Send AccessIndia mailing list submissions to
accessindia@accessindia.org.in
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in
You can reach the person managing the list at
accessindia-ow...@accessindia.org.in
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of AccessIndia digest..."
Please do not reply to this digest mail. You should put your comments
into a
new mail with appropriate subject line.
_______________________________________________
AccessIndia mailing list
AccessIndia@accessindia.org.in
http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
Today's Topics:
1. Re: PDF Inaccessibility (Zujar Shabbir Kanchwala)
2. Ability more than a seven-letter word (James Mathew)
3. Re: PDF Inaccessibility (Vikas Kapoor)
4. Interview with Mehdi Hassan uploaded (Ashik Hirani)
5. Kurzweil 1000 Version 13 Now Available
(Adhimoolam Vetrivel Murugan)
6. Vacancies in Canara and Union Bank for IBPS score card
holders (Chetan Sharma)
7. Ability more than a seven-letter word: (PRASHANTH)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 06:44:51 +0530
From: "Zujar Shabbir Kanchwala" <zujarbri...@gmail.com>
To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Message-ID: <001101cd4b5d$71ea61c0$55bf2540$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I believe the menu bar doesn't appear when you open the document in the
browser, there's one in Adobe Reader. You can save a local copy of the
document by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+S and view the local copy in Adobe Reader
to
avail the menu bar.
Best Regards,
Zujar
An optimist laughs to forget while a pessimist forgets to laugh...
-----Original Message-----
From: accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in
[mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Vikas Kapoor
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 9:51 PM
To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Thanks Zujar, it's workable to some extent. Actually in such type of
documents no menu bar appears on the screen so I presumed we cannot
change
the zoom but pressing the shortcut did the jod.
On 6/14/12, Zujar Shabbir Kanchwala <zujarbri...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Vikas,
I checked my Vodafone bill that is secured and password protected by
Vodafone when sent through email just after reading your input below.
I could read the bill period, amount due, bill period, my name and so
on. The voice accent is too bad and some discrepancies like "Voclafone",
"8 Wind"
instead of "B Wing", etc.
Note that it produces different results when you scan Screen, Window
and Control - not fair and needs improvement. Also press CTRL+1 to set
the document to actual size and then try scanning. One more pain point
is that you need to scroll the pages manually, the OCR scans only what
appears on screen.
Best Regards,
Zujar
An optimist laughs to forget while a pessimist forgets to laugh...
-----Original Message-----
From: accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in
[mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Vikas
Kapoor
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 7:55 PM
To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Not a single word is scanned through JAWS OCR in these kinds of files.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Zujar Shabbir Kanchwala" <zujarbri...@gmail.com>
To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 7:23 PM
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
How about using the OCR shipped with JAWS 13? I've used the demo on
this year's Form 16 with some degree of success, Mphasis distributes
Form 16 in a protected form and was totally inaccessible till last
year. Though everything it read out was not correct, I could interpret
it to a certain extent and was also able to validate the digital
signature on it without sighted assistance. I believe it can be
improved for more accuracy in the coming versions.
Someone on the list may share their experience with the OCR coming
with NVDA please.
On 6/14/12, Pamnani <kanchanpamn...@gmail.com> wrote:
OK ants are hardworking so lets get to work. We have to pull the
wagon and we have to push it in the direction we want. Most of us
have read the story
of the ant and the grasshopper so lets get busy while the sun is
shining.
The copyright issue took us 10 years and now part 2 of the war has
started.
In the interim we can tackle this little thing.
1. Vikas please find the address of this lab-preferably the
registered office address and the name of the big
shot-CEO/Chairman/MD 2. Please someone type the issue-I am not good
with
technical words.
Explain
what is happening and what is not.
3. Then the legal blah blah I will add.
4. Soldier ants lets go for it....
Kanchan Pamnani
Advocate & Solicitor
9, Suleman Chambers,
Battery Street, Colaba,
Mumbai - 400 039.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kotian, H P" <hpkot...@rbi.org.in>
To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 3:31 PM
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Dear Vikas
Strictly speaking, this issue is out of scope from the Copyright bill.
In
keeping with the spirit of your assertion, we certainly must demand
accessible PDF statement. This is a perpetual battle we will have
to deal
with.
There cannot be a software solution because the content developer in
his wisdom set the security so.
Accessibility is an unearthly word in the world of the able bodied.
The effort involved is so huge it feels like ants trying to pull a
railway wagon.
Harish Kotian
-----Original Message-----
From: Vikas Kapoor [mailto:dl.vi...@gmail.com]
Sent: 14 June 2012 12:59
To: Access India
Subject: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Folks,
It is deeply regretted that on the one hand the copyright bills has
given
us an opportunity to access an abundance of print material which
hither to
cannot be accessed by the print disabled people, while on the other
hand we're unable to access our own personal documents, be they the
medical reports, bank statements or any official bills because most
of the corporate sectors these days are producing the PDF documents
in such a way
which cannot be read out by any screen reader. For quite some time,
the Lal Pathology Laboratory, which is supposed to be the best
accredited lab
all over India has been producing the personal medical reports which
are not accessible through any screen reader. As soon as you open
them, you screen reader will give you a message "the Author set this
documents in a
way which prevents access," and the JAWS will say protection
failure., needless to mention that the contents are very much
visible on the screen
for a sighted people and not accessible by the screen readers. If
anybody
has any solution to this, can share, except indeed suggesting to
convert the same with the help of any OCR programme, which is of
course is the last option. I think we, as an organization, or any
registered organisation can approach to them and launch the protest
on behalf of the
entire VI community because this is also a violation to our right to
print
accessibility.
Vikas Kapoor,
MSN Id: dl_vi...@hotmail.com, Yahoo&Skype Id: dl_vikas,
Mobile: (+91) 9891098137.
Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are
confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any
dissemination, use,
review, distribution, printing or copying of the information
contained in
this e-mail message and/or attachments to it are strictly
prohibited. If you have received this email by error, please notify
us by return e-mail
or telephone and immediately and permanently delete the message and
any attachments. The recipient should check this email and any
attachments for
the presence of viruses. The Reserve Bank of India accepts no
liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this
email.
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.o
rg.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.or
g.in
--
Best Regards,
Zujar...
An optimist laughs to forget, whereas a pessimist forgets to laugh!
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
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
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
--
Vikas Kapoor,
Mobile: (+91) 9891098137
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
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 06:46:27 +0530
From: James Mathew <james.infi...@gmail.com>
To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Subject: [AI] Ability more than a seven-letter word
Message-ID:
<cant1tymv5zicbibiprrwrd_z533a4zwsd2okonwd2mmwik9...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>From Today's Hindu
It is time disability activism embraced language to debunk the myth
that disabled people have unique skill sets
A loud round of applause for Aamir Khan for bringing together diverse
views on disability in his ?Satyamev Jayate? programme. Sprinkled with
satire and humour, the TV show was a comment about the wider world
from the viewpoint of disabled individuals with exceptional
achievements. That said, it is important to evaluate what was, and
more importantly, what was not articulated in the programme about
disability in the Indian context.
Let us begin with the term ?differently-abled.? ?Differently-abled? is
increasingly being accepted as an umbrella-term to denote a disabled
population whose bodily capacities are said to differ from an average
norm. The disabled themselves embrace such a label because it caters
to a view that they possess abilities which are not quite the same as
the rest, but nonetheless similar in potential and scope. It is
claimed that the ?differently-abled? deploy different abilities to
muster their sensory and cognitive faculties to achieve things which
others appear to do with ease. In this connection, there is also an
unstated view that the label ?differently-abled? does not suit people
with intellectual disabilities because they lack the cognitive
capacity to muster inner abilities. Given such a bias, the electronic
media finds it hard to offer them equal space on the stage.
I certainly do not mean to take a dig at those role models who did
appear on the stage. In fact, their contributions are significant. In
so many ways, they convey the reality that disability activism relies
on humour to capture nuances of social discrimination. The visually
impaired interviewees for example, rightly criticised the popular view
that blindness is intrinsically linked to karma and sin; asexuality;
isolation; mendicancy; and for that matter, a talent for music. Where
they, and others too falter is in thinking that they can demolish such
a linkage by a mere labelling tactic. I may be flattered by the remark
that ?inspite of your ? you are able to achieve so much.? For a
moment, I may feel tempted to give myself a pat on the back for being
a ?differently-abled? achiever. This is so self-defeating because many
a million so-called ?differently-abled? citizens do badly because a
certain kind of ability-enhancing training is unavailable to them.
Clearly, we need a terminology that does not bank on the idea that the
disabled are those who possess a set of abilities that are uniquely
available to them, and nobody else. One of the participants, much to
the amusement of the host, said it all when he said: ?Tendulkar is
differently-abled than Dravid, and Manmohan Singh is
?differently-abled' than the other two!?
Read the full article at:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article3533422.ece
--
HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 07:34:14 +0530
From: "Vikas Kapoor" <dl.vi...@gmail.com>
To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Message-ID: <5C59C94E5E3848CBA32BE6C4C2992F3F@VikasKapoor>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
All such documents that I do have are locally saved to my disk but still
the
menu bar doesn't figure out in them. One more thing is that the JAWS
cursor
also doesn't seem to work there.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Zujar Shabbir Kanchwala" <zujarbri...@gmail.com>
To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2012 6:44 AM
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
I believe the menu bar doesn't appear when you open the document in the
browser, there's one in Adobe Reader. You can save a local copy of the
document by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+S and view the local copy in Adobe Reader
to
avail the menu bar.
Best Regards,
Zujar
An optimist laughs to forget while a pessimist forgets to laugh...
-----Original Message-----
From: accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in
[mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Vikas Kapoor
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 9:51 PM
To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Thanks Zujar, it's workable to some extent. Actually in such type of
documents no menu bar appears on the screen so I presumed we cannot
change
the zoom but pressing the shortcut did the jod.
On 6/14/12, Zujar Shabbir Kanchwala <zujarbri...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Vikas,
I checked my Vodafone bill that is secured and password protected by
Vodafone when sent through email just after reading your input below.
I could read the bill period, amount due, bill period, my name and so
on. The voice accent is too bad and some discrepancies like "Voclafone",
"8 Wind"
instead of "B Wing", etc.
Note that it produces different results when you scan Screen, Window
and Control - not fair and needs improvement. Also press CTRL+1 to set
the document to actual size and then try scanning. One more pain point
is that you need to scroll the pages manually, the OCR scans only what
appears on screen.
Best Regards,
Zujar
An optimist laughs to forget while a pessimist forgets to laugh...
-----Original Message-----
From: accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in
[mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Vikas
Kapoor
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 7:55 PM
To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Not a single word is scanned through JAWS OCR in these kinds of files.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Zujar Shabbir Kanchwala" <zujarbri...@gmail.com>
To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 7:23 PM
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
How about using the OCR shipped with JAWS 13? I've used the demo on
this year's Form 16 with some degree of success, Mphasis distributes
Form 16 in a protected form and was totally inaccessible till last
year. Though everything it read out was not correct, I could interpret
it to a certain extent and was also able to validate the digital
signature on it without sighted assistance. I believe it can be
improved for more accuracy in the coming versions.
Someone on the list may share their experience with the OCR coming
with NVDA please.
On 6/14/12, Pamnani <kanchanpamn...@gmail.com> wrote:
OK ants are hardworking so lets get to work. We have to pull the
wagon and we have to push it in the direction we want. Most of us
have read the story
of the ant and the grasshopper so lets get busy while the sun is
shining.
The copyright issue took us 10 years and now part 2 of the war has
started.
In the interim we can tackle this little thing.
1. Vikas please find the address of this lab-preferably the
registered office address and the name of the big
shot-CEO/Chairman/MD 2. Please someone type the issue-I am not good
with
technical words.
Explain
what is happening and what is not.
3. Then the legal blah blah I will add.
4. Soldier ants lets go for it....
Kanchan Pamnani
Advocate & Solicitor
9, Suleman Chambers,
Battery Street, Colaba,
Mumbai - 400 039.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kotian, H P" <hpkot...@rbi.org.in>
To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 3:31 PM
Subject: Re: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Dear Vikas
Strictly speaking, this issue is out of scope from the Copyright bill.
In
keeping with the spirit of your assertion, we certainly must demand
accessible PDF statement. This is a perpetual battle we will have
to deal
with.
There cannot be a software solution because the content developer in
his wisdom set the security so.
Accessibility is an unearthly word in the world of the able bodied.
The effort involved is so huge it feels like ants trying to pull a
railway wagon.
Harish Kotian
-----Original Message-----
From: Vikas Kapoor [mailto:dl.vi...@gmail.com]
Sent: 14 June 2012 12:59
To: Access India
Subject: [AI] PDF Inaccessibility
Folks,
It is deeply regretted that on the one hand the copyright bills has
given
us an opportunity to access an abundance of print material which
hither to
cannot be accessed by the print disabled people, while on the other
hand we're unable to access our own personal documents, be they the
medical reports, bank statements or any official bills because most
of the corporate sectors these days are producing the PDF documents
in such a way
which cannot be read out by any screen reader. For quite some time,
the Lal Pathology Laboratory, which is supposed to be the best
accredited lab
all over India has been producing the personal medical reports which
are not accessible through any screen reader. As soon as you open
them, you screen reader will give you a message "the Author set this
documents in a
way which prevents access," and the JAWS will say protection
failure., needless to mention that the contents are very much
visible on the screen
for a sighted people and not accessible by the screen readers. If
anybody
has any solution to this, can share, except indeed suggesting to
convert the same with the help of any OCR programme, which is of
course is the last option. I think we, as an organization, or any
registered organisation can approach to them and launch the protest
on behalf of the
entire VI community because this is also a violation to our right to
print
accessibility.
Vikas Kapoor,
MSN Id: dl_vi...@hotmail.com, Yahoo&Skype Id: dl_vikas,
Mobile: (+91) 9891098137.
Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are
confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any
dissemination, use,
review, distribution, printing or copying of the information
contained in
this e-mail message and/or attachments to it are strictly
prohibited. If you have received this email by error, please notify
us by return e-mail
or telephone and immediately and permanently delete the message and
any attachments. The recipient should check this email and any
attachments for
the presence of viruses. The Reserve Bank of India accepts no
liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this
email.
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.o
rg.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.or
g.in
--
Best Regards,
Zujar...
An optimist laughs to forget, whereas a pessimist forgets to laugh!
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
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
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
--
Vikas Kapoor,
Mobile: (+91) 9891098137
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
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
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 07:50:14 +0530
From: "Ashik Hirani" <ashikhir...@gmail.com>
To: "Access India" <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Cc: VoiceVision <l...@voicevision.in>, KeyBoard Users
<keyboardus...@googlegroups.com>, bs...@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AI] Interview with Mehdi Hassan uploaded
Message-ID: <001c01cd4b66$9492abc0$0301a8c0@ashikhirani>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Dear Friends,
Ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan died on 13th of this month. He was my most
favourite Ghazal singer, and so was of many ghazal lovers. I found an
hour-long interview on YouTube. I downloaded it, converted it into audio
format and reduced its size to only 18 MB. Those who are interested can
download it from the following link. In this interview he talks about his
life journey. Here is the link:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3479455/LEGEND%20MEHDI%20HASSAN%20EXCLUSIVE%20INTERVIEW%20ABOUT%20HIS%20LIFE%20-%20LOK%20VIRSA.mp3
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 07:54:54 +0530
From: Adhimoolam Vetrivel Murugan <vadhimoo...@gmail.com>
To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Subject: [AI] Kurzweil 1000 Version 13 Now Available
Message-ID:
<CAHdx1xip53Ei2z4sE0FvZjAEqssPEgqUWQpsAV4mg=s48_m...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
See the official notification by clicking the link below:
http://links.sp.cambiumtech.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MzkzMjc0MzUS1&r=MjYwMzc1NDQwODkS1&j=MTQ2NjE0NTY0S0&mt=1&rt=0
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 08:52:56 +0530
From: Chetan Sharma <danzig2...@gmail.com>
To: accessindia <accessindia@accessindia.org.in>
Subject: [AI] Vacancies in Canara and Union Bank for IBPS score card
holders
Message-ID:
<CAFV=0hnztuvvwx3gx3g049glkkudpqnttlw7agmcc_54vzm...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Hello Folks,
Canara Bank Clerk Recruitment for 2000 Posts, for more visit:
http://canarabank.com/English/Scripts/Rec-Pro-clerks.aspx
Union Bank of India to Start Clerk Recruitment ? 1600 Posts, Download
the advertisement from:
http://unionbankofindia.co.in/pdf/ADVTCLERKS09062012.pdf
Best of Luck!
--
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 08:53:07 +0530
From: "PRASHANTH" <prashanthmn1...@gmail.com>
To: <worldopin...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Subject: [AI] Ability more than a seven-letter word:
Message-ID: <000701cd4b6f$5c308870$0201a8c0@sathyanarayana>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
NatureThe Hindu :
Op-Ed :
Ability more than a seven-letter word
Hemachandran Karah
Published: June 16, 2012 01:51 IST | Updated: June 16, 2012 01:51 IST
We need a nuanced understanding of the idea of ability. Photo: M. Moorthy
It is time disability activism embraced language to debunk the myth that
disabled people have unique skill sets
A loud round of applause for Aamir Khan for bringing together diverse
views
on disability in his ?Satyamev Jayate? programme. Sprinkled with satire
and
humour, the TV show was a comment about the wider world from the
viewpoint
of disabled individuals with exceptional achievements. That said, it is
important
to evaluate what was, and more importantly, what was not articulated in
the
programme about disability in the Indian context.
Let us begin with the term ?differently-abled.? ?Differently-abled? is
increasingly being accepted as an umbrella-term to denote a disabled
population whose
bodily capacities are said to differ from an average norm. The disabled
themselves embrace such a label because it caters to a view that they
possess abilities
which are not quite the same as the rest, but nonetheless similar in
potential and scope. It is claimed that the ?differently-abled? deploy
different abilities
to muster their sensory and cognitive faculties to achieve things which
others appear to do with ease. In this connection, there is also an
unstated
view
that the label ?differently-abled? does not suit people with intellectual
disabilities because they lack the cognitive capacity to muster inner
abilities.
Given such a bias, the electronic media finds it hard to offer them equal
space on the stage.
I certainly do not mean to take a dig at those role models who did appear
on
the stage. In fact, their contributions are significant. In so many ways,
they
convey the reality that disability activism relies on humour to capture
nuances of social discrimination. The visually impaired interviewees for
example,
rightly criticised the popular view that blindness is intrinsically
linked
to karma and sin; asexuality; isolation; mendicancy; and for that matter,
a
talent for music. Where they, and others too falter is in thinking that
they
can demolish such a linkage by a mere labelling tactic. I may be
flattered
by the remark that ?inspite of your ? you are able to achieve so much.?
For
a moment, I may feel tempted to give myself a pat on the back for being a
?differently-abled?
achiever. This is so self-defeating because many a million so-called
?differently-abled? citizens do badly because a certain kind of
ability-enhancing
training is unavailable to them. Clearly, we need a terminology that does
not bank on the idea that the disabled are those who possess a set of
abilities
that are uniquely available to them, and nobody else. One of the
participants, much to the amusement of the host, said it all when he
said:
?Tendulkar
is differently-abled than Dravid, and Manmohan Singh is
?differently-abled'
than the other two!?
Body and disability
It also appears to me that our idea of bodily defect is not merely
derived
from experiences of disability. The notion is very much attached to the
idea
of appearance. How do I know this? I know this because I had the luxury
to
learn from little Nisha, who has a rare skin-thickening condition. On
?Satyamev
Jayate,? her parents narrated an interesting anecdote. Once Nisha and her
mother were in a shop. The mother gets the shock of her life when a woman
suddenly
spits on Nisha's face, calling her an ugly creature. What Nisha said to
her
mom to console her is telling. She explained that the problem of ugliness
was
not with her, but with the woman who committed the assault. Yes, I agree
wholeheartedly.
In fact, the woman, and those who are in her position, inherit ideas of
ugliness, bodily defect, and the like from a consumer culture like ours
which promotes
beautification as a primary occupation. Shameless though it may sound,
there
are a wealth of cosmetic industries that spread the idea that a fair
complexion
is an absolute requirement. Even worse, they spread such an ideal through
a
host of symbolic narratives that trap everybody into believing that they
need
an appearance-lift after all. The phrase ?black heart and white skin? for
example, does not do the rounds as an innocent ?kolaveri' idiom which one
can
use and discard by will. Instead, such symbolic idioms shape our internal
images, the very impressions of our fellow beings that we carry on in our
heads.
When confronted by someone who seemingly appears different, such dormant
symbols launch themselves readily into a viral action. For example, the
internal
image of an ugly creature may provoke someone to spit on, verbally abuse,
and even annihilate those who look different from a standard norm. I am
afraid
this is bound to increase since men, women, and those with all kind of
orientations and abilities, are increasingly lining themselves up at the
devil's
anvil, where an absolute appearance ideal is manufactured.
Four points
So what do we do now? More precisely, what kind of disability politics do
we
need? First, we need a nuanced understanding of the idea of ability.
Rather
than treat it as an innate faculty, ability (differently or otherwise),
should be seen as a sort of a cultural investment. Reading Braille,
Assistive Technology
usage, musical appreciation, orientation and mobility, and others, which
disabled people appear to do with the aid of a mysterious inner ability,
are
in
fact learnt over a period of time. These skill sets appear natural and
not
cultivated as such since they are acquired from institutions that are
tucked
away from public view. All the same, the disabled may display a certain
clumsiness in the performance of abilities of every day life such as
eating,
speaking,
body language modulation, sporting, making love, and caring. Such
clumsiness
is symptom of a long-term institutional isolation, and not ability
difference.
Insights like these may lead us to a policy thinking that one needs to
invest a certain amount, culturally and financially, to cultivate
abilities
that
are amenable to all.
Second, disability activism should work against aggressive individualism.
Such an ideal treats disability only as a market category. For example,
while
appreciating a disabled sky-diver as we did during the programme, we can
identify deficits in cultural and institutional infrastructures of the
sport.
They may actually deter many other disabled people from pursuing
sky-diving.
To look for only role models such as a disabled sky-diver is tantamount
to
celebrity culture, and not disability activism. In fighting a
market-oriented individual lifestyle, disability activism may promote a
society that deems
mutual care as a valued good. Third, a disability rights movement should
remain critical of the medical establishment. It should also endeavour to
reform
medical education. A socially responsible medical education can in fact
complement disability activism. And fourth, disability activism should be
a
socially
transformative enterprise. The attitudes that undermine people with
disability are also the same as those that contribute to gender
stereotypes.
People
who fight for gender justice for example, vouch for the fact that
structural
alterations do not transpire in isolation. When it comes to structural
transformation,
disability is particularly in an advantageous position since it is not
tied
to a specific identity such as a race or a caste. After all, only three
per
cent are born with a disability, the rest drift into it during the course
of
their lives.
(Hemachandran Karah is a Visiting Associate Fellow at the Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi. He can be reached at
hemaka...@gmail.com)
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article3533422.ece
? The Hindu
End of AccessIndia Digest, Vol 58, Issue 1202
*********************************************
