The Centre for Internet and Society
https://cis-india.org
These are the search results for the query, showing results 51 to 65.
The Road to Financial Inclusion
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-road-to-financial-inclusion
<b>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. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Those of us working in the disabilities sector and those who live with the reality of disability know how difficult it is for persons with disabilities to even open bank accounts independently, and for those who are allowed to open bank accounts on their own, access to added services like ATM cards, chequebooks, internet banking — facilities which many of us take for granted — becomes a matter of discretion of bank managerial staff. The <a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/banking-and-accessibility-in-india-report">CIS Report on Banking Accessibility</a> is a seminal document on the problems being faced on accessibility to banking, and it was hoped that the Reserve Bank of India would take cognizance of the numerous issued raised within it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">On May 21, 2014, the Reserve Bank of India issued a <a href="http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/notification/PDFs/DB13NT0514FS.pdf">notification</a> mandating all scheduled banks to take necessary steps to provide all existing ATMs / future ATMs with ramps for the same to be accessible for persons with disabilities, and provided further that the height of the ATMs should not create an impediment in their use by wheelchair users. The onus is on banks to provide this, and in cases where such changes are not practicable, this requirement may be dispensed with, for reasons recorded and displayed in branches or ATMs concerned. The requirements for ramps at entrances is also extended to bank branches (wherever feasible). The notification also notes the failure of Banks to ensure that at least 1/3rd of all their ATMs are "talking" ATMs with Braille keypads as per the <a href="http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=4923&Mode=0">2009 Circular</a> and now mandates that all ATMs installed from July 1,<sup></sup> 2014 shall be talking ATMs with Braille Keypads.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The 2014 Notification goes one step forward and makes special provisions for providing magnifying glasses for persons with low vision in order to assist them in the carrying out of banking transactions. Banks should maintain a list of facilities for persons with disabilities and make this information available for customers prominently. On the May 27, a similar Notification, <a href="http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/notification/PDFs/ATR270514FC.pdf">extending similar provisions to Regional Rural Banks</a>, was published.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">What does this mean for accessibility and banking? Definitely, the circulars come as a big boost to accessibility, particularly with regard to ATM facilities. ATM Machines which are designed to accommodate persons with disabilities do make a huge difference, though many, many persons have reported not even being given access to these facilities on account of their disabilities which has not been addressed in these circulars.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Additionally, it does not appear that non compliance is actionable, as Banks are merely advised to report the progress made in this regard periodically to their respective Customer Service Committee of the Board and ensure compliance. As pointed out above, reasons for non compliance are merely to be recorded and displayed. The procedures to approach the Ombudsman do not include accessible measures, and this continues to allow bank staff to act with impunity in denying banking facilities for persons with disabilities.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Despite actively intervening in the eventual <a href="http://rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationReportDetails.aspx?UrlPage=&ID=760#9">Report of the Technical Committee on Banking of the RBI</a>, disability rights activists have found that the banking industry has not been receptive to the needs of persons with disabilities. From this background, the RBI Notifications are a welcome start, though slightly premature — what is of utmost urgency on the part of the RBI is a categorical statement that no person with disability who comes to the bank to open a bank account will be denied access to the same. Additional tools which can be extremely beneficial to persons with disabilities, including mobile and internet banking, must be made accessible and available to persons with disabilities. It is also important for basic training on disability and communication be made part of syllabus for training of banking officials, and that regular interactions and training is encouraged for bank officials. It would be useful for all bank branches, and all departments of the RBI, to have an accessibility officer, a bank official given the additional responsibility of ensuring accessibility of the bank branch or the Department as the case may be, who is given specialized training in matters relating to accessibility. This would go a long way in ensuring that financial inclusion leaves no one behind.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-road-to-financial-inclusion'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-road-to-financial-inclusion</a>
</p>
No publishersalelkarAccessibility2014-06-03T06:46:18ZBlog EntryThe Right to Read Campaign, now in Delhi
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/right-to-read-campaign
<b>The Right to Read campaign, this time in Delhi, the national capital of the country has been announced. This is the third in the series. The previous two held in Calcutta and Chennai were highly successful and Delhi too promises quite a lot. </b>
<p>About 70 million Indians are unable to read printed material owing to various forms of disabilities. According to industry estimates, around 80,000-100,000 books get published every year in India of which only about 700 are made available for these persons. Technologies like screen readers make it possible for persons with disabilities to access knowledge in alternate formats like Braille, e-text, audio, large print, et cetera. Yet people are unable to convert books into accessible formats thanks to the provisions of the Indian Copyright Act, 1957.</p>
<p>India needs to change the situation quickly and put an end to the shortage of books and enable these 70 million persons to participate in social life. For this we need to make use of the developments in technology which makes it possible for all persons to access knowledge and enable them to live a life of social inclusion and participation on par with the rest of society. People with disabilities too have a right to access information like other persons- let copyright laws recognize the diverse needs of persons with disabilities and open up the gates of knowledge to all.</p>
<h3>Objectives of the Right to Read Campaign</h3>
<ul><li>To expedite copyright law reform by informing policy makers on the necessity and nature of amendment. This has to be made to the Indian Copyright Act 1957 to give effect to the rights of persons with disabilities. </li><li>To raise awareness on the issue amongst the parliamentarians, members of the judiciary, educationalists, publishers and the public. </li></ul>
<h3>The Campaign</h3>
<p>The Indian campaign is a part of the global Right to Read campaign which was started by the World Blind Union in 2008. It is a nationwide campaign and seeks to:</p>
<ul><li>Accelerate change in the copyright law;</li><li>Raise public awareness on the issue of access to reading for the print-impaired; and</li><li>Gather Indian support for the Treaty for the Blind proposed by the World Blind Union at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).<br /></li></ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/right-to-read-campaign'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/right-to-read-campaign</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaFeaturedAccessibility2011-08-17T08:45:56ZBlog EntryThe Right to Read Campaign - Chennai
https://cis-india.org/events/the-right-to-read-campaign-chennai
<b>A nationwide Right to Read campaign began with road shows in the four metro cities of India and was then carried on in other cities. The events comprised of presentations, debates and demonstrations, book reading sessions and setting up of stalls where various accessibility tools were demonstrated. The first road show was held in Loyola College, Chennai on 26th September, 2009. </b>
<h2>The Problem Statement</h2>
<p>Millions of Indians are unable to read printed material due to disabilities. Technologies are in place which can help them read printed matter if the material gets converted into alternate formats such as large print, audio, Braille or other electronic formats. Whereas the Constitution of India declares “right to read” a fundamental right, the provisions of the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 does not permit conversion of books into accessible formats for the benefit of persons with print impairment, as a result of which a “book famine” is created. International conventions to which India is a signatory to specifically requires it to amend its copyright laws for the benefit of persons with disabilities and make available information and materials to persons with disabilities on an equal basis as others.</p>
<p>Publishers too do not make books available in accessible formats as a result of which less than 0.5 per cent of books are available in accessible formats in India. As a result, persons with print impairments get excluded from the education system and this has a big impact on their career choices. Further, there are no national policies or action plans to ensure that publications in accessible formats in all Indian languages are made available to persons with print disabilities all over the country.</p>
<h3>Objectives of the Right to Read Campaign</h3>
<ul><li> To accelerate change in copyright law;</li><li>To raise public awareness on the issue; and</li><li>To gather Indian support for the Treaty for the Blind proposed by the World Blind Union at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).<br /></li></ul>
<h3>Your Support for the Campaign</h3>
<p>
No campaign is complete without the endorsement of leaders in the field. We invite you to lend your name and support to this campaign in large numbers and help us make this campaign a success. If you wish to do so, please e-mail Nirmita Narasimhan: <a href="mailto:nirmita@cis-india.org">nirmita@cis-india.org</a>. Declaration <a href="https://cis-india.org/advocacy/accessibility/Declaration%20-%20Right%20to%20Read.doc" class="internal-link" title="Declaration - Right to Read Campaign">on</a> the Right to Read.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/events/the-right-to-read-campaign-chennai'>https://cis-india.org/events/the-right-to-read-campaign-chennai</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaEvent TypeAccessibility2011-08-31T10:45:38ZEventThe Right to Read Campaign
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-right-to-read-campaign
<b>The nationwide Right to Read campaign will begin with road shows in four metros and will then be taken up in different cities. There will be half day events with publicity. Events shall comprise presentations, debates and demonstrations, book reading sessions and stalls where various accessibility tools will be demonstrated. The first roadshow is to be held at Loyola College on 26th September. </b>
<p>Problem Statement</p>
<p>Millions of Indians are unable to read printed material due to disabilities. There are technologies available which can help them read print if the material is converted into an alternate format such as large print, audio, Braille or any electronic format. While the Indian constitution guarantees the “right to read” as a fundamental right, the copyright regime does not permit the conversion of books into accessible formats for the benefit of persons with print impairment, as a result of which a “book famine” is created. International conventions that India is a party to specifically require India to amend its copyright laws for the benefit of persons with disabilities and to make available information and material to persons with disabilities on an equal basis as others. Publishers also do not make books available in accessible formats as a result of which less than 0.5% of books are available in accessible formats in India. As a result persons with print impairments get excluded from the education system and it impacts their career choices.<br />In addition to this, there are no national Policies or action plan to ensure that publications in accessible formats in all Indian languages are available to persons with print disabilities all over the country.</p>
<p><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/book%20stack%20artwork.jpg/image_preview" title="Book Stack" height="400" width="107" alt="Book Stack" class="image-inline" /></p>
<p>Objectives of the Right to Read Campaign</p>
<p>To accelerate change in copyright law <br />To raise public awareness on the issue <br />To gather Indian support for the Treaty for the Blind proposed by the World Blind Union at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).<br />Your Support:</p>
<p>No campaign is complete without the endorsement of leaders in the field. We invite you to lend your name and support to this campaign in large numbers and help us make this campaign a success. If you wish to do so, please e-mail Nirmita Narasimhan: <a href="mailto:nirmita@cis-india.org">nirmita@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://cis-india.org/../home-images/right-to-read-campaign-chennai/Declaration%20-%20Right%20to%20Read..pdf" class="internal-link" title="Declaration - Right to Read">Declaration on the Right to Read</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-right-to-read-campaign'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-right-to-read-campaign</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaAccessibility2011-08-17T08:45:02ZBlog EntryThe Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2013 and the Lack of Access to Accessibility Rights
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-bill-2013-and-lack-of-access-to-accessibility-rights
<b>The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2013 (The RPD Bill) went through three avatars since its commissioning in 2009 under the Sudha Kaul Committee. This blog post brings you a summary of the three stages since it was initially commissioned.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The first was the one the Committee proposed in 2011, after consultations with persons with disabilities and Disabled People's Organizations across the country; the second was <a class="external-link" href="http://www.socialjustice.nic.in/pdf/draftpwd12.pdf">notified by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2012</a>, which was in parts opposed to by several stakeholders; and the third, the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cabinet-okays-disabilities-bill/article5456834.ece">RPD BIll of 2013</a>, has actually brought the entire disability lobby, as it were, together, in being entirely appalled at the turn of events. The Bill, which is being furiously evaluated in the short time available between its being made available to the public and its impending introduction (and possible passing in the House), is full of flaws. Not only does it not adhere to the standards of the UNCRPD, but it also violates the spirit of the Indian Constitution, as well as contradicting existing case law, and most importantly it betrays the consensus and recommendations of persons with disabilities who were initially part of these recommendations. <br /><br />Doubtlessly, while access to government establishments and entities like courts, collectorates, municipal offices, is important for persons with disabilities, there are other establishments which are equally important for persons with disabilities, for purposes of recreation, access to culture, and private services. I've made the point elsewhere that the law proposed is less of an empowering statute and more on the lines of the charity model – and in line with that, the indication is that persons with disabilities will only ever have to come in contact with the government and other entities, so they can enforce rights, take grants, petition government servants, etc. But if the statute itself is rights based, why so much focus on access to forums for rights enforcement, and not on others beyond this?<br /><br />While they did have their flaws, the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.socialjustice.nic.in/pwd2011.php">2011 and 2012 versions of the Bill</a>, which had rather comprehensive provisions with regard to ensuring accessibility. To start with, the right of persons with disabilities, on an equal basis with others to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications, including appropriate technologies and systems, and other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas, was recognized. The RPD Bill recognizes the obligation of the government to provide accessibility measures, but by now wording it in terms of a right, it does not do complete justice. The 2011 and 2012 drafts were replete with separate sections on the right to transport, personal mobility, communications, services, the built environment, etc. On the other hand, the RPD Bill clumsily lops all of these into a few sections, with repeated emphasis on infrastructure and services run by "establishments", which is, in effect, the government. There is no mention of website accessibility, though a cursory mention is made to the appropriate government ensuring that all contents available in audio, print and electronic media are in accessible format; and that persons with disabilities have access to electronic media by providing audio description, sign language interpretation and close captioning. Again, the ambiguity as to whether this extends to websites which are not run by the government, is not clear. <br /><br />There is another aspect to accessibility which is lost under the Act by its failure to recognize it as a right. A senior person in the sector, who is blind, told me of an instance where he was barred from entering a bar with some friends. "You won't be able to tell what the bill is or how many drinks you've had", said the manager. He was therefore, being discriminated against entering a place, solely on the grounds of his disability. Persons who have been cured of leprosy are denied access to transport and other public facilities on the basis of outdated statutes. Persons who use crutches and calllipers are denied entry to religious places. The understanding of the Bill on accessibility is extremely limited, and limited to the built environment of government establishments, and this does nothing to extend the rights of persons with disabilities. Groups which are forwarding non negotiables for amendments to the Bill do not consider, at present, the right to accessibility to be a non negotiable. I do wonder, however, whether any of the other rights make sense when express and implied bars to access exist and are effectively encouraged, under this proposed law.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-bill-2013-and-lack-of-access-to-accessibility-rights'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-bill-2013-and-lack-of-access-to-accessibility-rights</a>
</p>
No publishersalelkarFeaturedAccessibility2014-02-03T02:21:45ZBlog EntryThe Quest for Education – Persons with Disabilities, Severely Challenged
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/your-story-nirmita-narasimhan-november-24-2016-quest-for-education-persons-with-disabilities-severely-challenged
<b>Education is the fundamental building block of development; it leads to an improved quality of life, employment, social acceptance and inclusion, national development and intellectual growth.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Published in <a class="external-link" href="https://yourstory.com/2016/11/education-persons-with-disabilities-severely-challenged/">Your Story</a> on November 24, 2016</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">The right to education and the current census figures</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Over the past decade, multiple efforts and initiatives associated with policy and programme towards achieving the goal of education have taken place. However, there are still millions of children with disabilities and students who are struggling to access basic and higher education and for whom economic independence appears to be an elusive dream.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The 2011 census figures show that the literacy rates for persons with disabilities are much lower than that of the non-disabled population of the country and even within that, certain disabilities and women across disabilities have a lower percentage. The overall literacy rate for persons with disabilities is 59 percent compared to 74 percent for the general population. The literacy level of women with disabilities in urban areas is 61 percent, which is 9 percent lower than their male counterparts. While women with disabilities in rural areas are worse with a literacy rate of 38 percent, 20 percent lower than disabled males. And people with multiple disabilities fare the worst, with a 35.8 percent literacy rate. Their education needs in terms of content, technology, training and support remain unfulfilled.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Challenges faced by the disabled</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The issues faced by children with different disabilities vary. For instance, in the case of children with print impairment, there is need for aggressive implementation of schemes to provide assistive technology since most disabled students do not have access to technologies in most states. Students who are blind are dependent upon Braille materials, which often do not reach them before half the school term is over. And this only supports the bare minimum need in terms of reading and not any extra knowledge building requirements. In some states, laptops are being distributed; however, these are unaccompanied by any training requirements, so it is unclear how many students are really able to use their devices. In places where these devices are available, they are mostly provided to students from the ninth standard.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Thus, in some states, laptops are being distributed; however, these are unaccompanied by any training requirements, so it is unclear how many students are really able to use their devices. In places where these devices are available, they are mostly provided to students from the ninth standard. Thus, transition becomes difficult and they find it hard to write their own exams. So while their sighted counterparts are experimenting with technology from a much earlier age, they are introduced to it at a much later stage, by which time their colleagues are far ahead of them.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Children with hearing impairments also face many challenges. They are isolated from mainstream communication as well; there are only around 250 sign language interpreters in India and sometimes one person has to cater to the requirements of an entire state. Hence, they grow and are educated in isolation without proper means of integration in inclusive schools. The physical environments in most schools also tend to be inaccessible for those with mobility impairments.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It is a rather dismal scenario content wise too. The course content put out by different boards is not in accessible formats, so organisations serving the blind have to convert them into an accessible format. There is a strain on resources. In the case of regional language content, the expense of typing out Telugu or Tamil is high and often increases the cost of the book 10-fold. Just converting the basic course syllabus for any one subject for a BA course can run into lakhs. Hence, there is very limited access to books.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The third challenge is the lack of trained manpower and resources to provide an enriching reading experience for a child with a disability. Children not only have to deal with restrictive resource conditions, but also difficult social conditions and stigma at school. Attitudinal changes need to occur and a lot of this begins at home and school. Consider this, in a rural setting; students in a class have access to a teacher full time during school hours. But there may be only one special needs teacher catering to students with multiple disabilities across several schools. So instead of having more support, a student with disability has to actually deal with severely limited support.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Often these teachers are ironically paid much lesser than other teachers, considering that they actually need more skills and patience to teach children with disabilities. Only in the field of disability does one encounter a situation where a specialisation is undervalued and under paid, whereas in all other genre of professions like medicines, one has to do a generalisation before a specialisation. What sort of prospects then do we offer children with disabilities? What we need is resource centres at each college and school, or if that is not possible, then at least resource centres at district level coordinating support in an appropriate manner with adequately paid and skilled teachers.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Promoting technology</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Promoting use of technology and open source software and imparting training at an early age will go a long way in making students with disabilities self-sufficient and independent. And of course, the issue of content is of primary importance. All boards must embrace accessible standards such as EPUB 3.0 for publications and WCAG 2.0 for their websites and make course content available in accessible formats. Exemption of certain topics should be replaced by facilitating learning using innovative methods and tools. Importantly, there also needs to be focus on providing education targeted towards profession and gainful employment.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Clearly, there is a long way to go before we can talk of inclusive education for children with disabilities; there is a severe shortage of even exclusive or special education. To improve the situation, individual piecemeal efforts alone will not make a difference. It is essential to have a systemic approach to inclusive education, with sufficient implementation and infrastructural support, if we are to progress to a point where every child with disability is encouraged to learn and be prepared for a world of employment, independence and dignity.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/your-story-nirmita-narasimhan-november-24-2016-quest-for-education-persons-with-disabilities-severely-challenged'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/your-story-nirmita-narasimhan-november-24-2016-quest-for-education-persons-with-disabilities-severely-challenged</a>
</p>
No publishernirmitaAccessibility2016-11-30T15:38:55ZBlog EntryThe print-impaired millions and their right to read
https://cis-india.org/news/print-impaired-millions
<b>Books, books everywhere, but not a word to read. This is the scenario for the approximately 70 million print-impaired in India, a sizeable population that includes the visually-impaired young people as well the elderly — whose vision depletes with advancing age.</b>
<p>If you are visually impaired and want to read the latest bestseller, the chances are that you would be staring at a blank, almost-impenetrable wall. The reason: hardly about 500 to 700 of the approximately one lakh titles that are published in India every year are converted to formats like Braille, audio books and e-books for the benefit of this population, as well as versions with large prints for those with weak vision.</p>
<p>Now, as the Budget Session of parliament is likely to consider amendments to the Copyright Act, those advocating a ‘right to read’ for the print-impaired are hoping that among the changes would be a permission to convert books to various accessible formats like Bookshare or Daisy Book Forum for this population that want to travel into the magic world of words but are forced to be out of it.</p>
<p>A National Right to Read Campaign, backed by the Global Right to Read Campaign (GRRC), is already on the job, creating public awareness against what activists call the ‘exclusion’ of millions of Indians from the ‘fundamental right’ to read books.</p>
<p>While there are technologies and software that have enabled this population to access print materials in electronic formats that are read aloud by the machine, it is still illegal for the print-impaired people to, say, scan a book and read it using a screen reader software (such as Adobe Read Aloud) or share it with others. The matters are complicated even more by lack of international laws that allow cross-border sharing of accessible-format books between libraries in India and other countries.</p>
<p>“Even though the International Publishers Association is looking for a licensing system, specifically for conversion of books to accessible formats for the visually impaired, publishers are not publishing in these versions,” says Chris Friend, chair of the GRRC and World Blind Union (WBU) representative.</p>
<p>However, 600 authors — including Arun Shourie, Tarun Tejpal, Meghnad Desai and Girish Karnad — and publishing houses like Harper Collins, Marg Publications, etc have pledged support to the campaign.</p>
<p>Persons who cannot read print are not only the blind, as is the popular perception. A print impaired person can be either visually impaired or those who have other physical, cognitive or sensory disabilities such as dyslexia, autism, learning disabilities, etc, point out Sam Taraporevala and Nirmita Narasimhan of the Centre for Internet and Society, which is spearheading the Right to Read Campaign along with the Daisy Forum.</p>
<h3>Dismal scene</h3>
<p>In developed countries, according to WBU estimates, only about five per cent of published books are available to print-impaired persons. In developing countries like India, the percentage is reduced to a dismal 0.5 per cent. There is increasing global attention on the issue in the form of a Treaty for the Blind, Visually Impaired and other Reading Disabled Persons, which is being discussed at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) of the UN, and for which India has expressed its support.</p>
<p>Disabled rights activists like Javed Abidi are for faster availability of books in other formats, and say that it’s a ‘matter of shame’ that it has not been the norm despite India moving fast along the information highway.</p>
<p>Publishers like Cambridge University Press and Sage, while joining the movement for making books accessible for the print impaired, are a little apprehensive about the potential of abuse of the converted formats by book pirates as well as violation of rights of authors, whose permissions are necessary to convert any book to another format under the law.</p>
<p>“Publishers fear leakage of accessible formats into the open market,” says Manas Saikia of CUP. Something that Friend completely pooh poohs. “It’s a myth that we visually impaired are going to rob authors’ rights or leak the books into the open market. The Daisy format watermarks every converted production, and any leakage can be traced back to the source. Also, some publishers are opposing the WBU treaty at WIPO saying we want free books. That is another myth. We are ready to pay, just give us books to read,” he says.</p>
<p>But the debate in public space seems to be creating some impact. Even as publishers and authors are coming out in large numbers to support access of books to the print impaired, the human resource development ministry is working on providing an exception for conversion to various formats if it is for the print impaired.</p>
<p>In fact, G R Raghavendra, registrar for copyrights at the ministry, confirms that such a move is afoot to remove this ‘unfortunate’ lacuna in the law. Quite naturally, everyone who loves the printed word is hoping that the print-impaired book worms will sooner than latter witness sunnier days.</p>
<p>For the original article in the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/50620/print-impaired-millions-their-right.html">Deccan Herald</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/news/print-impaired-millions'>https://cis-india.org/news/print-impaired-millions</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccessibility2011-04-02T13:10:56ZNews ItemThe Option To Read
https://cis-india.org/news/the-option-to-read
<b>A blog in ‘thinkopotamus’ by Mr. Shreekumar Varma, Chief Guest, Right to Read Campaign’s first road show in Loyola College, Chennai</b>
<p><strong><em>I</em></strong> was inaugurating the <strong><em>Right to Read Campaign</em></strong>'s first Indian "road show" in Loyola College, Chennai, a couple of weeks ago when i realised that what we always take for granted is often a luxury or even impossibility for many others. For example, 70 ml people in India cannot access the printed word. Not because of illiteracy but due to some disability or other--- like blindness, dyslexia, etc. <a class="external-link" href="http://www.cis-india.org/advocacy/accessibility/blog/right-to-read-campaign-chennai">Click on the title of this entry to know more.</a></p>
<p>When I spoke during the event I said something that's been with me for some time. Calling people mentally challenged or visually challenged-- things like that--- tends to separate them and dump them with insurmountable disadvantage. We are becoming so politically correct in so many things today that we are losing touch with human correctness. I noticed during the event that when the blind spoke, they called themselves "blind" while the sighted called them "visually challenged". I said, in that case we should have sugar-challenged (diabetics), size-challenged, etc. When we realise that we are ALL a blend of advantage and disadvantage, ability and disability, then we can see the vulnerability in others as easily as we see it in ourselves.</p>
<p>I remember, exactly 20 years ago, I was "scribing" for a blind student in MCC, the college where I once studied and was at that time teaching for a year. I was writing the student's exam answers as he dictated. All at once, he stopped and said, "Sir, are you Shreekumar Varma?" Puzzled, I said yes. He told me he'd heard me speak during a programme I'd put together for All India Radio three months earlier, and now he recognised my voice! It was a revelation. <em>The world that we cannot grasp is a bigger world than we think.</em></p>
<p>20 years later. Here I was at Loyola, kicking off a campaign. Well, I also promised them I'd do everything I could to drive the message home. And I am--- on Facebook, Twitter and "word of mouth".</p>
<p>Soon after that day, I contacted my editor at Harper Collins and brought her and <strong>Ms. Nirmita Narasimhan</strong> of <a href="http://www.cis-india.org/"><u><strong>CIS</strong> (centre for internet & society)</u></a> together. The <em>Copyright Act</em>, unchanged since it was born (two years after me!), still makes it illegal to transform printed works into convenient forms for the disabled. I hope my <strong><em>Maria's Room</em></strong> will be read by many who can't read other books. We are still exploring ways of accomplishing this. The novel will be out in November this year, and will be a source of great satisfaction to me: the cover design is my son's, and everyone would have the <strong>option </strong>to read it.</p>
<p><a class="external-link" href="http://thinkopotamus.blogspot.com/2009/10/option-to-read.html">Link to the blog</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/news/the-option-to-read'>https://cis-india.org/news/the-option-to-read</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaAccessibility2011-04-02T14:42:26ZNews ItemThe Legal Framework for Enforcement of Rights of Persons with Disabilities
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-legal-framework-for-enforcement-of-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities
<b>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.</b>
<p>Other legislations which also cover some specialized aspects of disability issues are the National Trusts Act, the Rehabilitiation Council of India Act and the Mental Health Act 1987. This chapter will not be dealing with these legislations and will focus mainly on the PWD Act as this is the main legislation covering all rights of perosns with disabilities in the country.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>The Constitution of India</b><br />The Constitution of India under Chapter III guarantees fundamental human rights to all persons. The right to equality is enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution and recognizes that all persons are equal before the law. Persons with disabilities are entitled to this guarantee to not be discriminated against in any manner and to be treated equally, which includes the requirement for special treatment where required. Similarly, Article 15 and 16 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of "religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them and guarantees equal opportunity in matters of public employment. Article 16 (3) & (4) provides that the State can make provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services. It is on the basis of Article 16, that the guarantees to reservation and equal opportunity in public employment are made under the PWD Act. The right to equality has been upheld for persons with disabilities not to be discriminated and to be provided equal opportunity in recruitment to the civil services.<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1">[1]</a> Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees the right to life to all persons, which has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to include the right to live with dignity,<a href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2">[2]</a> , the right to livelihood,<a href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3">[3]</a> and the right to education.<a href="#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4">[4]</a> Article 21A guarantees the right to fre and compulsoy education for all children between the ages of 6-14 years.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Chapter IV of the constitution contains the Directive Principles of State Policy, which are also aims for the State to comply with. The DPSPs provide in Article 38 that the State Policy has to be directed to minimize inequalities, secure right to an adequate means of livelihood and also secure that the operation of legal system promotes justice. Under Article 41, the State shall make provisions for ensuring the right to work, education and public assistance in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want. The State shall endeavour to provide for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of 14 years and under Article 46 the State has also the responsibility of promoting with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people. All these provisions are equally applicable to the persons with disabilities.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The denial or violation of any of these rights would entitle any person to approach the High Courts or the Supreme Court in their writ jurisdictions under Articles 226 and 32, respectively, if there is no other alternative or equally efficacious remedy available.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span> </span><b>The PWD Act</b><br />The PWD Act came into force on 1<sup>st</sup> January 1996, and was enacted in pursuance of India's obligation under the Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region, which it adopted in December 1992. The Act provides for various measures for persons with disabilities to facilitate their access to education, employment, basic infrastructure and social welfare measures.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Under the PWD Act, a 'person with disability' has been defined as any person having 40% or more of any of the following disabilities: (i) Blindness; (ii) Low vision; (iii) Leprosy cured; (iv) Hearing impairment; (v) Locomotor disability; (vi) Mental retardation; and (vii) Mental illness. This is a limited definition, as only perosns who fall within this definition as having 40% or more of the above 7 disabilities would be categorized as perosns with disabiltiies and would be entitled to get the benefits of the rights and schemes under the PWD Act.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The main rights available to persons with disabiltiies are in the field of education in public schools, public employment, infrastructure on the roads and in public transport and access to public buildings and a greiavance redressal procedure for protection of their rights.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Education<br /></b>Under the PWD Act, all children with disabilities below the age of 18 have the riht to free and compulsory eduication that is accessible. This goes even beyond the mandate of the <i>Right of Children to Free</i> and <i>Compulsory Education</i> Act, 2009 that calls for free education to be provided to children up to the age of 14. The further obligations placed on the government by the PWD Act with respect to formal education are that efforts must be made to see that these children with disabilities are integrated into regular schools that they attend, and that the setting up of special schools with vocational training facilities should be encouraged at the local level in the Government and private sectors, so that children across the country who require special education have access to such schools in their areas. Section 39 of the PWD Act also requires that 3% of all seats in Government and Government-aided educational institutions be earmarked for children or students with disabilities. The PWD Act also requires that the government formulate and implement schemes pertaining to non-formal, functional education, in respect of the following matters:</p>
<p>(a) Conducting part-time classes in respect of children with disabilities who have completed the fifth grade and could not continue full-time studies thereafter;</p>
<p>(b) Conducting special part-time classes to provide functional literacy for children with disabilities in the age group of sixteen and above;</p>
<p>(c) Imparting non-formal education after an appropriate orientation;</p>
<p>(d) Imparting education through open schools or open universities;</p>
<p>(e) Conducting class and discussions through interactive electronic or other media; and</p>
<p>(f) Providing every child with disability the requisite books and equipments, at no cost.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Additionally, to facilitate equal opportunities in education for children with disabilities, the government is obligated to promote research on assistive devices, teaching aids and special teaching materials, and establish and assist special teachers' training institutions. Educational institutions are required to ensure that children with visual disabilities are provided with scribes when required. To further facilitate the mainstreaming of children with disabilities, the government is required to prepare a comprehensive scheme providing for facilities or financial support for transport to and from school, making school supplies available, scholarships, grievance redressal fora, modification of examinations and restructuring of the curriculum.</p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Employment</b><br />Chapter VI of the PWD Act, containing Sections 32 to 40, addresses the affirmative action measures with respect to the employment of persons with disabilities. It requires that at least 3% of all posts in all jobs under the government are required to be reserved for persons with disabilities, with 1% each being reserved for persons with blindness / low vision, persons with hearing disabilities and persons with locomotor disabilities / cerebral palsy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">To ensure that reservations have meaning, the government is required to identify posts in all public establishments that shall be reserved for persons with disability, based on the suitability of such posts to each category of disability. The list of identified posts so prepared is required to be revised in light of technological developments, at regular intervals of a maximum of 3 years.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Under Section 34, vacancies are required to be advertised, with the details of the reservations for the persons with disabilities, in the Special Employment Exchange and, if not filled, shall be carried forward to the next recruitment year.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There are also many requirements of reasonable accommodations to be provided by the Government uder Article 38 of the PWD Act and to formulate schemes for the following:</p>
<p>(a) relaxations of age limit,</p>
<p>(b) training,</p>
<p>(c) creation of an enabling environment and providing incentives to employers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">(d) The government is also required to frame an insurance scheme for its employees with disabilities, and is expressly prohibited from discriminating against employees who acquire disabilities over the course of their employment as well as employees with disabilities in the matter of promotions.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">(e) Finally, for those persons with disabilities who are registered with the Special Employment Exchange and have not been able to find gainful employment for over 2 years, the government is required to frame a reasonable scheme for unemployment allowance.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Accessibility<br /></b>Accessing public spaces and infrastructure are addressed in Sections 44 to 47 of the PWD Act. Such measures include adapting public transport facilities for easy access to persons with disabilities, installing auditory and tactile indicators on public roads and pavements to aid those with auditory and visual disabilities, and installing ramps, Braille symbols and auditory signals in facilities in public buildings and medical institutions.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Statutory Authorities and Grievance Redressal<br /></b>The PWD Act provides for the appointment of a Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities at the central level under section 57 and Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities at the state level under Section 60 of the PWD Act. The Commissioners have the powers to</p>
<p>(i) Co-ordinate with the departments of the State Government for the programmes and schemes for the benefit of persons with disabilities;</p>
<p>(ii) Monitor the utilization of funds disbursed by the State Government;</p>
<p>(iii) Take steps to safeguard the rights and facilities made available to persons with disabilities;</p>
<p>(iv) Submit reports to the State Government on the implementation of the Act at such intervals as that Government may prescribe and forward a copy thereof to the Chief Commissioner.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In addition to these powers, the Chief Commissioner and Commissioners may of their own motion or on the application of any aggrieved person or otherwise look into complaints relating to deprivation of rights of persons with disabilities or the non-implementation of laws, rules, bye-laws, regulations, executive orders, guidelines or instructions made or issued by the appropriate Governments and the local authorities for the welfare and protection of rights of persons with disabilities, and take up the matter with the appropriate authorities. In order to enquire and adjudicate into these complaints, the Chief Commissioner and the State Commissioners have certain powers of civil court such as summoning of documents, etc.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Thus any matter of discrimination or denial by public authorities in matters of recruitment, promotion, benefits that perosns with disabilities are entitled to may be brought before the Commissioners for adjudication and under Section 62 of the PWD Act, , and they can recommend appropriate action to be taken by the offending body.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The central government and many State governments have enacted rules under the PWD Act which include rules on the procedure for filing complaints before the Commisisoners. The complainants do not require legal representation during the proceedings, and generally, they may institute a complaint by submitting complete details of their complaint and facts to the relevant Commissioner. In accordance with the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Rules, 1996, complaints are ideally to be disposed of within 3 months from the date of notifying the opposite party.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In the event that any party is not satusfied with the decision of the Chief Commisisoner or the State Commissioner, the said decision can be challenged in a writ petition in the respective state Hogh Court by the aggrieved party<b>.</b></p>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">
<hr />
<div id="ftn1">
<p><a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1">[1]</a> <i>NFB vs. UPSC</i> (1993) 2 SCC 411, <i>Amita vs. Union of India </i>(2005) 13 SCC 721</p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<p><a href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2">[2]</a> <i>Francis Coralie Mullin vs. Union Territory of Delhi</i> , (1981) 1 SCC 608</p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<p><a href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3">[3]</a> <i>Olga Tellis and Ors. vs. Bombay Municipal Corporation and Ors., </i> (1985) 3 SCC 545</p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<p><a href="#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4">[4]</a> <i>Unnikrishnan J.P. and Ors. vs. State of Andhra Pradesh and Ors.,</i> (1993) 1 SCC 645</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-legal-framework-for-enforcement-of-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-legal-framework-for-enforcement-of-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities</a>
</p>
No publisherCLPRAccessibility2014-11-06T15:56:46ZBlog EntryThe ICT Opportunity for a Disability-Inclusive Development Framework
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/ict-opportunity-for-disability-inclusive-development-framework
<b>This report has been prepared by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, G3ict, International Disability Alliance, International Telecommunication Union, Microsoft, Telecentre.org Foundation, and UNESCO. </b>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Click to <a class="external-link" href="http://www.itu.int/en/action/accessibility/Documents/The%20ICT%20Opportunity%20for%20a%20Disability_Inclusive%20Development%20Framework.pdf">read the original published by ITU here</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) was one of the organizations whose experiences, views, recommendations and proposals went into the making of this report. CIS name is mentioned in Annex 1 on page 57.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The report demonstrates how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), have become a positive force of transformation and a crucial element of any personal development, empowerment and institutional framework for inclusive development.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">While the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) represent a concerted effort to address global poverty, there is a striking gap in the current MDGs and their inclusion of persons with disabilities. The estimated 1 billion persons with disabilities are still excluded from equitable access to resources (education, healthcare, etc.) and as a result persons with disabilities experience disproportionately high rates of poverty. In spite of the conclusion of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, disability remains largely invisible in most mainstream development processes.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/ict-disability-inclusive-framework.pdf" class="internal-link">Click to download the full report here</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/ict-opportunity-for-disability-inclusive-development-framework'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/ict-opportunity-for-disability-inclusive-development-framework</a>
</p>
No publishernirmitaAccessibility2013-09-30T07:25:26ZBlog EntryThe Hathitrust Judgment and its impact on TVI negotiations at WIPO
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/hathitrust-judgment-and-its-impact-on-tvi-negotiations-at-wipo
<b>Those of you who have been following my earlier posts on the WIPO negotiations on the Treaty for the Visually Impaired will remember that one of the biggest concerns of the World Blind Union on the draft wording of the Treaty was with the definition of an “authorized entity” that can undertake conversion and distribution of accessible format copies.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Before the WIPO intersessionals began on October 17, 2012, the definition of “authorized entity” in the draft Treaty prescribed that only authorized entities that address the needs of beneficiary persons as one of their <b><i><span style="text-decoration: underline;">primary</span></i></b> (in brackets) activities or institutional obligations can undertake conversion and distribution of books in accessible formats. This requirement is unacceptable since it will exclude many legitimate organisations and institutions that undertake these activities but who do not address the needs of beneficiary persons as a “primary” activity or institutional obligation. Some examples of such organisations/institutions are mainstream education institutions and mainstream libraries. Delhi University which has a large number of blind students will be excluded and this is unacceptable.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The main proponents pushing for the word "primary" was the United States and the European Union while India and other developing countries wanted the word to be deleted for obvious reasons. There was a virtual deadlock in the negotiations on this particular point.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The United States was pushing for the word “primary” because under <a href="http://goo.gl/E5jlr" target="_blank">US Copyright law</a>, an authorized entity means a nonprofit organization or a governmental agency that has a <b><i><span style="text-decoration: underline;">primary mission</span></i></b> to provide specialized services relating to training, education, or adaptive reading or information access needs of blind or other persons with disabilities. Under US law there was uncertainty as to whether educational institutions and libraries would be covered under the definition of “authorized entity”.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Enter the HathiTrust Judgment <a href="http://www.tc.umn.edu/~nasims/HathivAG10_10_12.pdf">http://www.tc.umn.edu/~nasims/HathivAG10_10_12.pdf</a>. The judgment, which was pronounced a few days before the October WIPO intersessionals by the New York Southern District Court, held that libraries and educational institutions fall under the definition of “authorized entities” under US law.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The US delegation to WIPO was instantly alerted about this judgment and was requested to negotiate broader wording for authorized entities under the Treaty as was now the position under US law.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">At the intersessionals that concluded on October 19, as observers, we were not allowed into the room and the discussions were happening between the Member States but at the end of the intersessionals this is the proposed wording of authorized entity:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Authorized entity means an entity that is authorized or recognized by the government to provide education, instructional training, adaptive reading or information access to beneficiary persons on a non-profit basis. It also includes a government institution or non-profit organization that provides the same services to beneficiary persons as one of its primary activities or institutional obligations.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">As can be seen from above, this definition is broader than the previous definition since the word primary has been deleted from the main definition and it explicitly covers educational institutions and libraries. It is also interesting to note that even for profit entities that provide the above services on a non-profit basis to beneficiaries are covered.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It remains to be seen what form the definition of authorized entities will take but the HathiTrust judgment has definitely helped in the negotiation process.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The next meeting of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights takes place in Geneva between November 19 and November 23, 2012.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Watch this space for updates. See my <a class="external-link" href="http://goo.gl/JpPkO">earlier posts on the WIPO negotiations</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/hathitrust-judgment-and-its-impact-on-tvi-negotiations-at-wipo'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/hathitrust-judgment-and-its-impact-on-tvi-negotiations-at-wipo</a>
</p>
No publisherRahul CherianAccessibilityAccess to KnowledgeWIPO2012-10-30T04:28:24ZBlog EntryThe disabled also grapple with copyright issues
https://cis-india.org/news/the-disabled-also-grapple-with-copyright-issues
<b>An article in The Hindu by Deepa Kurup - 03rd December, 2009</b>
<p>Go beyond Braille to include e-formats in amendment, they tell Government </p>
<p>MOVING AHEAD: Making books legally available in e-format will fuel technology-enabled learning among the blind.</p>
<p>BANGALORE: Young management executive Hari Raghavan, who is visually impaired, runs into a moral obstacle every time he wishes to read a contemporary novel or a management textbook protected under copyright. For, the Indian Copyright Act (1957) does not explicitly allow for conversion and distribution of reading material in alternative formats persons with disability can access.</p>
<p>While a proposed draft amendment to the Act includes a clause that allows for “specialised formats” such as Braille and sign language, it nevertheless ignores the needs of a large section of the disabled. Rights groups are currently lobbying for equal access for people like Mr. Raghavan and others with medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, dyslexia, multiple sclerosis or paralysis. The amendment is legally discriminatory as it requires these people to apply for licences to the Copyright Board, which will finalise licence terms and royalties, explains Rahul Cherian, a copyright lawyer working with Inclusive Planet, a non-governmental organisation working in this sector.</p>
<p>'Use technology’ <br />Mr. Raghavan’s dilemma is precisely what drives the need to modify this clause. An IBM employee set to receive the Empowerment of People with Disability 2009 Award from President Pratibha Patil on Thursday, his blindness was a “deteriorating condition” so he never took to Braille. “Like me, a significant number of the ‘late blind’ use computers and e-formats to read. Making books legally available in e-formats is critical as it will fuel greater technology-enabled learning among the blind,” he says.</p>
<p>In a country where less than 0.5 per cent of printed material is available in e-format, it is imperative that the law makes it easier to access copyrighted works, Mr. Cherian explains. His Right to Read campaign, in association with Bangalore-based Centre for Internet and Society, attempts to address these very issues. “Why should a person with cerebral palsy who cannot hold a book or a dyslexic person having trouble reading print not be treated on a par with someone who uses Braille?” he asks.</p>
<p>Onscreen keyboard <br />For instance, 26-year-old Deepa Narasimhan suffers from spinal muscular dystrophy. Her condition does not allow her to hold a book or flip through its pages. However she can read text on her computer using an onscreen keyboard. This self-taught graphic designer says in this “technological world” such legislation could change the way she looks at making copies of books. “If there was a legal and easy way for us to get a book converted, it would make a world of difference,” she says. At present she has to scan every page of a textbook for her correspondence course. “I find it difficult to make people understand why I need everything in an e-format. Recognising my condition legally and making a provision for us would really broaden our horizon.” </p>
<p><a class="external-link" href="http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/03/stories/2009120357550200.htm">Link to the original article</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><br /><br /></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/news/the-disabled-also-grapple-with-copyright-issues'>https://cis-india.org/news/the-disabled-also-grapple-with-copyright-issues</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaAccessibility2009-12-03T09:34:58ZNews ItemThe Case for Accessible Banking
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/accessible-banking
<b>Dinesh Kaushal examines the state of accessibility of banking services in India. By giving concrete examples of shortcomings in existing ATMs and net banking facilities which make it difficult for persons with disabilities to do electronic transactions, Dinesh urges banks to make a move to upgrade their ATMs and make their web services accessible. </b>
<p>The Automated Teller Machine (ATM) with its facility for withdrawing cash on the go and transacting banking business through internet has become a vital aspect of everyday life. It is important for independent living and this facility should be made available universally, particularly for the disabled for whom visiting the banks may be difficult. However, despite a universal recognition of the importance of this facility, only a few countries have taken the necessary steps to enable it for persons with disabilities.</p>
<p>ATM machines and net banking have brought comfort for every one of us except for a few who are unable to use such conveniences. In India, although the Reserve Bank of India appears to have identified this as a needful area, barely a handful of accessible ATMs are available for use by persons with disabilities. There are people who can't see, who can't walk or use their hands and more often than not persons with such disabilities are dependent on family members or friends to use ATM facilities like withdrawing cash, checking mini statements, requesting for a new chequebook, transferring funds, etc. This needs to change. A better tomorrow can be made only if we start moving now.</p>
<p>Technology and careful consideration can make a major difference between frustrating limitations and exhilarating independence. Technology has radically transformed the way persons with disabilities live their daily lives. For example, a blind person can today browse the internet, communicate through e-mails, and read and write documents with the assistance of a special software called screen reader that speaks out the text on the computer screen. It was unimaginable for a blind person to read or write printed text prior to the arrival of computers. Despite these advancements, the impact of technology is yet to be seen in some areas.</p>
<p>The advent of ATM and internet banking could potentially make persons with disabilities more independent in respect of personal financial matters. Someone who can’t walk could do most of the transactions from his or her home, without the hassle of going to the bank. Similarly, a blind person could use the bank’s website to make payments without worrying about the hassle of having to deal with print document such as cheques or other bank documents.</p>
<p>As we know, an ATM is used to withdraw money from the bank or to do other transactions that help us to operate our bank accounts such as checking our bank balances or ordering cheque books. An ATM's interface is mostly visual. We go to an ATM machine, look at the machine to know where to insert the ATM card, and then interact with the screen that helps us to complete our transactions.</p>
<p>A blind person or an illiterate person can't read the ATM screen. They would need the help of another person to operate it. But many a times, it is impossible to find someone who can help to access the ATM machine, and even if one can find help, it is often impossible to find a trustworthy person with whom one’s bank details can be shared.</p>
<p>Accessing an ATM is also challenging for wheelchair bound persons and even though such persons can read the screen of an ATM machine, they find it difficult to reach the machine itself because often there are stairs to reach the room where the ATM machine is kept. Furthermore, even where they manage to get inside, the screen and keypad of the ATM machine are often too high to be operated by someone seated on a wheelchair. A physically disabled person might have to hand over his ATM card and pin to someone to withdraw cash on his behalf.</p>
<p>There are similar problems with net banking. Net banking makes it easy to do various transactions from the comforts of our home, and for persons with disabilities it can become a blessing. Many of the offline transactions that could be daunting for persons with disabilities can be easily done on an accessible website. For example, a blind person will definitely need help to write cheques or read printed bank statements, but the same transactions can be done independently through net banking with the help of a talking computer or a talking mobile phone. Net banking websites must be made accessible so that persons with disabilities can use them. But many net banking websites are not developed using standard web technologies such as proper html tags and Accessible Rich Internet Applications for complex applications, making it difficult for a person with disability to use such websites independently. For example, tabular information can be shown just by arranging it with tabs and spaces, but such arrangement makes it difficult for assistive software to allow meaningful interaction with the table. Instead of table with spaces and tabs, html provides tags to mark such table elements, and assistive technology allows keystrokes to explore such tables. For example, Citibank’s statements provide all entries of one column as one cell so all entries’ details are in one cell, and their amounts or other information is in another cell. However, for a person using assistive technology, it is easy if each entry has its own cell and each entry is in a row. Without proper table marking it is difficult to match each entry’s details.</p>
<p>There are standards and technologies that make it possible for a person with disability to access websites and ATM machines, such as text to speech or ability to playback audio files for ATMs and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 for websites. But technology doesn’t work on its own alone. Application of accessible technology requires willingness of the banks and other parties. For example, ATM manufactures often have ATM machines that can start talking with very few modifications such as the mere addition of audio recordings for the messages on screen, and most of the accessibility problems with net banking websites are minor fixes as well. For example, one such problem is where a bank’s website may be mostly accessible, but its net banking portal (the interface that is used during making payments for online transactions) may not have the option to enter the password with the keyboard, although the same bank’s site would allow entry of the password with the keyboard during the normal login process. Even though such fixes do not require expensive modifications, it is hard to find accessible ATM machines and accessible websites.</p>
<p>A talking ATM is the regular ATM with an additional module that allows a blind person to get the information in audio format. A talking ATM could be configured so that when a user plugs in a headphone in the audio jack, the ATM would start talking to the person with audio messages. This interface is similar to the IVR that we use in phone banking. Providing audio messages via a headphone jack is safe as well. Installing talking ATM technology is not very expensive. It might range anywhere between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 50,000.<a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/accessible-banking#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a></p>
<p>It is understandable that banks can't upgrade all the ATM machines simultaneously, but they must start somewhere, so they may try any one of the following:</p>
<ol><li>Make sure that all new ATM installations are audio enabled, as all major ATM manufacturers now produce talking ATMs including: Triton, NCR, Wincor-Nixdorf, Diebold, and Fujitsu.</li><li>Evaluate all the existing ATM machines to find out if they can be converted to talking ATM machines by only upgrading the software. If that is the case, upgrade the software with the help of the manufacturer.</li><li>Find out if the remaining ATM machines can be converted to talking ATM machines by adding special hardware. The manufacturer of that ATM would be able to provide such hardware.</li><li>For the rest of the ATM machines, mark them and when possible replace them with new machines.</li></ol>
<p>To understand how talking ATM machines work, you can either check out the ATMs of the Punjab National Bank or IndusInd Bank or listen to an online recording of episode 138 of a radio show <em>Eyeway Yeh Hai Roshni Ka Karwan</em>. The discussion about talking ATM starts after 9 minutes 20 seconds of the episode.<a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/accessible-banking#fn2" name="fr2">[2] </a></p>
<p><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/accessible-banking#fn2" name="fr2"></a></p>
<p>In order to make banking more accessible, make sure that the following strategies are followed:</p>
<ol><li>
Start with good usability practices such as the full participation of persons with disabilities during the implementation of accessible features. For example, involvement of blind persons in evaluating the effectiveness of the speech quality and information spoken by the talking ATM would make it possible to develop systems that are usable.</li><li>Ensure that there is a fair representation of various disabilities. Make it possible for people who use wheelchairs to reach the ATM.</li><li>For the net banking to be accessible, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines should be followed, and the websites must be tested by persons with disabilities.</li></ol>
<p>Accessible banking is good business as well as social responsibility of the banks. In India, this has even been acknowledged by the RBI, which has issued a notification (DBOD.No.Leg.BC.123 /09.07.005/2008-09)<a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/accessible-banking#fn3" name="fr3">[3]</a> suggesting that at least one-third of the new ATMs of all banks must be accessible. There are already some examples such as the Punjab National Bank that has a few talking ATM machines in Jaipur. State bank of India had announced in January 2010 that it will install 7000 talking ATMs,<a name="fr4" href="#fn4">[4]</a> but but we do not know what is the status now. Another problem is that many ATMs have limited accessibility such as talking welcome message or signout message, but that does not pass as accessible ATM. We must at least achieve the target set by the RBI.</p>
<p>Some countries have already implemented talking ATMs on a very large scale. For example, in the United States one in every four ATMs are talking ATMs. In Canada, there is a national standard (CSA B651.1-09 - Accessible design for automated banking machines). This standard is <a class="external-link" href="http://www.techstreet.com/cgi-bin/detail?doc_no=csa%7Cb651_1_09;product_id=1614085">available for purchase</a> for the implementation of accessible ATMs. In 2011 UK's leading charity for blind and partially sighted people, RNIB, launched a campaign to get major banks to install talking cash machines.</p>
<p>Financial independence in the true sense is possible only when a blind person or someone who is in a wheelchair can perform all banking transactions without the need of help from someone else.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Notes</strong><br />[<a name="fn1" href="#fr1">1</a>].This information is provided by Dinesh Gujjar, see the acknowledgement below.<br />[<a name="fn2" href="#fr2">2</a>].The episode can be downloaded at<a class="external-link" href="http://www.inclusiveplanet.com/en/book/524145"> http://www.inclusiveplanet.com/en/book/524145</a><br />[<a name="fn3" href="#fr3">3</a>].<a class="external-link" href="http://www.rbi.org.in/commonman/English/scripts/Notification.aspx?Id=408">http://www.rbi.org.in/commonman/English/scripts/Notification.aspx?Id=408<br />[</a><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/accessible-banking#fr4" name="fn4">4</a>]. <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sbi-to-install-7000-talking-atms-for-visually-challenged/82526/on">http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sbi-to-install-7000-talking-atms-for-visually-challenged/82526/on</a></p>
<hr />
<strong>Acknowledgement and reference</strong>
<ol><li>The information regarding accessible banking in foreign countries and names of ATM manufacturers who provide accessible ATM machines has been obtained from the “make money talk” campaign report – RNIB. <a class="external-link" href="http://www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/yourmoney/cashmachine/Pages/make_money_talk.aspx">http://www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/yourmoney/cashmachine/Pages/make_money_talk.aspx</a></li><li>Some background information is also available at the talking ATM page of the Wikipedia. <a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_ATM">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_ATM</a></li><li>I am thankful to Dinesh Gujjar of Punjab National Bank for providing me the information about PNB's talking ATM machines and existence of the RBI notification that requests banks to provide one-third ATMs as talking ATMs.</li><li>I am also thankful to Pranay Gadodia and Satguru Rathi from Eyeway for connecting me with Dinesh Gujjar and providing me with the text of the <a class="external-link" href="http://rbi.org.in/scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=4961&Mode=0">RBI notification</a> mentioned above. <br /></li></ol>
<p><br /><a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sbi-to-install-7000-talking-atms-for-visually-challenged/82526/on"></a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/accessible-banking'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/accessible-banking</a>
</p>
No publisherDinesh KaushalAccessibility2012-01-03T04:54:14ZBlog EntryThe Business Case for Web Accessibility
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/business-case-for-web-accessibility
<b>NASSCOM Foundation has published a handbook on web accessibility titled "Understanding WebAccessibility — A Guide to create Accessible Work Environments". Nirmita Narasimhan authored a chapter "The Business Case for Web Accessibility".</b>
<p>The Internet is perhaps one of the most revolutionary things that happened for persons with disabilities. It has transformed their lives from one of ignorance and dependence to one of inclusion and participation. Using assistive technologies, blind persons can now read newspapers and information on websites, deaf persons can understand video content through captioning and persons with different disabilities can access computers in a variety of ways. However, despite these exciting developments in assistive technologies, the relative inaccessi-bility of websites remains a severe impediment to disability access to the internet.</p>
<p>There may be several reasons for complying with web accessibility. These may be:</p>
<ul><li>Social (i.e. acknowledging the right of persons with disabilities to have equal access to information and opportunities offered by the internet);</li><li>Legal reasons (i.e. complying with national guidelines, policies or laws);</li><li>Technical (i.e. ensuring increased interoperability, reducing server load, time taken in website maintenance and better quality websites); and</li><li>Business (i.e. realizing that having an accessible website makes good business sense).</li></ul>
<p>This article focuses on the last reason, i.e. business drivers for web accessibility.</p>
<p>Web accessibility means that a website can be accessed completely by all users, regardless of disability or any disabling factor such as illiteracy, old age or limited bandwidth. Compliance with the Web Content Access Guidelines (WCAG) will ensure that a website will be equally accessible to all disabled users, irrespective of the type of disability (visual, motor, auditory, cognitive or persons who are prone to seizures). Contrary to common belief, an accessible website is not necessarily a boring one. In fact, often times, the difference between an accessible and an inaccessible website may not be evident visually, but only upon use.</p>
<p>It is important for business houses to bear in mind that making websites accessible not only benefits persons with disabilities, but is helpful to every user. For instance, captioning of videos for the deaf will also benefit illiterate persons and persons having limited bandwidth, who constitute a sizeable percentage of the Indian population. Furthermore, nearly everyone benefits from clearly structured content, easy navigation and illustrated graphics. There are over a billion persons with disabilities living around the world, over 70 million in India alone and some surveys also estimate that one fifth of internet users have some form of disability or disabling condition. Hence companies which ensure that their web sites are accessible will be assured of a much wider reach than companies whose websites are not accessible.</p>
<p>An important aspect of creating an accessible website is that if a website is designed and developed in an accessible manner from the very beginning, its cost would exceed the cost of creating an inaccessible web site by perhaps merely 2%. However, on the other hand, if one were to have to retrofit accessibility features into a website, the cost and effort would be the same as that of creating an entirely new site. Furthermore, while the website would become accessible, the maintenance and day to day activities on it would also need to continue to be accessible. An accessible web site enhances ease of maintenance and scalability. Companies must also ensure that the developers maintaining the website must have a good understanding of WCAG.</p>
<p>Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of having an accessible web site is that it also increases its chances of ranking and visibility amongst search engines. There is a significant overlap between guidelines for accessibility and SEO. For instance, both of them require alternative text for graphics, clearly defined heading structures, identification of language of pages and page content, descriptive links etc. Having an accessible website will ensure that it can be accessed on new browsing technologies and platforms, like mobile phones and PDAs. Not only is navigation and usability enhanced, but the separation of content from presentation drastically reduces the download time of accessible web sites, rendering it a pleasurable experience for users to visit the web site.</p>
<p>There is a clear business case in creating products and web sites which are accessible. This is evident in the fact that some of the largest and most successful companies in the world have incorporated accessibility and universal design in their products and services. For instance,</p>
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<td>
<ul><li>Apple has been committed to accessibility since 1985 and its accessibility website3 features all its accessibility technologies for persons with disabilities as well as other third party products. Apple has integrated universal access into its operating system so that they are usable with Apple and other products.</li></ul>
<ul><li>The accessibility statement on the web site of General Electric4 gives details of its ongoing work on the accessibility of its website and a disabled user can track the company's progress by reading this page. It also provides a help facility for persons who are unable to use the site due to access problems.</li></ul>
<ul><li>A stunning example of a company which has made huge business profits through application of universal design principles in its products is that of NTT DoCoMo which came out with its accessible line of mobile phones called the “Raku-Raku” phone and rapidly captured the majority market share of mobile phones in Japan. The company has sold up to 20 million5 handsets as of July 2011 since its inception and released 18 models.</li></ul>
</td>
<td><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/mobile.png/image_preview" alt="mobile accessibility" class="image-inline image-inline" title="mobile accessibility" /></td>
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<p>Some further examples of companies which are committed to accessibility are Cisco Systems Inc.6, AT&T Services Inc.7, France Telecom8, Google9, Hewlett-Packard10, IBM11, Microsoft Corporation12, Nokia13 and Vodafone14. The web sites of these companies have detailed information on the key areas of their accessibility work. </p>
<p>It is therefore clear that companies are increasingly recognizing the wisdom of unlocking their content to a larger audience. Not only do they increase their customer base, but also are able to garner loyalty from their customers as well as bolster their image by showing consideration towards customers with different needs. </p>
<p>The publicity that can be leveraged by business houses on account of their commitment to accessibility and inclusion will go a long way in building a good and lasting relationship with their customers. Hence, companies are strongly urged to make a concerted effort to promote web accessibility through awareness, internal policies and providing requisite training and support. In a world where policy makers are also increasingly becoming aware of the need for web accessibility and mandating it through policies, it will become inevitable for both public and private organizations to have websites which are universally accessible.</p>
<p>Read the original published by NASSCOM Foundation <a class="external-link" href="http://www.nasscomfoundation.org/web_accessibility/index.html#businesscase">here</a></p>
<p><img src="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/pdf.png" alt="" title="The Business Case for Web Accessibility" />Download the entire book <a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/understanding-web-accessibility.pdf" class="internal-link" title="Understanding WebAccessibility - A Guide to create Accessible Work Environments">here</a> (PDF, 1570 kb)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/business-case-for-web-accessibility'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/business-case-for-web-accessibility</a>
</p>
No publishernirmitaAccessibility2011-12-07T09:56:47ZBlog EntryText to Speech Synthesizer
https://cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/text-to-speech-synthesizer-reports
<b></b>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/text-to-speech-synthesizer-report-august-2013.pdf" class="internal-link">Text-to-Speech Synthesizer</a> (May to August 2013)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/text-to-speech-synthesizer-report-may-2013.pdf" class="internal-link">Text-to-Speech Synthesizer</a> (March to May 2013)</li>
</ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/text-to-speech-synthesizer-reports'>https://cis-india.org/accessibility/resources/text-to-speech-synthesizer-reports</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccessibility2014-04-01T03:31:59ZPage