how to purchase that map? On 1/9/17, avinash shahi <shahi88avin...@gmail.com> wrote: > http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/made-in-india-worlds-first-full-atlas-for-the-blind/articleshow/56400928.cms > TIRUPATI: Making maps available for the blind is not easy and the > world's first fully mass-reproduced atlas for the blind has been made > in India. > > Using maps comes so very naturally to the sighted but for the millions > of blind people of the world, maps were like a forbidden fruit. > > To the sighted, looking up the location of the nearest coffee shop or > the metro station is easy with maps now being an integral part of > smartphones. > > For the blind, maps were mostly inaccessible but now that is changing > for the 28 million visually-handicapped people in India with the > Department of Science and Technology having released an atlas > tailor-made for the blind. > > For the first time, blind people can get a feel of what India looks > like. To the sighted, the map of India is no surprise but to a person > who can't see, a map was totally inaccessible. > > The solution was to make a map that could be felt rather than be seen. > In most blind people the tactile sensation is accentuated to > compensate for the loss of sight. > > The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) of > Kolkata after years of effort made this unique atlas. Here the map > outlines are raised and embossed on paper using silk screen printing > so that the blind can feel them and it is called a braille atlas. > > According to Prithvish Nag, former Surveyor General of India and > currently Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, > Varanasi, "This is the first full atlas for the blind in the world." > > Speaking of other global initiatives, he says most other efforts in > the world have been to make individual-tactile maps but to make a full > atlas which can be mass produced, this Indian effort that started > under his leadership, is really one-of-its-kind in the world. > > On January 3, at the Indian Science Congress held here, Prime Minister > Narendra Modi presented the director of NATMO, Tapti Banerjee with the > 'National Award for Science and Technology Intervention in Empowering > the Physically Challenged' in recognition of this achievement. > > Speaking to some 11,000 scientists here, Modi said, "On the lines of > Corporate Social Responsibility, the concept of Scientific Social > Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading > institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We > must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources." > > This braille atlas is one such activity which will help the Devyang, > as the Prime Minister renamed the handicapped people some time back. > > According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Justice and > Empowerment, in 2015 there were over 16 million blind and 28 million > visually-impaired people in India and now for the first time they can > also 'visualise' maps. For people who have partial vision NATMO makes > maps with accentuated colours so they can see the maps despite their > low vision. > > According to the World Health Organisation, 285 million people are > estimated to be visually impaired worldwide, of which 39 million are > blind and 246 have low vision and sadly about 90 per cent of the > world's visually impaired live in low-income settings. > > India is home to the largest number of blind people in the world and > it is an unfortunate situation since according to experts about three > quarters of these are cases of avoidable blindness. > > Making an atlas for the blind was very challenging, says Banerjee > since the map itself has to be uncluttered as the blind feel the maps > with their fingers. In addition all the names and meta data of the > maps had to be accommodated in braille. > > The 84-page black-and-white atlas is made on oversized A-3 size paper > so that all the information could be easily accommodated. > > According to Banerjee the work on this project started way back in > 1997 and her team members had to first master braille to make the > atlas. She laments the work took so long simply because the government > cut the staff strength of NATMO from a high of 500 to just 150. With > an annual budget of Rs 6 crore NATMO has made as many as 2000 > different normal maps available on paper. > > The atlas has been prepared not only in English but also in Bengali, > Gujarati and Telugu, there are 20 different basic maps that range from > the political map of India, to the physical map of India to various > soil types found in India. > > NATMO has printed some 500 copies of the braille atlas which cost them > about Rs 1000 each and these are being distributed free to all the > blind schools of India. > > The atlas made by NATMO is rather bulky since high quality glazed > paper has been used and then using a special printing technique the > raised embossing has been achieved, explains Banerjee. In the upcoming > edition light weight imported paper will be used where embossing is > easier to do, says Banerjee. This may make the atlas for the blind > light weight and more portable. > > As NATMO embraces the digital environment the next stage could be > embed audio files in the braille atlas and possibly make an app that > speaks to the blind using the omnipresent global positioning system or > GPS signals, the hard part would be to make smart phones get that > raised tactile feel on their screens which makes the blind feel and > visualise the maps. > > Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice had remarked that the > 'visually impaired people in India are often marginalised in terms of > education opportunities, career opportunities or social standing as > compared to their sighted counterparts. Due to a lack of access to > information, they are often unable to lead fulfilling, independent, > economic and socially productive lives.' > > This unique effort by NATMO at least tries to fulfil one gap of a > major social need with Indian science in the service of the society. > > > -- > Avinash Shahi > Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > 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 > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. >
-- nothing is difficult unless you make it appear so. r. aravind, Assistant manager Department of sales bank of baroda retail loan factory, Chennai. mobile no: +91 9940369593, 9710945613. email id : aravind_...@yahoo.com, aravind.andhrab...@gmail.com. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in 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 Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
