Hello AccessIndian friends:
While Dipendra mentions about the story of Nupur Jain from India appearring
in the February edition of DAISY Planet, he, perhaps out of all humility,
fails to mention that his story too appears in the same edition. I've
pasted it herein. It can be read at
http://www.daisy.org/stories/dipendra.shtml
Then beneath his story is one by Savita Singh. Indeed very inspirational!
Keep it up!
Amarjit
Dipendra Manocha: DAISY for research in developing
Dipendra Manocha: DAISY for Research in developing countries
"...my story could happen to any student with blindness living in any
developing country..."
By: Dipendra Manocha
Director of the Regional Resource Centre (New Delhi),
DAISY for All
A blind music student had to submit his research thesis to his tutor for
correction. With a lot of work involving the revision of references still to
be
completed, the student was waiting for an appointed reader to help him with
his duties. But the reader never showed up, as he found it more interesting
to go to a movie with friends than to read to a person with blindness. The
researcher had books in print in front of him but could not verify or access
their content and therefore missed the deadline for submission.
Dipendra Manocha
This true story changed the course of my life. I realized that my story
could happen to any student with blindness living in any developing country
since
hardly any text books and reference books are accessible. Even basic
assistive technology such as screen reading software is often not available
in the
local language. I knew there had to be a solution to make persons with
blindness or low vision independent in reading and writing.
So, in 1993, I left my career in music in order to study and then teach and
implement computer applications to contribute to the benefit of persons with
blindness in India. Within a period of five years at the National
Association for the Blind in New Delhi, we were able to establish that
computer technology
was not meant only for the wealthy, rather it was something that would
ideally change the way each and every individual with a print disability
could read
and write, and maybe even enable them to get a job. However, there was still
no solution for the lack of reading materials in local languages, and many
students were still without books in their schools and colleges.
In 1999, I was introduced to the world of digital books by Hiroshi Kawamura
at a UNESCAP meeting in Bangkok. I immediately was drawn towards these
feature-rich
digital books as another revolution that was changing the way persons with
print disability were enabled to read. However, at that time a digital
talking
book player cost US$ 500.00 which is beyond the reach of most individuals
with a print disability in any developing country. In these countries, the
work
of content creation is often done by small organizations and they mostly
lack human and financial resources to be able to adopt this technology. To
bring
developing countries into the fold of the DAISY revolution, the technology
itself had to remain the same but the way of implementation had to change to
meet their needs.
The DAISY for All project started in 2003 under the leadership of Hiroshi
Kawamura and I had the opportunity to work for it as an Assistant Project
Manager.
The focus was on digital technology offering flexibility and providing
opportunities to everyone to make use of it. If low income groups could not
afford
DAISY players, they could use main stream MP3 players to listen to the same
DAISY digital talking books with the compromise that many features of
navigation
are lost. Usually conversion of analog cassette recordings to digital format
is done at fast speed using expensive equipment. To suit the needs of small
organizations in developing countries, we were able to develop and use a
solution at a fraction of that amount involving adapted cassette players and
innovative
schemes. Large numbers of end users themselves were engaged in this analog
to digital conversion process in India and Thailand. This not only made the
process low cost but also brought a means of income to youth with blindness
or low vision.
Now working as the Director of the Regional Resource Centre for the DAISY
for All project in New Delhi, my every moment is involved in ideas and
related
projects such as:
list of 5 items
Development of screen reading software for Indian languages
Content creation in local languages
Introduction of the technology in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal
as well as India. There are not only 22 languages but also a vast
geographical
and cultural diversity to deal with
Research for affordable DAISY playback through subsidy schemes and
development of a low cost player
Creation of networking and common catalog systems among innumerable small
organizations who want to be a part of this digital revolution
list end
My story has a happy ending...
The path of becoming a part of solution to overcome the frustration caused
by dependence on others for reading and writing has been full of
satisfaction
and joy!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dipendra is now a valuable and dedicated staff member of DAISY For All. He
lives in New Delhi and coordinates local DAISY efforts. Dipendra also
actively
participates in global conference calls regarding development and
communication of DAISY technical projects.
We encourage other DAISY users to submit their story and get further
involved.
list of 5 items
Home |
Accessibility |
Legal Policies |
Site Map |
Contact Us
list end
© 2009 DAISY Consortium. All Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0!
Valid CSS!
Search powered by
http://www.daisy.org/stories/savitasingh.shtml
Savita Singh
Savita Singh: "I have cherished a dream of associating with a library where
all the books are available in an accessible format for persons with a print
disability."
Savita Singh
Savita is young woman from Muradnagar, India. In April of this year she
passed the National Eligibility Test and is looking forward to working as a
lecturer
in a college. Savita has been using DAISY books for the last five years.
My name is Savita Singh, and I am presently pursuing a Master of Philosophy
Degree in International Politics, Organisation, Disarmament, Political
Geography
& Diplomatic Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi India. In
2006 I graduated from St. Stephen's College Delhi University with honors;
my degree is in history. From the beginning my schooling has been possible
with support from the National Association for the Blind (NAB) in New Delhi.
NAB means a great deal to me, it is like a "second home". As far as I can
remember the story of my life begins from the threshold of this unique
institution.
When I was four I lost my eyesight completely due to small pox. A person in
the Modi Nagar Eye Hospital told my parents to take me to National
Association
for the Blind. His suggestion and my parents' determination altered the
journey of my life. I don't feel that blindness was a turning point in my
life
but my admission to NAB most definitely was. My parents were a bit
apprehensive the first time they left me there, but very soon they could
feel that it
was a perfect place for their naughty, creative, ambitious daughter.
NAB Preparatory School
There were opportunities at NAB to reveal different dimensions of my
personality. I learned braille and clay modeling. I acted in the plays,
composed and
recited poetry, and took part in debates. I was given the responsibility of
Head Girl, and also went on school trips. The devoted teachers and the
wonderful
Director, Mrs. Anuradha Mohit, were the true strength of the Institute.
When I entered college life I realized that it was a beautiful world full of
new experiences. The only problem I found was that nobody knew that the
capabilities,
talents and energetic spirit of persons with a disability were just like
those of anyone else. It was a time to test all the skills I was taught in
school
to prove that a visually challenged person also belongs in mainstream
society and that to segregate him or her is unfair and discriminatory.
University Of Delhi
The inaccessibility of the books in the huge library often disappointed me.
The mere thought of the library used to make me feel gloomy; surrounded by
shelves
of books made me feel dizzy as I could get hold of only dust. Finding a book
was not a problem, my friends used to help me in searching books, but
reading
them was the difficulty. How much one can depend on a reader? There are
limits to what one can request and what one can expect. Then the Social
Service
League of my College bought JAWS Screen Reading Software for students who
were visually challenged. It was the first College of Delhi University to
get
such technology for visually challenged students in the library. It made it
possible for me to write my assignments with the help of a computer.
Savita reading a DAISY book
However, accessing information in print books still remained a big obstacle.
When I learned about DAISY "Digital Accessible Information SYstem" it made
an incredible difference. This amazing technology has the potential to bring
about a revolutionary change in the life of persons with a print disability.
It improved my over all performance, increasing it from 53% to 63%; a
difference of 10% was huge for me. Problems accessing books not only
adversely impact
academic performance, I feel that this also impacts other dimensions of
one's personality so much so that many people suffer from depression or
adopt an
extremely pessimistic attitude towards life. Some students even curse and
blame their blindness for making them dependent on readers and scribes, and
in
some cases they neglect other things they cannot do without help.
After graduation I was keen to join one of the leading Institutions of the
country. I studied with the help of DAISY talking books to prepare for my
JNU
entrance exam in International Relations. I was able to successfully get
through the written exam for my master's degree. Since then I have been
using
DAISY books regularly for my master's degree studies. For a research scholar
this technology has proved to be major boon. It enables one to study
according
to his/her individual requirements and time. Apart from everything else this
much independence boosts self-confidence, which is indeed the first step to
achieve any goal in the world.
Savita Singh
Now I am able to read novels whenever I feel like doing so. The entire Harry
Potter series, consisting of seven volumes, I finished reading in only 18
days,
thanks to DAISY books. I just hope every person who needs these books can
access them so that no one remains in the darkness of unawareness, when
there
are numerous sources available to spread the light of knowledge.
I have cherished a dream of associating with a library where all the books
are available in an accessible format for persons with a print disability.
In India, there is a lack of books in braille for college level studies.
College students require many books and organisations have found it very
costly
and time consuming to convert them into braille. Since the introduction of
DAISY in India, several organisations have taken up the task of converting
books
for higher education into DAISY DTBs. This has helped many students pursue
and excel in different courses. Ms. Savita's story is just one example.
list of 5 items
Home |
Accessibility |
Legal Policies |
Site Map |
Contact Us
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dipendra Manocha" <dipendra.li...@gmail.com>
To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 8:59 PM
Subject: [AI] FW: DAISY Planet for February 2009
Hello Friends
Story of Nupur Jain from India appears in the edition of DAISY Planet. Her
story reaches every where in the world with this.
Thanks
Dipendra
-----Original Message-----
From: Lynn Leith [mailto:lynn.le...@gmail.com]
Sent: 27 February 2009 04:59
To: daisy-bo...@daisy.org; frie...@daisy.org; market...@daisy.org;
memb...@daisy.org; daisy...@daisy.org; daisy-staff-priv...@daisy.org;
supp...@daisy.org; daisy-planet-auto-subscript...@daisy.org;
global-libr...@daisy.org; 'Communications Team'
Subject: DAISY Planet for February 2009
Dear Members, Friends and Supporters of DAISY,
The February issue of the DAISY Planet looks at events (recent past and
soon
to come), new DAISY content resources, alternative applications for DAISY,
plus much, much more.
In the December 2008 issue we featured the "Story" of an aspiring student
from India. Nupur Jain's story in this issue is an incredible success
story.
Thanks to the National Association for the Blind (NAB) for submitting this
on her behalf for the Planet .
The February 2009 DAISY Planet is now available at:
http://www.daisy.org/news/newsletters/planet-2009-02.shtml
If you or someone you know has a suggestion, story or news to share with
the
DAISY Planet readers, let us know using the Contact Us form on the DAISY
Web
site (http://www.daisy.org/contactus/ selecting the "DAISY Planet
Newsletter" category). Letters to the Editor are most welcome.
Please forward this email to everyone you know who may be interested in
reading about DAISY, the DAISY Consortium and other topics of interest to
the DAISY community.
All members of our mailing lists receive "The DAISY Planet".
Kind regards to all,
Lynn
=======
Lynn Leith,
Editor of the DAISY Planet,
the DAISY Consortium Newsletter,
lynn.le...@gmail.com,
+1,905,304-9398,
Canada
---
You are currently subscribed to daisy-ok as: dipendra.mano...@gmail.com.
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-daisy-ok-20...@mail.daisy.org
__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus
signature
database 3893 (20090226) __________
The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
http://www.eset.com
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
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
