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Harish Kotian
Quoting:
Nov 8, 2014, 06.35AM IST TNN [
Karishma Ravindran ]
Disabled take to gadgets, establish network of joy
For years, text messaging was the only way for the hearing and speech impaired
to have their say but the advent of affordable 3G technology has quite
literally widened their circle of friends.
Buying a smartphone rang in a whole new life for L Ravi. The 53-year-old
cleaner who lives in Madurai discovered that he could make video calls using 3G
technology - which means he can communicate easily in sign language with his
hearing and speech impaired friends.
"My parents found it hard to send and receive text messages, which was the only
way people with hearing and speech impairments could communicate," said Ravi's
daughter Priya. "With 3G video calling, they are able to communicate with their
friends in sign language. More than 100 of my father's speech-impaired friends
across the country are now in touch with him after he got a smartphone," said
Priya. "Face-to-face communication is far better than texting."
For years, text messaging was the only way for the hearing and speech impaired
to have their say but the advent of affordable 3G technology has quite
literally widened their circle of friends.They can video chat and use Skype on
their cellphones using sign language to connect with more friends and relatives
across the state. A number of apps that also translate sign language into
speech help them overcome communication barriers between disabled and
non-disabled people.
Though they could text, they watched mutely as the rest of the world
communicated in a heartbeat using mobile phones. "It's made such a difference
to their lives, all speech impaired people in his circle of friends use 3G
connection in order to stay in touch with each other," said Priya. Her mother
Radha, who also has a speech impairment, has also taken to video calling.
"We have been using 3G video calling for the past year. We can stay in touch
easily when I travel," said T K Shaishree, whose father is speech impaired.
K Mahendran, who has a hearing and speech impairment, said, "It helps when we
fall sick. I just make a video call to my friend who has similar disabilities
and explain the problem in sign language."
The internet is filled with YouTube videos that teach the disabled to use ATMs
and conduct bank transactions. S Manoharan, president of Madurai District Deaf
Development Association, said, "The internet has helped us grasp basic
information on day-to-day activities. There are sign language videos online
that explain how to use an ATM."
M Sahadevan, who is visually impaired and is a professor at Presidency College
in Chennai, said, "Technology is a great aid in the classroom. I not only use
it to make life easier for disabled students but other students also find
lessons more stimulating when I use software and aids."
Videoconferencing software is helping the disabled form groups to share their
opinions on current affairs. K Prakashan, a disabled person, said, "We
regularly discuss current affairs on a video conference. The software is cheap
and easily available. We're slowly opening up to gadgets and technology as a
community ."
Software, apps open up a whole new world to disabled students
In the classroom, at social events and even while shopping, tech nology has
made life a little bit easier for the disabled. Readers help the blind access
scores of books online, MP3 and other devices help the deaf record speeches in
class and translate them with software into a format they can understand and
tablets help people with cerebral palsy , autism and other disabilities
communicate.
"There are many aids that help the disabled. For instance, we have a computer
mouse with accessibility switches on it so a person with differential ability
can use it easily.This helps disabled children work on a computer with ease,"
said S Smitha, member of Vidya Sagar Disability Legislation Unit, Chennai.
Websites that follow the WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) rules
gives people with low vision access. "A person with low vision can hear the
words that appears as text on the screen. So they can `read' without being
dependent on anyone else," she explained. "These innovations are making us more
independent."
K Rashmi, whose son is autistic, said, "When my son was four, we used a
software called `Words Around Me' to help him with his reading difficulties. An
animated character would appear on the screen and help hm identify a misspelled
word. Technology has helped him learn without too much difficulty or stress."
After her son turned 18, she began showing him Powerpoint presentations on
activities such as baking. "We are now using software to prepare banners and
letterheads to help him learn the basics of computer programming," she said.
Software such as AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) and Awaz have
proved useful for people with differential ability to operate touchscreen
gadgets with ease. Kalpana Rao, principal of Vidya Sagar school for special
children, said, "Software such as AAC and Awaz have been widely used in our
school for the past five years.
The software uses pictures and sign language. For instance, an image of an
apple is accompanied by the word, which helps the students with differential
ability learn better."
With thanks and regards
(Rajesh Asudani)
Assistant General Manager
Market Intelligence Unit
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