Dear friends, We have been offered an opportunity to make a presentation on the latest developments in access technologies and devices at an important global event coming up at Kochi in the first week of August, 2006. The presentation will be during an IT seminar conducted as part of the multi-day event. Since we are yet to receive the formal invite from the organisers, details like time available, other papers/speakers and the profile of the expected audience is as yet unclear, though opinion leaders from all walks of life in Kerala, including non-residents, are expected to be present with the attendant media glare.
This is a good opportunity for us to not just create awareness about access technologies and gadgets, but, more importantly, send a clear message that visually challenged persons can be very productive and efficient and should be considered for employment in non-traditional areas also. Kerala, for all its literacy and good healthcare infrastructure, lags behind other states when it comes to providing equal opportunities to the visually impaired, both in terms of training and employment facilities and this event can hopefully trigger some developments in this direction. I would like to personally request each member of Access India to share with us whatever documents / presentations / web references they might have in their possession that would help us prepare the presentation. Updates on the status of various research initiatives into developing Indian language screen readers, OCR software, innovative devices (like those developed by Webel, Satvir etc), devices used by persons with multiple disabilities, etc would be highly appreciated. It would also be topical to provide some inputs on blind persons working in sun-rise sectors like IT, ITES etc or practising mainstream professions hitherto considered beyond the pale in non-metro locations in India, if such a list has been compiled. Please do not hold back your inputs assuming that I would be as updated as you are on the subject as a member of this august forum. (smile) Kindly send me your inputs at my email id, [EMAIL PROTECTED], ASAP. Credits will be duely given to original work by individuals / organisations at every stage. Looking forward to receiving your help and co-operation for this most significant task as yet handled by our little self-help group in Kerala, Thanks and regards R Sudhir M : 98 472 76 126 To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
