hi, As I know, the only 3% figure is unrealistic. However,the portable type are used by less persons. But I have no information about the status of the VI friend on the earth quake. Hope no extra pains to them.
On 4/27/15, avinash shahi <[email protected]> wrote: > Situation is very grim there. I was reading in one of the papers > published from New Zealands that blind are left to fend for themselves > post the Saturday's tragic earthquake. Please anyone from Nepal on the > list do revert. hundreds of blind people come to India for studies and > jobs. I hope their families are also safe and sound. > > NIRJANA SHARMA > http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php/portal/printable_news.php?action=news_details&news_id=84903 > KATHMANDU, : Believe it or not - an overwhelming majority of visually > impaired people in Nepal are struggling with mobility just because > they don´t have a white cane. > > Less than 3 percent of Nepal´s visually impaired people have access to > white cane - a type of simple portable, foldable mobility tool. > > The National Census-2011 suggests that 96,000 visually impaired people > in Nepal are completely blind, meaning that they require white sticks > to walk around. > > However, a report prepared by the Nepal Association of the Blind (NAB) > claims that only 2,500 visually impaired people have access to the > white cane. > > White canes are not expensive but not easily found in business stores. > Difficulty in finding them has deprived the needy of their rights to > mobility, according to Amrit Rai, the NAB director. > > Local traders do not give priority to importing white canes, which are > easily available in neighboring countries such as India and China, > complained Rai. > > In Nepal, the NAB distributes white canes -- provided by the > government or other NGOs -- to visually impaired people. "We sell it > as per the demand and availability," said Rai. "They just need to pay > Rs 700 for each stick." > > The government, on the other hand, remains indifferent. > > Ram Prasad Bhattarai, assistant spokesperson for the Ministry of > Women, Children and Social Welfare (MoWCSW), said that the government > is not aware about the need of visually impaired people. "They have > never approached us for white canes," said Bhattarai. "We could do > something if the come up with their demands." > > Meanwhile, on the occasion of World White Cane Safety Day on > Wednesday, Dinesh Thapa, a philanthropist, announced to distribute the > mobility tools to the needy people. > > "Thapa has already distributed 100 white canes in Kathmandu, Pokhara, > Dhading and Parbat districts. He has promised to provide 3,000 > visually impaired with portable canes in the next couple of years," > said Rai. > > > Caption:Visually impaired people's shadows are seen as they > participate in a rally marking World White Cane Safety Day in > Kathmandu, Wednesday.(Keshab Thoker/Republica) > > Beside increasing visually impaired people´s access to white canes, > campaigners of disabled-friendly public transport infrastructures have > also urged the Department of Roads (DoR) to install sound-indicating > traffic lights on streets. As of now, only Putalisadak area has such > facility. > > "As the traffic light goes green, pedestrians also hear faster beeps. > It alerts them to cross the road whereas the slow beeps indicate that > one must stop and wait," said Sushil Adhikari of Bright Star Society, > an NGO working for the rights of the visually impaired people. > > The NAB, along with other organizations working for welfare of the > blind, has urged the government to install such traffic signals at > various busy roads of the Kathmandu valley where overhead bridges are > unavailable. > > The visually impaired people want the DoR to install disabled-friendly > traffic signals at Chabahil, Sukedhara, Kupondol, in front of Patan > Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in > Kathmandu. > > > > > > > > > > -- > 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/[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.. > -- Him Prasad Gautam Kathmandu, Nepal 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..
