There is a need to explore the notion of who are activists and professionals
Self-proclaimed professionals and activists in disability sector in India are in plenty. middle-class background, good networking & obsession with anglophone mores are enough pluses to provide them publicity. Real grassroot experienced activists and professionals working day-in & day out silently but invisible to the state. representatives of different disabilities groups compete with each other to impress upon the state. Delhi-based activists have no grassroot knowledge about the difficulties faced by disabled people residing in villages. Who to rely upon? only abstract understanding is universalised by Delhi-based professionals which has no relevance for poor and marginalised. Disability sector is yet to embrace qualitative research paradigm to produce knowledge from the field. Then state has no option except consulting bureaucrats and concerned ministry prior to allocation of funds to the Department of disability affairs. But down the years things will change. young students enrolled in graduation & PG courses need to take research seriously... On 7/23/14, George Abraham <[email protected]> wrote: > Does the Govt consult with professionals and activists in the field before > they allocate funds for disability? Does the Finance Minister know as to > what strategy is best for the disabled in India,so that he can make his > allocations? > -----Original Message----- > From: AccessIndia [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of avinash shahi > Sent: 23 July 2014 12:29 > To: J L Kaul; accessindia; jnuvision > Subject: [AI] Here we go: 560 crore to the Department of Disability Affairs > for 5 years > > Now it is up to us to know every year how much gets spent through RTI... > > http://www.deccanherald.com/content/421173/what-ails-education-visually-imp > aired.html > What ails education of visually impaired? > > What ails education of visually impaired? > Henna Rakheja, Jul 23, 2014, DHNS : > Underutilised > > Vikas Kumar Yadav, a student of BA (Hons) Hindi IInd year at Hindu > College feels helpless when making rounds to the Delhi University > library. > > In between attending classes and trying to gain knowledge from > wherever possible, he gets hampered by the lack of availability of > books in Braille. "Not all books are available in Braille," he says > adding that this lack of Braille books perforce "creates the need of > readers (those who read out to the visually impaired). "Also, one > cannot entirely rely on the recordings for if there is a wrong > pronunciation, then we are left guessing the right word," says Yadav. > > Probably mindful of this oft-voiced need, the Union Finance Minister > Arun Jaitley allocated Rs 560 crore to the Department of Disability > Affairs under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. A major > portion of this amount is being allocated for the over 50 lakh > visually impaired people, who account for 18.8 per cent of the > differently-abled population in the country. A proposal of 15 new > Braille presses has been made. > > > > "Braille is an old technology," says Vipin Tiwari, head of Equal > Opportunities Cell at Delhi University. "Firstly, the Department of > Disability Affairs has been created quite recently and secondly there > is no mention about what will this money be used for and how." > > Since the allocation has been made for a term of five years, it is > important to keep a check on how this huge amount is going to be > utilised by the Government authorities.Especially when experts > associated with the visually impaired feel "the two existent Braille > presses in Delhi are sufficient to cater to the requirement of Braille > books." > KJ Kuriyan, principal, JPM Senior Secondary School for the Blind, > near Hotel Oberoi, emphasises that "it is not the lack of facility, > but the lack of implementation" that is hampering the education of the > visually challenged. > > "We do get a regular supply of books from the two Braille presses in > Delhi, but if NCERT is going to change its entire syllabus then how do > I take care of the situation? Ten to 20 new books will of course take > time to print in Braille," adds Kuriyan raising another pertinent > issue. However, he also points out the need to improve the situation > of the existing Braille presses. > > The managers of the Braille presses feel otherwise. "We have all the > modern techniques available with us," says JK Kaul, secretary general > of All India Confederation of the Blind informing about the condition > of their braille press. > > "Earlier we use to operate with the 6-dot technique for braille, but > now we just need to make the data entry in computer and with simple > formatting we can print braille books. Even the knowledge of braille > is no more a compulsion for the person feeding the data in computer," > he adds, making one wonder about the wisdom of such huge allocations > of fund and proposals to introduce new braille presses. > > "The problem with the current braille presses is their > under-utilisation," explains Kaul sharing that the braille presses in > Lucknow and Odisha are dysfunctional at present "since there is no > facility to repair them. > > Though the machines are imported from foreign countries, the > Government doesn't import spare parts and paper in the required > amount. So if a machine stops working, there is no provision to > restart it and the manpower goes without work for indefinite time > periods!" > > This makes one wonder why there is no mention of import of spare parts > and trained technicians in the proposed fund allocation. When our > Government can afford printing machines worth Rs 20 crores then is one > crore too much for its maintenance? > > -- > Avinash Shahi > M.Phil Research Scholar > Centre for The Study of Law and Governance > Jawaharlal Nehru University > New Delhi India > > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessin > dia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > 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 > > > 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.. > > > > > 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/[email protected]/ > > 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 > > > 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.. > -- Avinash Shahi M.Phil Research Scholar Centre for The Study of Law and Governance Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi India 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/[email protected]/ 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 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..
