Society (CIS)* is out to change it. They’re starting a new campaign – demanding changes in the copyright law so that books can be converted into a medium with which the visually impaired will feel more comfortable.

According to the group, only 0.5 percent of the books available in India can be accessed in Braille or audio format. Further, the World Blind Union estimates that only five percent of the total books that get published in developed countries are converted into accessible formats.

According to Nirmita Narasimhan who works with CIS, it’s not a question of just making the books available in particular formats. “If people can read books, it will help literacy, education, employment and promote independent living. A majority of the visually impaired population don’t pursue courses because they don’t have study materials in accessible formats. This is substantiated by looking at the statistics of Delhi University – they have about 1,500 seats reserved for the handicapped. Despite that, in 2008, only 270 students applied and in 2009, only 350 came forward. This just goes to show that in addition to making reservations, it is also necessary to provide an enabling reading framework to persons with disabilities by providing materials in accessible formats and a good support system,” she says.

“Further, it is not necessarily any particular format – with technologies and the prolific use of computers; accessible electronic formats (not being jpeg images which screen readers can’t make sense of) are most appreciated. One will find that blind persons are always reaching out to each other for study materials in accessible formats – this varies from materials for board exams to text for competitive exams,” she adds.

Through the campaign, a roadshow scheduled to start on September 26^th at Loyola College, Chennai, the group wants changes to be made in the copyright law. The roadshow will be organised in three other metros as well.

The event will comprise presentations, debates and demonstrations along with book reading sessions and stalls where various accessibility tools will be demonstrated.

Change the Fineprint: Changes in the copyrights law will enable the visually-impaired in India to overcome their handicap and grow with the modern times.
- Indian Copyright Law does not allow persons with print impairments to convert books into accessible formats to read them
- Libraries for the blind like Bookshare, RFB&D, lend books only to print impaired persons living in countries where such a legal provision exists
- Remember that persons with visual disabilities are not the only ones who can’t read printed matter those who are dyslexic and mentally challenged count too

* Name given as Centre for Information and Society in the original article - the same is corrected here.

Here is the link to the Right to Read Campaign
http://cis-india.org/advocacy/accessibility/blog/the-right-to-read-campaign

Here is the link to the original article in DNA -
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_cis-campaign-to-alter-copyright-law-to-favour-visually-imapired_1292662

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/news/a-fight-for-the-right-to-read

A Discussion on Intercept between UNCRPD & CEDAW

anandi — 2013-03-27T10:04:30Z

A seminar was jointly organized by the Shanta Memorial Institute of Rehabilitation – Odisha, CBR Network and Mitra Jyoti to discuss the intercept between the United Nations Convention for Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on February 4, 2013 at Mitra Jyoti in Bangalore. Anandhi Viswanathan participated in the seminar and shares her experiences in this post.

The aim of the seminar was to explore the challenges faced by women with disabilities and the need to set up a national network of women with disabilities in India. The discussions were led by Dr. Asha Hans of the Shanta Memmorial Institute of Rehabilitation, Indumathi Rao of the CBR Network and Madhu Singhal of Mitra Jyoti.

Participants at the seminar discussed some of the challenges that women with disabilities faced in the country on a regular basis. Violence against women with disabilities was a major concern raised by several participants. It was felt that many disabled women are victims of violence — physical, emotional or sexual in nature, which are perpetuated on them either in their homes or at their workplaces or outside in general.

Health and sanitation concerns of women with disabilities were also discussed. The lack in general awareness of the health and sanitation requirements of women with disabilities and the non-availability of facilities to cater to these needs were felt to be some of the major concerns in this sphere. Participants also felt that the lack of awareness and the general social attitude towards women with disabilities lead to their marginalisation and alienation in society.

Women with disabilities face double discrimination — on grounds of their disability and for their gender. They are not included in discussions on disability which revolve around men with disabilities, or on discussions on women which more often than not focuses on women without disabilities, and unfortunately this “minority” group of women with disabilities is left on its own. The challenges faced by women with disabilities are unique. These are quite different from challenges faced by either by men with disabilities or by women without disabilities. Women with disabilities are yet to be categorised as a separate group by the government for considering and addressing their difficulties.

The participants at this event further felt that the challenges being faced by women with disabilities could be addressed by introducing provisions specific to their needs in the legislations for persons with disabilities. The seminar concluded that two exercises must be undertaken to consolidate the case for including provisions specific to women with disabilities in legislations:

Developing a system of including women with disabilities as a separate category in all the data pools being compiled by the government, and
Creating a database of issues being faced by women with disabilities on all levels across the country.

It was proposed that a network of women with disabilities be set up in order to create a platform for women with disabilities to showcase challenges and seek solutions. The group felt that the network could play an active role in documenting issues faced by women with disabilities and aid in creating a database of challenges. The network could also play a part in seeking for women with disabilities to be included as a separate category in all national data pools compiled by the government.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/discussion-on-intercept-between-uncrpd-and-cedaw

'Sops can boost jobs for disabled persons'

praskrishna — 2012-09-12T03:51:46Z

A recent report commissioned by the government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for greater incentives to the private sector to boost employment for persons with disabilities (PWDs). Incentives such as grants can be used by the employer to make the workplace more accessible and for providing assistive technologies such as voice software or training.

Lubna Kably's article was published in the Times of India on September 5, 2012. Nirmita Narasimhan is quoted.

The findings and suggestions of the report, 'Livelihood opportunities for PWDs', are expected to be included in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17), which aims to be more inclusive. The government sector has a mandatory quota of 3% for PWDs. For the private sector, the PWD Act, 1995, provides for incentives if at least 5% of the workforce comprises PWDs. Here, the government makes payment of the employer's contributions to the Employees Provident Fund and Employees State Insurance for the first three years as an incentive for PWD employees earning up to Rs 25,000 per month.

Some countries have a mandatory PWD job quota for the private sector with penal provisions - Germany (5%), Austria (4%), Poland (6%), Italy (a sliding scale of up to 7%), Spain (2%) and Japan (1.6%). Others like the USA rely on lucrative tax credit incentive schemes. Some, such as Japan use a carrot-and-stick approach and grants are also available to the private sector.

However, experts do not favour a quota regime because of perceived practical difficulties and its failure in the government sector. "There may be practical difficulties for PWDs to execute certain tasks, which would then lead employers to reserve certain types of jobs only for PWDs, leading creation of the kind of stereotypes which we are fighting against," said Nirmita Naraimhan, advocate and program manager, Centre for Internet & Society.

"Only a handful of companies employ PWDs. To boost private sector participation, the PWD employment incentive target (currently 5% of the workforce) must be realistic. Second, lucrative incentives could be a solution," said Javed Abidi, director, NCPEDP (National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People).

At this juncture, it is largely corporate philosophy that results in PWD hiring, especially in the hospitality and IT/ITeS sector. Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) has around 150 'Silent Brewmasters'. Other staff members are trained in the basics of sign language for optimal team functioning. "CCD's Silent Brewmasters specialize in brewing because of their heightened sense of smell and vision, thereby ensuring the most visually appealing presentation of our coffees. They are each cafe's best quality controllers," said K Ramakrishnan, president (Marketing), CCD.

"We have 110 PWDs in our team (5% of the total work force across 18 hotels) who are hearing and speech impaired. Initially, they functioned in back office operations, but some innovation such as numbered menu cards helps them interact with customers and results in an overall good factor," said Patu Keswani, chairman and MD, The Lemon Tree Hotel Company.

Nasscom Foundation helps create a proper ecosystem. "Not only are PWDs placed in the IT-ITES sector, but the companies are helped in undertaking accessibility audits, motivated to generate accessible tools and help others get access to such tools," explained Rita Soni, CEO Nasscom Foundation.

E-Vindhya, where 95% of the workforce comprises PWDs and the rest are hired based on their sensitivity towards their PWD colleagues, is perhaps an exception. But other companies are also adopting an inclusive approach. At MindTree and Mphasis, at least 1% of the workforce comprises PWDs. Infosys BPO, Aegis, Wipro, and IBM are some other companies that adopt an integrated approach in dealing with PWD employees.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-sep-5-2012-lubna-kably-sops-can-boost-jobs-for-the-disabled-persons