an online magazine from eyeway.org

issue 5 july-august 2005
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sections in this issue: by george | focus | feature | interview | perspectives | profile | headlines

Voices of People: Media and Communications

Eyeway asked some people what being a blind citizen of India means to them, with a focus on one specific aspect of life.

Depender Manocha
Director, IT & Services, National Association for the Blind, Delhi

Part of it is accessible, and part of it is not. But I look at it as a challenge. Today, there are so many different types of media. Therefore, there is the potential to make everything accessible to everyone. I believe that media believes in exaggeration and superlatives; there is hardly ever any middle path. There is often no attempt to understand or paint the right picture.

L. Subramani
Journalist with the Deccan Herald , Bangalore

There have been a lot of positive stories about visually handicapped people in the Indian media, as everyone can now understand how our skills are sharper. But, when it comes to advocacy and letting visually handicapped people stand up for their rights, I feel the media has to contribute more, both in spreading public awareness, and also making the visually handicapped realise the importance of it.

But though things can be better, I'm a satisfied Indian citizen. I guess it's not fair for anyone to expect a perfect world, while we as human beings have several imperfections ourselves.

Related stories:
Voices of People: Education
Voices of People: Leisure and Entertainment
Voices of People: Society
Voices of People: Culture
Voices of People: Business
Voices of People: Employment
Voices of People: Sports
Voices of People: Transport
Voices of People: Being a woman
Voices of People: Relationships
Voices of People: Public Services
How has the government fared?
It's India, but is it home?