The Voice For You

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Kamala Kanta Rath, a very talented and well-known cartoonist who influences people with his extraordinary artwork. Below are his most appreciated cartoons that reflect the day-to-day issues faced by persons with disabilities.

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Paralympic Games:
The Paralympics was first hosted in the year 1988 in Seoul with a motto of “Spirit in Motion.” There are around 22 sports on Summer Paralympic event and 5 Sports on winter Paralympics.

P.C: https://www.wessexscene.co.uk/sport/2018/09/12/how-the-paralympic-games-have-developed-over-the-years/

Disability Commonwealth Games:
Also referred as Paraplegic Empire Games, it was started in the year 1994 in Canada with 5 para sporting events and now the number of events count up to 38 events which were conducted at Gold Coast in 2018.

P.C: https://gc2018.com/the-sport/para-sports-program

SPECIAL OLYMPICS:
The first International Special Olympics was held at Chicago, Illinois, the USA in the year 1968 with the core values as Excellence, Respect and Friendship along with Competition and Athletic Spirit and a motto stated as “Be Brave in the Attempt.” The Special Olympics hosts around 30 summer and winter sports.

P.C:-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Olympics

SUMMER AND WINTER DEAFLYMPICS:
Organised since 1924 with a motto of equality through sports is conducted once in every four years. The sporting event for the hearing-impaired participants in Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Bowling, cycling and 20 such exciting events.

P.C:- https://ukdeafsport.org.uk/deaflympics-announcement-2021/

ADAPTIVE SPORTS
Sports play a vital role in the life of every person for the proper growth of their mind and body. It plays an essential role for Persons with Disabilities in shaping their physical and psychological development.
The benefits of adaptive sports for the PwDs are many: Less stress, more independence, higher motivation and achievement rate, a higher rate of employment and education, reduced dependency during pain or depression and fewer secondary medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or obesity, etc. ability.
The benefits of adaptive sports for the PwDs are many: Less stress, more independence, higher motivation and achievement rate, a higher rate of employment and education, reduced dependency during pain or depression and fewer secondary medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or obesity, etc.

P.C:-https://news.childrensmercy.org/adaptive-sports-for-kids-with-disabilities-7-things-parents-should-know/

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IQBAL-2005
Iqbal, a movie directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and produced by Subhash Ghai is a 2005 Indian coming of age sports drama film. The film was awarded the National Film Award for the best film on Other Social Issues and the stars were also awarded several awards for their outstanding performances. Shreyas Talpade played the role of Iqbal, a cricket-obsessed hearing and speech impaired boy from a remote Indian village with a strict father. Being born with the disability his father had assumed his dreams were merely a child’s fantasy and wastage of time. The movie Iqbal was voted amongst the ten Hindi films that are ideal for training and motivational purpose. This movie definitely did teach us that dreams can be achieved with strong determination and perseverance despite the ordeals and obstructions. Disability is merely a physical hindrance which cannot stop you from achieving your goals. So, dream realistically and have the guts to attain it.

LANGUAGE AND SPEECH THERAPY
Language is a system for communication used by any group, it can be written spoken or signed consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.
A survey of 15 villages on “Prevalence of communication disorders in rural population of India” found that prevalence of individuals at risk of communication disorders was 6.07%
Communication problems may result from
• Delayed language development
• Stuttering
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Learning difficulties
• Stroke
• Head injury
• Hearing loss
• Disorders of the voice
• Cancer of the mouth and throat
• Degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease
• Cleft palate
• Physical disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy and many other problems.

Speech and language therapy enables people to communicate to the best of their ability. Speech and language Pathologists assess the nature of a person’s problem, and then provide appropriate intervention, advice and support.Any individual with communication problems can undergo speech and language therapy regardless of the age
Ritika Singh
Asst. Prof., Department of
Institute of Health Sciences,
Bhubaneswar

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DISABILITY ETIQUETTES
Some basic etiquettes to be maintained by us with the People with Disabilities.

THE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND,GANDHI NAGAR
A SAFE, CREATIVE AND ACCESSIBLE SPACE FOR VISUALLY CHALLENGED STUDENTS
We realised that visually impaired students are needed to be groomed and educated properly to lead their life with dignity and respect,” says Viren Joshi, President of the Service Association for the Blind.
The MS School for the Blind in Gandhinagar, Gujarat started in the year 1995, by two visually challenged friends - Rehman Bhai and Hargovind Bhai - with a mission to provide proper nurturing, love, care, education and life skill to visually challenged children and groom them for a better life ahead.
The School provides education from Classes 1 to 10th with proper fooding, shelter, co-curriculars like computer, music and life skill training.
New Architectural Model for the Visually challenged:
After visiting multiple blind schools including the Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts, USA, Mr. Joshi along with his team proposed a new building with 10 classrooms with five different types of designs arranged around a central courtyard which not only provides an exterior space for the children to play but also to gather and perform festivities together. This school designed by Mr. Anand Sonecha, is being constructed in a manner so that it can be navigated with more than five senses:
Sight –The school is designed with contrasting colours on the floor and on the walls to create paths of circulation that can be easily perceived and distinguished by students with low vision.
Hearing - The design attributes different heights to areas of entrance, circulation, or staying so that children can recognize them by the sound
Touch - The texture and materiality of the walls and floor guides the students throughout the spaces, with smooth and rough areas.
Smell – Each courtyard will have a specific scent given by a plant or flower. This will help locate a particular classroom entry.
The MS school for Blind is going to be an exemplary institution and an ideal school for the underprivileged visually impaired students.


https://www.supportingeducation.org/2016/12/16/blind-student-braille-yearbook/

is a first-ever quarterly Accessible Magazine dedicated to the Persons with Disabilities. It covers the issues related to disability.
So presenting before you the English version of the magazine.

Quarterly Accessible magazine The Voice For You- by WE4YOU dedicated to disability THE VOICE FOR YOU is a first of its kind accessible magazine designed on the topics related to disability. In this edition these are the following contents a...

RAMPS
PwDs face challenges to enter a building due to improper entrance designs. So, in order to make the infrastructure accessible for all categories of disability ramps can be installed.
 Width: The minimum width should be 0.90m and it does vary according to the varying use and configuration.
 Slope: The maximum recommended slope of ramps is 1:20. Steeper slopes may be allowed in special cases depending on the length to be covered.
Landings
 Ramps should be provided with landings for resting, maneuvering to avoid excessive speed.
 Landings should be provided every 10.00 m, at every change of direction and at the top and bottom of every ramp.
 Handrail
 A protective handrail at least 0.40 m high must be placed along the full length of ramps.
 For ramps more than 3.00 m wide, an intermediate handrail could be installed.
Surface
 The ramp surface should be hard and non-slippery.
 Carpets on the ramps should be avoided.
Tactile marking
 A coloured textural indication at the top and bottom of the ramp should be placed to alert sightless people as to the location of the ramp. The marking strip width should not be less than 0.60 m.

ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR INFRASTRUCTURES
The RPWD Act, 2016 describes the “public building” as a government or private building, used or accessed by the public at large. PwDs often face challenges in accessing a building without assistance. So, to minimize that commonly faced challenge, few guidelines should be followed while constructing an inclusive building.
Elevators: Buildings with multiple floors must have an elevator facility for easy access to the building by PwDs.
1. Elevator cab:
2. The dimensions of the elevator cabin for one wheelchair user must be 1.00 m x 1.30 m & the entry point of the cabin door must be at least 0.80 m. The cabin should have handrails on three sides Control panel:
 The control panel can be mounted at either side of the door and there must be only one control panel in the elevator
 The numerals on the floor selector buttons should be tactile so that can be easily felt by touching.
3. Call buttons:
 Tactile numerals should be placed on both sides of the door jambs at an approximate height of 1.50 m to help a lone sightless passenger to identify the floor reached.
4. Audiovisual signals:
 The elevator should signal arrival at each floor by means of a bell and a light to alert sightless and hearing-impaired passengers simultaneously.
5. Floor surface:
 The floor of the elevator and the area in front of the elevator on each floor should have a non-slippery resilient surface or a low-pile fixed carpet.
6. Color:
 The color of the elevator door should be contrasting with the surrounding surface for being easily distinguishable by persons with visual impairments.

PRANJAL PATIL
Pranjal Patil has proven that disability is not an obstacle to success by becoming India’s first visually impaired woman IAS Officer in 2019.
She was only six when she lost her eyesight. Despite undergoing many surgeries to reattach the retinas she could not gain her eye sight. But it did not affect her determination to study. Pranjal completed her graduation in political science from St. Xavier’s College and post-graduation in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Initially, Patil studied at the Kamala Mehta Dadar School for the Blind. With support from Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged, she was able to get admission to St. Xavier’s College where she persuaded her graduation. After completion of her graduation, she joined the prestigious JNU, where she did her master’s degree in International Relations and then got enrolled into the integrated M.Phil. and Ph.D. programme.
At the same time, since Pranjal was keen to appear for the civil services examination. She prepared for the exam all by herself solving the mock tests without any coaching help. Though she was eligible for various posts under the India Revenue Service (IRS), she was not appointed for the jobs because of her visual disability. She improved her ranking from 733rd in 2016 in her first attempt to 124th in the second attempt in 2017 to gain admission into the IAS.
Pranjal was appointed as the Assistant Collector of Ernakulam in Kochi during her training period in 2018. At present, she is the Sub-Collector of Thiruvananthapuram district and already proving to be an able administrator.


PC:-https://www.newsbytesapp.com/timeline/inspirational/54997/254638/about-pranjal-patil-first-visually-challenged-woman-ias-officer

THE VOICE FOR YOU is a first of its kind quarterly accessible magazine being published by We4You designed on the topics related to disability. The magazine is being published in Odia, English, Hindi, sign language, Audio Book and Braille Format as well.
So presenting before you the Odia AudioBook version of the magazine.

The Voice For You (Odia Version) The Voice For You is a quarterly magazine being published by We4You completely dedicated towards disability. The magazine is being published in Odia, English...

THE "ABLED" AND THE FAMOUS
21 years old Vidisha Baliyan became the first Indian woman to win the “Miss Deaf World 2019” title held in Mbombela, South Africa.
She represented India after winning the title of “Miss Deaf India” in Feb 2019 held in Assam, Guwahati. Despite suffering from a severe back injury, she managed to not only take part in the beauty pageant but also emerge as a winner.
In addition, Vidisha is also an accomplished tennis player. She represented India in the Deaflympics and won a silver medal. She began playing volleyball, tennis and basketball when she was 12 and developed a love for tennis since. She has won medals at both state and national level medals in tournaments organized by Uttar Pradesh Tennis Association and in the National Games, 2016.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and has a strong desire to make a career in sports. Although she has 100 % impairment in her right ear and 90% in the left she manages to have a conversation by lip-reading. Vidisha is accomplished in dancing, basketball, swimming, tennis and yoga as well. Kudos to this achiever!

PC:-http://globalpageanthub.blogspot.com/2019/07/indias-vidisha-baliyan-wins-miss-deaf.html

BLEE TECH INDIA
Blee is an innovation of different designs and technology that aims towards inclusion and accessibility for persons with hearing impairment. It was developed by two industrial designers named Janhvi Joshi and Nupura Kirlosker. As a classical dancer Janhvi wanted to create a device that enabled people with hearing impairment to live without depending on someone to give them any visual cues and counts. Thus, Joshi and Kirlosker developed a wearable band, known as BleeWatch that helps in experiencing the events that convert sound waves to vibration and color code that helps to alert the users of emergency sounds, ringing bells and even helps in experiencing the rhythm of the music through vibrations. There’s also a BleeTv, which is the only digital platform for people with impairment that accesses information, education on learning English, financial literacy and general knowledge and also entertains in Indian sign language. In addition, there is an Askblee that contents the videos on users' posing questions.

PC:- https://www.designimpactawards.in/products.php?sector=persons-with-disabilities

SMART CANE
Smart cane is a low-cost obstacle detection system developed in India. It is an extremely useful device that detects different types of obstacles such as tree branches, side of a truck, hanging cloth strings, protruding equipment from walls of an office corridor such as air conditioners, railings, construction equipment etc. Usually, the white cane is useful for people with visually impairment, but it cannot detect the obstacles above knee height. But the smart technology detects the obstacles from knee to head height by sending out ultrasound waves and the presence of obstacles is conveyed through easily perceived vibration patterns. It is a sleek-handle shaped attached that fits on the traditional white cane. The cost of Smart cane is Rs 3000 per piece.
This affordable technology for the visually impaired was developed by Rohan Paul, a Rhodes-Oxford and IIT Scholar in Assistech, and a lab of IIT Delhi. His innovation was initially supported by Media Lab Asia, in collaboration with Phoenix Medical Systems, Chennai, and Saksham Trust, Delhi, an NGO working for the visually impaired.

PC:- https://www.indiatvnews.com/business/india-iit-delhi-develops-affordable-smart-cane-for-blind-324946

DIVYANG SARATHI

Divyang Sarathi is a mobile app that aims at easy dissemination of relevant information related to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. It includes information on - Acts, Rules and Regulation Guidelines, Schemes, information relating to the employment of PwDs and many more. The app can be downloaded by any Android smartphone. It has a unique feature that converts the written information to the audio file as well as adjustable font size which can be used as per the user’s requirements. Information is also available in both Hindi as well as English.
PC- technosavie.com

VAAKYA APP
Vaakya is a pictured-based app designed to assist persons who are hard of hearing and with speech impairment. The term itself means ‘sentence’ in Hindi that enables speech by using the images. This communication tool helps the user to record full sentences in any language and it converts that with its suitable pictures. It works on (AAC) principles. This is also suitable for persons with , and various other mental and physical disorders.

PC- https://www.mbcnschool.org/tag/vaakya-app/

An Innovative tools for PWDs
Innovative tools are such tools which makes the day today life of
PWDs a little easier.

Third Eye- Tellmate
Tellmate is a wearable vision device in form of glasses which processes in front images of a visually impaired person, convert it to sound and whispers in the ear of the respective person using hearing aids. Apart from this, the device lets visually impaired walk around unfamiliar places and avoid obstacles. It also enables visually impaired persons to read books, newspapers, hoardings or any text in real-time and focus providing much-needed independence. A visually impaired person wearing Tellmate glasses will be able to read the printed text. Tellmate is a text-to-speech, facial recognition and image-to-sound converter device that aids the visually impaired.

Picture Credit- https://tellmate.in/

CHANDRASEKHAR REDDY- Undying Source of Inspiration

Chandrasekhar Reddy, a person with 80 per cent locomotor disability. He has always stood up for others to help them to live a better life with self-respect and dignity.
Being a person with disability, gaining acceptance from the family and society is an arduous task. However, the rejections and ordeals weren’t enough to stop Chandrasekhar from pursuing his dreams and becoming independent. After completing his diploma course in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in the year 2014 from Berhampur he pursued his B Tech in the same field at the College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar in 2016. After his graduation in 2019 he joined a reputed organization as software developer in Bangalore. Besides his academic pursuits, 27-year-old Chandrasekhar has set up an organization called We Spark Foundation in 2017 to support PwDs in Odisha. We Spark Foundation has provided employment to over 30 people in reputed institutions in the past two years.
Thanks to the Chandrasekhar’s dynamic leadership, the organization has lasting impact on several PwDs in Odisha.

Er G Chandrasekhar Reddy

MEGHAMALA PANDA- An epitome of creativity & strength

Thirty-nine-year old visually impaired woman Meghamala Panda not just a singer but also a music teacher at Red Cross School for blind, Bhawanipatna. She was attracted to music from a very young age. She says. “My father is my inspiration from the beginning.”
For her, disability is not a physical barrier rather a mental barrier. So, once you overcome the hurdles, there is no stopping you.
She aspires to be a source of inspiration for the young budding minds and considers it a blessing for being able to teach children like her.
Another inspiration for Meghamala is Odisha’s first visually impaired OAS Officer Sanyasi Behera who played a significant role in her life. She has been felicitated at several platforms for her excellent musical performances.
Creative, and spirited souls like her are always a source of motivation and inspiration for not just persons with disability but for others as well

MULTIPLE DISABILITY :-
It is a condition when a person exhibits more than one of the above specified disabilities. It includes, deaf blindness which is a condition where a person may have combination of hearing and visual impairments causing severe communication, developmental, and educational problems.

PARKINSON'S DISEASES :-
According to the Act, "Parkinson's disease" means a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly affecting middle-aged and elderly people associated with degeneration of the basal ganglia of the brain and a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Chronic Neurological Disorder is categorized into multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS:-It is referred to as inflammatory, nervous system disease in which the myelin sheaths around the axons of nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and affecting the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other.

HEMOPHILIA:-It is an inheritable disease, usually affecting only male but transmitted by women to their male children, characterized by loss or impairment of the normal clotting ability of blood so that a minor would may result in fatal bleeding.

SICKLE CELLED ANEMIA:-
It means a hemolytic disorder characterized by chronic anemia, painful events, and various complications due to associated tissue and organ damage; "hemolytic" refers to the destruction of the cell membrane of red blood cells resulting in the release of haemoglobin.

Blood related disorder is further categorized into sickle celled anemia,thalassemia and Hemophilia.

THALASSEMIA :-As per the Act, "thalassemia" means a group of inherited disorders characterized by reduced or absent amounts of haemoglobin.

MENTAL BEHAVIOR:-
A substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation or memory that grossly impairs judgment, behaviour, capacity to recognize reality or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life but does not include retardation which is a condition of arrested or incomplete development of mind of a person, specially characterized by sub-normality of intelligence.

SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY :-
The Act defines "Specific learning disabilities" as a heterogeneous group of conditions wherein there is a deficit in processing language, spoken or written materials, that may manifest itself as a difficulty to comprehend, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations and includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and developmental aphasia.

Let's talk about Intellectual Disability under which there is Autism spectrum disorder,Specific learning disability,Mental Behavior.

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER :-
According to the RPWD Act, 2016 it is defined as a neuro-developmental condition typically appearing in the first three years of life that significantly affects a person's ability to communicate, understand relationships and relate to others, and is frequently associated with unusual or stereotypical rituals or behaviors.

Let's talk about Hearing Impairment under which there is Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Speech and Language Disability.
1. Deaf :-According to the Act, it is referred to a person having 70
DB hearing loss in speech frequencies in both ears.
2. Hard of Hearing :-According to the Act "hard of hearing" is
stated to be a condition where a person is having 60 DB to 70
DB hearing loss in speech frequencies in both ears.
3. Speech and Language Disability :-As per the Act, means a
permanent disability arising out of conditions such as
laryngectomy or aphasia affecting one or more components of
speech and language due to organic or neurological causes.

Let's talk about Visual Impairment under which there is blindness and low vision.
1. BLINDNESS :-
The RPWD Act, 2016 says "blindness" means a condition where a
person has
any of the following conditions,
(i) after best correction total absence of sight;
(ii) visual acuity less than 3/60 or less than 10/200 (Snellen) in
the better eye with best possible correction
(iii) limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of less
than 10 degree.
2. LOW VISION :- According to the RPWD Act, 2016, it means a
condition where a person has any of the following conditions,
namely:
c. (I) visual acuity not exceeding 6/18 or less than 20/60 up-to
3/60 or up-to 10/200 (Snellen) in the better eye with best
possible corrections; or
d.(II) limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of less
than 40 degree up to 10 degree.