A British company plans to launch a Braille e-reader for blind people this year, which would greatly enhance their reading experience and spare them from lugging around hefty print volumes.

Bristol Braille Technology hopes to launch Canute 360, their new ‘Kindle for the blind’, which displays nine lines of text at a time, or about a third of a page of regular print.

The device developed by a national award-winning female scientist, Ankita Gulati, faced challenges in convincing the visually-impaired and also fellow industry-players as she was often the only woman in the events, conferences etc.

Our Guest Columnist, Sagar Baheti talks about his experience of completing the Deccan Cliffhanger Challenge.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

This inspiring line from the former first lady of the United States certainly comes to mind every time I think of the ‘Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF)’.

Chandigarh, January 14

Athletes from Institute of Visually Impaired, Sector 26, won a rich haul of medals in the recently concluded 21st IBSA National Athletics Championship, organised by Indian Blind Sports Association of India, in New Delhi.  

The Bombay high court (HC) on Monday directed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to examine currencies of “advanced countries” like the US Dollar, British Pound and Euro to develop features that would make notes user-friendly for those who are visually-impaired and blind. The RBI has been asked to submit its report to the court in two weeks.

Tirupur: I Poovarasan of Perumalmalai near Kangeyam, a class  XI student of the Padiyur Government Higher Secondary School  is packing his bags for a 10-day foreign tour. 

KATHMANDU (The Kathmandu Post/ANN) – The floor of the National Braille Library for the Blind is filled with books. Big, thick volumes of books in Braille are littered all over while steel racks are carelessly stacked with more.

“These all are donated books. Different international organisations donate books to us almost every alternate month,” said librarian Ambika Shrestha.

Arushi organised ‘The 13th Car Rally for the Blind’ here on Sunday. Dilip Suryawanshi, MD Dilip Buildcon and Sarit Kumar Choudhary from IGRMS were present as the Chief Guest and flagged off the first vehicle which was driven by Aruneshwar Singhdeo and navigator Kamal Bhamore and started the rally from DB Mall, MP Nagar, Bhopal.

Many other guests, volunteers of Arushi and staff were also present. The Rally was supported by Amway, Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare, LIC, IGRMS, MP Tourism, Indian Oil Corporation and Aquarius.

Walking around the theme pavilion at the New Delhi World Book Fair, one can spot a range of aides for the visually impaired — Braille geometry sets, chess boards, a set of playing cards, but oddly enough, not many books. 

The visible shortage of literature for people with  disability at the fair themed, “Books for Readers with

Special Needs”, can be attributed to the dearth of publishers working in the sector, said one of the officials from National Book Trust (NBT).

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to procure semi-low floor mini buses for last-mile connectivity provided they are equipped with hydraulic lifts to make them accessible to the differently abled.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V Kameswar Rao gave the order came while hearing an application filed by the DMRC in a pending petition filed by activist Nipun Malhotra who had challenged the induction of semi-low floor buses for public transport on the ground that they were not disabled-friendly.