APRIL 2009
Disclaimer This e-news is a collation of articles/ news from national and international sources. The contents of the same do not necessarily represent the views of CBR Forum.
A: INDIA
A1: India - Lok Sabha Election 2009
Bringing awareness among disabled voters
Elections 2009 is said to be historic for persons with disability since this is the first ever accessible general election in the country.
Disabled on an equal footing this election
By Shampa Sengupta
If Supreme Court guidelines are obeyed, the forthcoming Lok Sabha election will be a historic one. For the first time the poll process will be disabled-friendly, with ramps, separate queues and Braille-enabled voting machines that will allow disabled voters to enjoy the same rights as everyone else
Visually impaired to cast votes independently
Mysore: The visually impaired electors will be able to cast their vote during elections to Lok Sabha without any assistance from family and friends.
Braille Ballots Ordered By The Punjab CEO For 19000 Poll Booths To Allow Visually Impaired To Vote
It has been found out that a large number of persons who are visually impaired have been deprived of their right to vote. A TOI report has made such revelations. Following this, the Chief Electoral Offer, CEO, of Punjab had passed orders for Braille stickers and ballot papers on all the 19,000 polling booths on Saturday.
Disability voters have a rare bargaining power
L Subramani, Bangalore, DH News Service:
Thiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu has presented the model that could inspire disability activist groups across the country.
Disabled, but ready to decide India's future
KOLKATA: Saswati Acharya has had a voting card for 16 years but never cast a ballot. That's true for 35-year-old Jija Ghosh, 42-year-old Kuhu Das and nearly 25 lakh adults, who have voting rights without knowing what it means to exercise it.
Physical disability can’t stop his MP dreams
Sanjay Pandey,DH News Service,Lucknow:
He is blind as well as physically challenged yet there is no dearth of enthusiasm and willpower in him for it is these qualities which prompted him to aspire to become an MP.
A2: India - Lok Sabha Election 2009 – Reality Check
L Subramani,DH News Service,Bangalore:
Visually challenged faced problems while exercising their franchise.
Polling day for the 20 visually challenged persons in Lakshmidevi Nagar (Vidhana Soudha Layout, close to Peenya) turned out to be a frustrating one due to the ignorance of the electoral officer here.
Disabled voters disenchanted with poll facilities
26 Apr 2009, 0311 hrs IST, Sumir Karmakar
GUWAHATI: Once bitten, twice shy. Silsila Das doubts if she will ever vote again.
At many booths there were no Braille-enabled stickers or dummy ballot papers
BANGALORE: Nandini (35) was one among scores of visually impaired persons, who had been looking forward to this “historic election”, ever since the Supreme Court ordered in 2007 making it mandatory to make elections disabled-friendly. However, she was disappointed to find that at her polling booth in Laxmi Memorial School at Lingarajpuram there was no Braille-enabled stickers or dummy ballot papers. A dejected yet angry Ms. Nandini was forced to request her relative to vote on her behalf, as she had done in the past.
While EVMs with Braille strips were available only in select booths, few had facilities necessary for the disabled voters
No provisions for the disabled in polling booths, reveals survey NGO to move court on poll gaps
Guwahati, April 25: The disability law unit (Northeast) of Shishu Sarothi, an NGO, has decided to file a case in Gauhati High Court against the chief electoral officer of Assam and deputy commissioners for their failure to make polling booths disabled-friendly during the Lok Sabha polls.
Aniruddha Chowdhury
A certain campaign even mentioned that the country needed a ‘billion votes’, but it seems the whole nation is completely oblivious - or at least is pretending to be so - to a segment of people which is almost 60 million strong, but won’t vote this time.
A3: India – Other disability related news
Banks to set up ‘speaking’ ATMs
On April 13, the RBI directed all scheduled commercial banks to ensure that all ATMs are made disabled-friendly.
Visually challenged say they are denied ATM cards by banks
CHENNAI: The visually-challenged are up in arms against several nationalised banks saying they are being denied the use of automated teller machines (ATMS)
Bank access for mentally disabled
The Delhi High Court has directed the Reserve Bank of India to ask all banks in India to accept guardianship certificate issued under the Mental Disability Act for opening of a joint account.
Disabled teacher moves court for civic amenities
Mumbai: Constant load-shedding and irregular functioning of amenities in a CIDCO-constructed building has forced a permanently disabled woman to move the Bombay High Court after failing to get any relief from the authorities concerned.
Disability status sought for autism
DH News Service,Bangalore:
The Autism Society of India has demanded to declare autism as disability under the Persons with Disabilities Act.
Autistic 7-year-old swims across Mandovi
Devika Sequeira, PANAJI, DH News Service:
In the early hours of Thursday Joshua Parulekar became the first autistic person in Goa to swim across the Mandovi river.
Disabled or differently-abled?
By : Pradeep Baisakh, Orissa
Twenty six-year-old Buddhadev Nayak from Rangamatia village in Mayurbjanj district of Orissa suffers from muscular dystrophy.
No jobs for disabled at Special Employment Exchange
Kaushik Chakravarthy, Bangalore, DH News Service:
According to records available at the Exchange, the special wing of the Directorate of Employment and Training has not aided the recruitment of a single disabled candidate since October 2007.
Disabled women feted for their feats
Bangalore, DH News Service:
She said that society should contribute to the welfare of the disabled and not rely on the government and a few NGOs.
Disabled women leaders: the new face of disability
The face of disability in South East Asia is changing. Disabled women are becoming more visible in the disability movement and getting their voices heard. Kuhu Das, a disabled woman activist and Director of the Association of Women with Disabilities (AWWD) in India tells of her struggle and how a unique project is training disabled women to be new leaders.
Self-belief: Subramani M is amazed by the resilient spirit of Shakila Maharaj, a visually challenged entrepreneur who today, runs four companies no less!
Distance education for the disabled
By Sharada Prahladrao
Distance learning is emerging as a powerful tool.
B: INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Police Arrest 91 With Disabilities Demonstrating Outside White House
(Updated: April 27, 2009 at 6:25 PM CT)
U.S. Park Police arrested 91 people, many in wheelchairs, outside the White House Monday afternoon. Those arrested were part of a group demonstrating in support of legislation that would allow people with disabilities to use federal funding to pay for attendant services in the community rather than nursing home care.
You can access the digi-version via the home page www.abilitymagazine.com or
More with learning disabilities forced to wed
By Poonam Taneja, BBC Asian Network
An increasing number of young people in the UK with learning disabilities are being forced into marriage by their own families.
Ombudsmen call for review of care for people with learning disabilities
In a report laid before Parliament on 23 March 2009 Ann Abraham, Health Service Ombudsman and Jerry White, Local Government Ombudsman, called for an urgent review of health and social care for people with learning disabilities.
Disabled patient strangles
The woman was left unattended at O'Berry state treatment center.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1471141.html
Advocates for blind protest loss of Kindle's voice function
The controversy regarding the text-to-speech function offered by the Kindle 2 digital book reader from Amazon.com appears to be heating up again.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10214427-93.html
C: RESOURCES – Reports, Guidelines, Publication, Website
‘Inclusive Education of the Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS)’
Govt. of India - Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of IEDSS
http://education.nic.in/secedu/IEDSS.pdf
Report - Status of (Inclusive) Education in India - 2008
Ministry of Human Resource Development – Govt. of India
'Integrating mental health into primary care - a global perspective'
New joint WHO/Wonca report.
New policy brief on disability and HIV
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) have collaborated on a policy brief that explores the links between HIV and disability and makes recommendations for policy change.
Click here to view the DISABILITY AND HIV POLICY BRIEF
'Simple Guide to UN Treaty Bodies’
http://www.ishr.ch/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=108&Itemid=419
A Manual for Integrating the Programmes and Services of HIV and Violence Against Women.
http://www.dvcn.org/Documents/ManualHIVVAWEN.pdf
Multiple Faces of the Intersections Between HIV and VAW published by DVCN, UNIFEM, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and others.
Go to http://www.dvcn.org/Documents/HIVVAW4.pdf
D: ANNOUNCEMENTS
Regional Abilympics – South Zone, May – 21 – 23, 2009, Bangalore
Abilympic is an event of Vocational Skill Competitions for Persons with Disabilities to showcase and enhance their Talent.
For details about participation and sponsoring for the event contact Mr. Vijay Kant, Vice-President, South Zone KPAMRC , AMC Compound, Near Kidwai Cancer Hospital, Off Hour Road, Bangalore – 560 029. Tel: 26563267/
Telefax: 26564608. Email: kpamrc@gmail.com / parivaarncpo@gmail.com/ pmagindia@dataone.in
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