Top govt websites are not disabled-friendly

TIMES OF INDIA, 26 Aug 2014, NEW DELHI: An estimated 70 million disabled people in India have no accessibility to the information on top government websites. This is despite Indian government's guidelines for all government websites to comply as per the international accessibility standards. "The fact that the disabled friendly society is still not a priority for the government is apparent because barely 10 states sent their ministers and half that number of secretaries to the Centre's first conference to review disability affairs," said Thaawar Chand Gehlot,the union minister for social justice and empowerment on Saturday. 

Inspite of the ministry of social justice providing financial grant to make websites accessible for disabled under SIPDA (Scheme for Implementation of PWD Act), websites of key organizations like Supreme Court of India, Election Commission of India (ECI), University Grants Commission (UGC), Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Medical Council of India (MCI), National Human Right Commission (NHRC) and National Commission for Women (NCW) are still not disable friendly. 

An activist for disabled people, Dr Satendra Singh, wrote to the ECI in December 2013 to make its website accessible for the disabled voters. On receiving no response, he complained to the court of Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities (CCPD). The ECI however did not respond to CCPD's letter or subsequent reminder as well. On July 31, 2014 CCPD again wrote to ECI to make their website disabled friendly in a time-frame and submit an action taken report in 30 days. "ECI website as of today still remains inaccessible," said Singh.

RTI replies revealed that no institute or university from Delhi ever asked for a SIDPA grant to make buildings accessible in 2010-11 and 2012-13. However, institutions and universities from states like Bihar, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Chhattisgarh have availed these grants in 2010-11, while Puducherry, Mizoram, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan in 2011-12 and Nagaland and Meghalaya in 2012-13. In another incident, DU's University College of Medical Sciences' proposal was turned down as it did not have the signature of the executive engineer. 

"On one hand the ministry is saying that the funds are under-utilized but on the other hand they are turning down proposals of deserving institutions despite the principal requesting for it," added Singh. 

Not all institutes who availed the grant have made their websites accessible. "MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly took Rs 4 lakhs to make its website accessible in 2010-11, while Puducherry was granted Rs 10 lakh in 2011-12 to make the website of the Directorate of Social welfare accessible. They are still out of reach," said Singh. MCI had asked all medical institutions to submit a compliance report on their disabled friendly initiatives, yet its own website is not as per the required standards. 

"The root cause of this indifference stems from the exclusion of disabled people in policy making/ decision taking. An accessible website will not only help a person with visual impairment/ low vision but also deaf, cognitive impaired and learning disabled," said Singh. 
Source: TOI

IDPD: the struggle continues

So, it's finally over. International Day of Persons with Disabilities came and went. None of the TV channels highlighted the theme for this year-“Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all.’ We are the world’s largest minority and rightly we remained invisible this year too.

Sharing with the readers, my little effort where my RTI expose/interview got published in various print/electronic media on 3^rd and 4^th December.

We need to continue this fight. Let’s join hands.

Happy to be alive

Deccan Herald, 4 Dec:  Impossible is nothing when it comes to the specially abled

The Times of India, 3 Dec 2012 - Few ATMs disabled-friendly

Hindustan Times,  3 Dec 2012- Access denied: Delhi not for disabled

Health India, 3 Dec 2012 - IDPwD: How inclusive and accessible is our society?

Millennium Post,  4 Dec 2012 - Black armband silent protest against GTB Hospital

The Asian Age, 3 Dec 2012 - 33% of students with learning disability are gifted

Cross The Hurdle Magazine - TravelAbility: Inaccessible Sim's Park

Apple iOS 6 offers more access for PwD's

Apple announced at press event yesterday that the newest version of the company’s mobile operating system, iOS 6, will be available for users to download on September 19.

 The new iOS 6 looks to have gotten tons of new integrated features. One new feature that might be overlooked, but certainly deserves some attention, is the new Guided Access mode for iOS devices.

Guided Access is a form of accessibility software for operating system  and its make it easier for people with vision, hearing, learning and mobility disabilities to get the most from their iOS devices. Guided Access helps students with disabilities such as autism remain on task and focused on content. It allows a parent or teacher the ability to have full control of how an iOS device can be used. For example, the home button and all other hardware buttons can be locked, motion sensitivity can be disabled, or a certain portion of the screen can be made inactive toward touch.

VoiceOver, the screen reader for users who are blind and low-vision, is now integrated with Maps, AssistiveTouch, and Zoom.

“And we have some great enhancements for accessibility” said Scott Forstall at Apple press event. The update will be free and available for iOS devices 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S; the 4^th generation iPod touch; and the 2^nd and 3^rd generation iPads.

By Aqeel Qureshi GAATES news

Eye to Eye mentoring program connects students with disabilities

Students with disabilities at Lincoln Middle School don’t always have access to the resources they need to get ahead. That’s where CSU’s Eye to Eye program comes in.

Eye to Eye, a national mentoring organization, allows college students with a learning disability to mentor junior high students who have learning disabilities or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (LD/ADHD) through art.

“It is like organized chaos,” said Kim The, co-coordinator of the CSU chapter. “[The program chose art] because you can’t go wrong with art. These kids are told so often that they are always wrong and now they can finally be right.”

Students create projects like dioramas of their ideal learning environments and the apps to help with their disability. By taking this approach, students learn more about their disability and what resources are available, The said.

CSU’s Eye to Eye chapter is only in its first year, and hopes to have at least 10 college mentors signed up for the program. Recruiting members who fit the requirements and the time commitment is the biggest challenge.

“The hardest part is definitely recruiting members,” Co-Coordinator Kim Cara said. “It is also finding people who fit the criteria. Some people want to do it, but don’t realize that it is for students with disabilities, or students who have disabilities don’t want to come forward.”

The mentors don’t need to be artists, as long as they just want to have fun and learn about their disability, Cara said.

“There is a need in K-12 education for students who have LD/ADHD to better understand their disabilities,” Kevin Fleming, community organizer for Eye to Eye, wrote in an email to the Collegian. “There is a need for these students to realize their strengths, and for them to see that a future in higher education is not only possible but probable.”

The CSU chapter is concentrating on students from Lincoln Middle School, because of the school’s minimal accessibility to resources for students with disabilities.

Due to Lincoln’s lower income demographics, there is no access to resources like iPads for assistive technology, audio formatted textbooks or text to speech programs for students. Without resources like those, students aren’t getting the help they need, The said.

“That is what we are here for,” The said. “We can help find resources for them, as well as acting like a mentor and helping them get to a place where they feel good about their disability. And that is why we give them resources, because everyone learns differently.”

The idea to bring Eye to Eye to CSU came from the Ability Club, an organization on campus that joins together students with disabilities.

“The Ability Club recognized the need to do more disability awareness outreach to K-12 education,” Fleming said. “Society stigmatizes all disabled people by problematizing them under the ‘cure’ model of disability. We want people with disabilities, especially kids in K-12 education, to realize that they are not problems, but rather people who have unique sets of valuable experiences and skills.”

Aside from providing resources, the program aims to give both mentors and mentees alike a sense of community and pride. According to The, one of the results of the program is that students both in college and junior high gain a community of support that they may not have had before the program.

“It brings a community and a family here for support,” Cara said. “That feeling makes you really feel like you belong. We want everyone to be proud of their disabilities and identity.”

“It helps boost self-confidence and gives them a community to belong to,” The added. “It’s hard when you feel like you are the only one and this helps show them that there are older students and they can help find their greatest potential.”

According to the two coordinators, the best part about the program for them is seeing the impact on the community, and getting to see more people accept and embrace their disability.

“What is really cool about this program is that no one asks what the student needs to be able to learn,” Cara said. “They are just expected to follow the rules of culture and this is for them and their needs and disability.”

The Eye to Eye program is hosting an informational session Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in the Resources for Disabled Students Office.

Source: Collegian writer Taylor Pettaway