The 40 Best iPad Apps for Young Learners

January 16, 2012

The best way to get your parents to buy you expensive gadgets has always been to really sell the educational value. “But Mom, if you buy me a Nintendo, think about how much my spelling will improve playing Wheel of Fortune.” Of course, these days it’s all about the iPad. For every Angry Birds there’s an educational game out there to improve your child’s mind. Here are 40 of the best apps for your young Einstein. Most of them are paid apps, but if you’ve got $500 to drop on an iPad, we’re thinking you won’t mind.

Math

Math Evolve: Nominated for “Best Educational Game of 2011,” Math Evolve teaches the math basics through gameplay involving a dolphin shooting lasers at sea creatures.
MathBoard: MathBoard works because of its highly-customizable features, like creating timed math quizzes or making quizzes out of questions answered incorrectly.
Motion Math: “Putting the action in fraction,” Motion Math has players put fractions in order to help a fallen star move back into the sky.
PopMath Basic Math: Match pairs of balloons that have the same value, using one of the four basic math skills to deduce the answer, and be treated to a very satisfying “pop.”
Math Ninja HD: You know you’ve interested the boys with just the word “ninja.” You must protect your treehouse from an evil tomato by using math. OK then!
Math Bingo Games — A Racing Game: Fun app for such a clunky title. Solve the math problems to keep your race car from crashing.
Numbers League: Combining super heroes and comic book graphics with math was a stroke of genius. Kids and adults love this game.
Bugs and Buttons: B&B helps pre-schoolers practice counting, but there’s also a bunch of fun, silly games paired with great graphics to keep them entertained.

Spelling and Reading

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox: Teach your preschooler to spell with this colorful game where kids help primates prepare packaged provisions.
Dr. Seuss’s ABC: Who better to teach your kids to spell than the legend himself? This award-winning app is a hit with parents and kids.
Bookworm: This addicting word-search game is great for students who know how to spell and want to expand their vocabularies.
Toy Story 3 Read-Along: Record your own voice for playback reading to your toddler, or let him or her fingerpaint or sing along with songs from the film.
Shakespeare in Bits: Romeo & Juliet iPad Edition: It’s never too early to expose your kids to the Bard. Well, 8 might be too early, but 9 and up is fine.
SUPER WHY! for iPad: From PBS Kids, this app lets you play as any of the four characters from the TV show as they write, rhyme, read, and spell.
iWriteWords: iWW lets youngin’s practice handwriting and have completed words read back to them. The colors are bright and the graphics are fun.
Textropolis: Best for more-advanced spellers, players build up their own Textropolis by beating word-search games. Whole families play this one together.

Science

Star Walk: The amazing app comes to the iPad, enabling kids to tilt the screen to the night sky and learn what constellations they’re looking at.
NASA App HD: For all the future astronauts out there, this app lets them keep track of space stations, launch progress, and agency news.
Elements Quiz: If you’ve got a chemist in the making, download this cheap app with clean navigation of the periodic table.
Discover Dinosaurs: What kid doesn’t love dinosaurs? Tikes collect gold stars by beating quizzes on their way to becoming a T-Rexpert.
Discover Your Body HD: Fun sound effects and bright graphics help kids figure out all those fun organs and body parts. Don’t worry, the reproductive system is not featured.
I Learn with Poko: Seasons and Weather! HD: Poko is here to teach kids 3 to 7 about weather, seasons, and the calendar.
Ultimate Dinopedia: Because kids love dinosaurs so much, here’s another great app with info and terrific artwork on 700+ dinos.

Special Education

soundAMP R: If your child is hard of hearing, download this app for him or her that will amplify every sound coming out of the iPad with crystal-clear quality.
My First AAC: This app is designed to assist toddlers with speech disorders by letting them point to icons to produce words. Twenty-five bucks is a small price to pay to let your child express himself.
Read2Go: People with difficulty reading traditional media are already familiar with Daisy e-reader books. This is the best app for reading them.
Model Me Going Places 2: The “Model Me” series are designed for kids with autism or Asperger’s. This app teaches them appropriate behavior in various public settings.
Speech with Milo: Verbs: A speech-language pathologist created this helpful app where Milo the mouse performs 100 actions, speaking the word upon completion of each.
iReward: iReward is a tool to help parents motivate and reinforce the positive behavior of kids of all abilities, but especially developmentally challenged ones.

Various Subjects

The Moron Test: This app wouldn’t be worth introducing that word to your kids if it wasn’t so great. It’s part IQ test, part reflex test, and all fun.
WeetWoo!: For $4 you get access to an extensive library of kid-friendly fun and educational videos collected by parents. Parents rave about this app.
Fish School: Little synchronized swimming fish hold your kids’ attention while teaching them colors, letters, numbers, and shapes.
Tangram XL: Here’s a free app that reproduces the simple joy of tangram puzzles. It’ll strengthen your child’s ability to determine spatial relationships.
Nota for iPad: Kids as young as 4 can use this app to learn about musical notes, scales, octaves, chords, and more musicology.
My PlayHome: In the 90s, we had Home Ec; today, kids have My PlayHome. It’s a great way for kids to explore and learn about the world of the home.
Geo Walk HD — 3D World Fact Book: Hold the world in the palm of your hand with this app that lets you touch 500 places on the globe to bring up amazing facts about our planet and its inhabitants.
Toontastic: Bring out your child’s creative side with this app that lets kids create their own cartoons about pirates, princes and princesses, and more.
gFlash+ Flashcards & Tests: Great for any age of student, gFlash+ lets you create your own cards, share them across the web, and even quiz yourself from either side of the cards.
iStart Spanish: Kids’ brains are like sponges; childhood is the easiest time to learn a language. iStart is the best app to help them do it.
Brain Trainer by Lumosity.com: For kids of all ages, this app offers brain teasers to improve your memory and problem-solving skills.

Online Colleges

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Polling booths to be disabled-, pregnant-friendly

Priyanka Sharma

Don’t fret over how your physically-challenged or pregnant relative will be able to cast his/her ballot in the upcoming civic polls. The state election commission has issued a set of facilities to be made available at polling booths to ensure that the pregnant, the physically-challenged and senior citizens will not have to queue up for long. Women with a child, besides those pregnant, will be given preference over others at the booth.

“There have been instances when the pregnant, the physically-challenged and senior citizens were put off by the idea of incessantly waiting in line. This time, we are paying attention to every minute detail,” said Chand Goyal, additional chief secretary of the election commission.

No polling booth will be allowed to be set up above the ground floor in a building with no lift. An elevated ramp for the physically-challenged is also mandatory. “Also, for the first time, we have electronic voting machines with Braille script on the ballot unit with which the visually-challenged can decipher the candidates’ name,” added Goyal. Every polling booth will also sport a shed, facilities for drinking water and a washroom.

DNA Published Date: Dec 13, 2011

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In iPad, autistic children find a rewarding, learning tool

Ten-year-old Deepak Ramesh loves a good puzzle. Having dragged a dozen jigsaw pieces — head, tail, neck, legs — into place, he squeals when a robotic voice spells out the name of the animal. “Giraffe,” he echoes, then starts to piece together an elephant on his latest gadget: the iPad.

For the last two months, Deepak and 14 other autistic children have been swiping, pinching and tapping their way to a better life. Five days a week, one-and-a-half hours each day, they come to Prayas, a computer and iPad training centre for such children on the campus of the Spastics Society of Karnataka in Bangalore. Parents and teachers associated with the project, launched in July 2011 by the Autism Society of India in collaboration with SAP Labs India, a software applications research company, say the iPad has already had a positive effect.

Kavita Sharma, herself the mother of an autistic child, manages Prayas and says such children have a penchant for technology. “There are dozens of visually striking and easy-to-follow iPad applications — ranging from voice-assisted writing for early learners to Wordsearch, which involves scanning a screen full of letters for words, to doodling apps — that help special children improve their cognitive skills while also enjoying the pleasure of a challenge,” says Sharma. “There is a free app called Talking Tom, for instance. It’s a cat that repeats whatever you say. A five-year-old here has learned to speak much better by exploring his voice through the app.”

The centre, with half a dozen computers and seven iPads loaded with handpicked applications, offers a five-month course.

“We have got requests for five or six more labs, but first, we want to see how this one goes,” says V R Ferose, MD, SAP Labs India. The idea began as a series of monthly iPad workshops for parents and teachers working with autistic children, conducted by SAP Labs volunteers from their Whitefield campus. “One out of every 250 children born in India is autistic. Technology can be an enabler in their learning and help make them independent. Since the points of action and reaction are the same in the iPad, unlike in a computer where you type on the keyboard and the output appears on the screen, it is a great platform for these children to learn,” says Ferose. SAP Labs plans to modify existing iPad apps and to build customised content for special educators and parents in India.

At Prayas, Preksha, 21, a cheerful woman who can sing all ABBA and Phil Collins numbers from memory, now has an iPad of her own. “We went to a SAP Labs workshop and I thought I should get her one. She loves reading epapers and abridged Shakespeare ebooks on her iPad and she has recently discovered photography,” says Vani Rajendran, her mother.

Shobha Ramesh, Deepak’s mother, says she is happy with his progress. “He draws better, his typing skills have improved. He doesn’t like it if I correct him. When he enters a wrong input on the iPad and it doesn’t accept it, he corrects himself,” she says. Deepak’s favourite apps are puzzles and Wordsearch, and he is good at both.

On a Monday morning, Sharma’s son, 15-year-old Ujjwal, is busy animating a butterfly on a desktop computer. The gadget-savvy teen prefers the PC for learning and uses his iPad to connect with friends on Facebook and to download music.

For some children, the iPad is like a walk in the garden — it destresses and entertains. Mayank Misra, a 10-year-old non-verbal child, counts strawberries and grapes on an iPad. “He is going through a low, he has been reticent of late,” says Sonal Joshi, staff member. Despite being good at typing, maths and pattern recognition, a moody Mayank refuses to go anywhere near a PC. “He likes to sit here on this bench and play games on the iPad,” Joshi says.

Priya Shah, a special educator who homeschools her 10-year-old son Tarun, says autistic children tend to fixate on things. “They like gadgets, so they may fixate on the iPad too. The challenge is to channel this enthusiasm and help them get better at dealing with life.”

The Indian Express

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In iPad, autistic children find a rewarding, learning tool

The centre, with half a dozen computers and seven iPads loaded with handpicked applications, offers a five-month course.

The Indian Express

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Indian websites a closed window

Mahima Sikand | TNN

Mumbai: The internet has been perceived as a levelling field of sorts, but for millions of Indians with visual and hearing disabilities, it is just another level of discrimination.

When it comes to being disabled-friendly, Indian websites are one of the worst in the world—more than 99% of them do not adhere to guidelines outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium in 1999. Known as the W3C access guidelines (W3CAG), these list out the criteria to make websites accessible to all users. Prominent among them is the need to provide “text equivalents”—text, the guideline says, can be output to speech synthesizers and Braille displays. Only one government website, of the ministry of social justice and welfare, can be accessed by a visually handicapped person. More than 5,000 other government portals and thousands of other private websites don’t measure up. In 2009, the government had assured activists that it would revamp 50 websites within months to conform to the W3C access guidelines.

Two years later, the promise remains unfulfilled, even as new websites are being created every day. Javed Abidi, director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), is furious over the government’s inaction but blames private players equally. “The web remains a very unfair platform for its exclusionary approach. Our software designers sitting in Hyderabad and Bangalore design foreign websites that are in keeping with the accessibility guidelines. But when these same people make websites for India, they fail to incorporate adequate design changes. This is just because no one in India cares,” he says.

Ramneek Keshwani is a first generation entrepreneur from Pune who lost his eyesight in an accident when he was 12. “I have never been able to benefit from the internet revolution because I cannot access any of these websites. I am still dependent on someone else to do my work. Isn’t my requirement actually greater than any able-bodied person,” asks Keshwani.

Times of India

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4 Ways iPads Are Changing the Lives of People With Disabilities

Noah Rahman has moderate Cerebral Palsy affecting his communication, cognition and upper and lower body movement. When he turned two, his language, cognitive ability and fine motor skills were diagnosed by a developmental specialist as being at least 12 months behind. Then Noah got an iPad.

Four months later, his language and cognition were on par with his age level. His fine motor skills had made significant leaps.

Today, the three-year-old (pictured at right with his father) spends an hour or two on his iPad each day. He switches his apps between reading and writing in English, Arabic and Spanish. In the fall, he’ll enter a classroom of five-year-olds. “The iPad unlocked his motivation and his desire because it’s fun,” says his dad Sami Rahman, co-founder of SNApps4Kids, a community of parents, therapists and educators sharing their experiences using the iPad, iPod touch, iPhone and Android to help children with special needs.

SNApps4Kids taps into a burgeoning trend for people with disabilities. Touch devices — most notably the iPad — are revolutionizing the lives of children, adults and seniors with special needs. Rahman estimates some 40,000 apps have been developed for this demographic.

“Touch has made it exceptionally accessible — everyone has an iPad, everyone has an iPod,” says Michelle Diament, cofounder of Disability Scoop, a source for news relating to developmental disabilities. “If you’re someone with a disability, having something that other people are using makes you feel like part of the in-crowd.”

For people lacking motor skills, touch screens are more intuitive devices. There is no mouse, keyboard or pen intercepting their communication with the screen. Larger platforms, like iPads, are preferred over smaller iOSand Android devices for ease-of-use and, of course, the cool factor.

Here are four ways that touch devices are changing the lives of people with disabilities:

As a Communicator

Before the iPad and other similar devices, using touch-to-speak technology was incredibly expensive, costing around $8,000. Now, it only costs $499 for an iPad and $189.99 for a thorough touch-to-speak app likeProloquo2Go. That relative affordability has made the technology more available for children and adults that can’t use their voice. With the simple touch of an iPad, a hungry non-verbal person can communicate exactly what he or she would like to eat. Those apps can then be customized with photos or features to suit an individual’s life and needs. Another option is Assistive Chat, which predicts several sentence completion options. For the most severely disabled people, Yes|No is a simple app that allows individuals to voice their preference in yes-or-no responses.

“It gives dignity back to people who are more disabled,” says Vicki Windham, a special education teacher in the Clarkstown Central School District who trains people of all ages to make the most of their iPads. Windhamreviews apps for people with a variety of special needs.

For hard-of-hearing iPad users, soundAmp R amplifies sound in a variety of situations. Users can also record lectures or presentations they want to listen to again later.

As a Therapeutic Device

SNApps4Kids co-founder Cristen Reat’s son Vincent was born with Down syndrome, which can also lead to low-muscle mass. While he can walk, Reat describes his son as a Buddha that prefers to sit still most of the time. Throughout his life, Vincent’s therapists and parents have tried to help him be more active. It was not until his physical therapist placed an iPad on a treadmill that Vincent was motivated to walk. He now stays on for nine and a half minutes, interacting with his iPad while he’s in motion.

In addition to increasing his gross motor ability to walk, Vincent’s iPad has helped his fine motor skills. For Vincent, computers and older technology required visual shifting — between a mouse or keyboard and the screen. On an iPad, Vincent can watch as one of his fingers writes directly on the screen to make selections.

Similarly, Noah Rahman has shown motor improvement. After playing the Elmo Loves ABCs app on his iPad, he can write the entire alphabet, requiring sophisticated finger isolation. As a three-year-old, this puts him well above his grade level. “First it was ‘do it for me,’ then it was ‘do it with me,’ now he does it by himself,” says Noah’s father.

As an Educational Tool

Years ago, one of Jeremy Brown’s autistic elementary school students picked up his iPhone off his desk and began navigating the iOS with ease. “It’s like a fish to water,” says Brown, a teacher for autistic elementary school students, of his students’ interactions with touch technology.

Brown is immersed in online discussions of technology and special education, moderating the Facebook groupiTeach Special Education, collaborating on the podcast EdCeptional and coauthoring the blog Teaching All Students. While use of the iPad in classrooms is not yet approved in his school district, he believes the iPad is a great supplemental method of instruction, estimating 80% to 90% of his students with autism see great results when using iOS devices. Brown hopes his school district and others across the country will approve iPads in the classroom.

While no one advocates replacing traditional instruction, a number of apps do address academic subjects from math to language to reading and writing. In October 2010, Apple even featured an “Apps for Special Education” section in the App Store.

Brown encourages parents to separate their children’s recreational uses of the iPad from those in the classroom. Some students may watch YouTube videos on the school bus but while they’re at school they know Mr. Brown’s iPads are only for education.

As a Behavior Monitor

Behavior Tracker Pro is a popular app for parents, therapists and teachers to quantify the behavioural progress of children with special needs. In addition to taking notes, good and bad behaviours can be video recorded and later reviewed. The app automatically turns that input into visual graphs and charts.

High school teacher Vicki Windman notes that the iPad can also be a great way to strengthen and reinforce memory for seniors with Alzheimer’s or memory loss. Still, she warns that touch technology is not a miracle drug: “You’re not curing Alzheimer’s. Parents challenge me all the time — they want a cure. It’s no cure.”

That doesn’t mean it can’t help. Apps like Medication Reminder tell users when it’s time to take medication.Memory Practice, a memory strengthening app, was created for the developer’s mother shortly after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Windman’s father uses an app called Nudge, which gives him a persistent reminder every fifteen minutes to accomplish lapsed tasks on his to-do list.

Long-Roads Ahead

Despite these successes, SNApps4Kids cofounder Cristen Reat recommends a measured approach. “Just because you buy a device doesn’t mean it’s going to change anything,” she says.

Rahman agrees. He says that viewing the iPad as the solution is the backwards approach. “We are big advocates that the user needs to understand the objectives first before you pick the technology,” Rahman says. “We’re not just putting [our son] in front of an iPad and walking away. That’s the real key.”

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40 Amazing iPad Apps for the Learning Disabled

The iPad is a device that many lust after as a shiny new toy, but many people with disabilities can benefit from what it has to offer as a functional tool. Students with learning disabilities can enhance and develop their communication skills, learn how to adapt to situations, and develop social skills. Check out this collection of iPad apps that can make a difference in the life of a learning disabled child.

Crazy Face Lite: Crazy Face Lite encourages shy students to speak more often, and is great with students who have trouble speaking.
Autism Timer: This app offers a digital timer for students with autism.
Behavior Assessment Pro: BAP identifies factors related to problem behaviors for autistic kids.
Awareness!: Awareness allows students to listen to their surroundings while also playing games, watching a video, and more.
Everyday Skills: Use this app to find self-directed learning for students with autism and learning disabilities.
Proloquo2Go: Proloquo2Go offers picture-based communication for children with communication disorders.
ArtikPix: Children with speech issues can use ArtikPix to practice sounds and words at home.
Aurify: Aurify is a challenging and rewarding audio game for students, especially those with learning disabilities.
iEarnedThat: This tool can help parents track and reward good behavior.
Model Me Going Places: This visual teaching tool can help your child navigate challenging locations with appropriate behavior.
iWriteWords: Encourage fine motor skills using IWriteWords for practicing writing letters, numbers, and words.
MyTalkTools Mobile: MyTalkTools Mobile offers augmentative and alternative communication for learning disabled students.
First Then Visual Schedule: Provide positive behavior support using the First Then Visual Schedule app for the iPad.
Idea Sketch: Draw mind maps, flow charts, and more with Idea Sketch.
Off We Go!: Off We Go! can help children with special needs become more comfortable in new situations.
AutismXpress: Autism Xpress makes it easy for people with autism to recognize and express their emotions.
StoryBuilder: StoryBuilder can improve auditory processing for children with autism or sensory processing disorders.
iMindMap Mobile Pro: Let creative thoughts flow using iMindMap Mobile Pro.
Grace: Grace can help autistic and special needs children build sentences to communicate effectively.
Which Does Not Belong: This app will help your learner discriminate which items don’t belong in a group and encourage vocal imitation.
My Choice Board: Kids with autism, communication delays, or learning differences can express their needs and wants through this choice board.
iThoughts: iThoughts will enable students to see the big picture and concentrate on multiple thoughts at once.
LivingSafely: LivingSafely can help students with autism and developmental disabilities practice self-directed learning.
iCommunicate: Children with autism and visual challenges can use this app with pictures, storyboards, routines, and more.
Toy Story 3 Read Along: Toy Story’s app is a great early literacy tool for early language learners.
ACT Spell: ACT Spell offers games for training motor/visual/executive functions.
Stories2LEarn: Promote social skills and literacy by creating personalized stories on Stories2Learn.
iConverse: iConverse works as a picture exchange communication system for autistic individuals and those with communicative disabilities.
MyTalk Mobile: Those with communication difficulties can express themselves through MyTalk.
MindNode: MindNode makes creating mind maps easy.
Storyrobe: Storyrobe offers a simple and easy way to produce digital stories.
Flashcards for iPad: This app can be used effectively for special needs learners.
Glow Draw!: Glow Draw! is a fun drawing app for students with visual development problems.
What Rhymes?: Encourage reading comprehension with this reading comprehension tool for visual and auditory learners.
MyHomework: MyHomework can help students with trouble concentrating keep track of their next task.
Bigger Words: Bigger Words can help kids read easier.
iSpectrum: iSpectrum offers an assistant for color blindness.
Dragon Dictation: Dragon Dictation is great for students who have reading disabilities or are unable to write.
Talkulator: Talkulator can help students with visual problems count and do arithmetic.
Read2Me: Read2Me will import a text file and read it aloud to weaker readers.

Hi Nilesh,

I work with Matchacollege.com, where we just published entitled “40 Amazing iPad Apps for the Learning Disabled” Considering this overlap in subject matter with your blog; I thought perhaps you would be interested in sharing the article with your readers? If so, you can find the article here: (http://www.matchacollege.com/blog/2011/40-amazing-ipad-apps-for-the-learning-disabled/).

Either way, I’m glad to have come across your blog. If there’s anything else on our site that interests you, please feel free to let me know. Thanks again for the great content!

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Task Force Set Up to Work Out Details for Setting Up of National Centre for Universal Design and Barrier-Free Environment (NCUDBE)

The Centre has constituted a Task Force to work out the details for establishment of the proposed National Centre for Universal Design and Barrier-free Environment (NCUDBE) which was envisaged in the Eleventh Five Year Plan as a national body to facilitate and support the development of universal design and barrier-free environment.

The Task Force is headed by Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and will have members from the National Institution of Design, Ahmedabad and School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi.

The Task Force will also have nominees (one each) from the Central Government’s Departments of Telecommunication and Information Technology. The Joint Secretary in charge of the Disability Division in Ministry of Social Justice will be the Convenor and Ex-Officio Member and Director of Deendayal Uppadhaya Institute for the Physically Handicapped, New Delhi will be the Member-Secretary of the Task Force.

Besides the Plan Document, the establishment of such a Centre is also obligatory under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to which India is a signatory. Article 2 of the Convention describes “Universal Design” as the design of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

Article 4 of the UN Charter lists it as general obligation to undertake or promote research and development of universally designed goods, services, equipment and facilities which should require the minimum possible adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with disabilities, to promote their availability and use, and to promote universal design in the development of standards and guideline.

It may be recalled that last month, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had invited proposals from the States for central assistance to provide barrier free environment in public buildings including State Secretariat, Collectorates, Main Hospitals, Universities and other important State level offices to ensure that these are accessible to the People with Disabilities. The proposals have been invited after making significant increase in the annual budget of the Scheme for Implementation of PwD Act from Rs. 15-20 crore annually to Rs. 100 crore for the year 2010-11. The central assistance will also be given to make the Government Websites at the State and District levels accessible to PwDs.

VBA/RS

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Making sure polling places are handicapped accessible turning out to be quite the task

BATAVIA — Roland Poles thought he had an easy task earlier this year.

His assignment was to check out some polling sites in Genesee County to ensure they were all handicapped accessible. "This is bigger than I thought. I have stepped into something," the disability rights advocate said Monday. "I’m hoping to get my letter done by Tuesday."

Poles began in August at the new Independent Living of Genesee Region office on Main Street. His first major mission was during the primary election in September. He sampled six village and church halls and a library as typical polling sites to see if voters with disabilities could easily use them. "Come November we want to have people be able to go and vote," he said.

Richmond Memorial Library had a major issue of a steep ramp with no level resting spot in the middle, he said. The door’s swing was also an inch short of the required 32 inches. He felt that a person in a wheelchair could be in danger of rolling backwards and down the nearby steps to manoeuvre around the opened door. The Ross Street facility was updated three years ago, City Schools Building & Grounds Superintendent Jim Jacobs said. It was rebuilt to include that middle resting spot and heat to melt any ice that formed during winter. It had conformed to the precepts of the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said.

That change had merit, but it may not be enough, Poles said. "Richmond Library has put their best foot forward to solve the issues of accessibility," he said. "But we’re looking at crunch time. Elections are in November." He is proposing to move that site entirely until a solution can be implemented. He realizes that redoing the ramp would be costly and believes that a back loading dock could be used to get wheelchair-bound people inside. In the meantime, he thinks the site could just be changed to somewhere else.

But Batavia wasn’t the only municipality on Poles’ list. He found that Stafford had no polling signs up outside to even indicate it was a polling site; Oakfield had a "minor" issue of providing a handicap parking spot with uneven ground; East Pembroke did not list an address or post signs outside of its church voting spot; and Le Roy had four poll booths clustered in one area. All but Richmond Library seem to be easy fixes, he said, and he hopes that polling officials take his observations seriously.

"I think it’s in their best interest to respond, to better their polling numbers," he said. "They all have guidelines to go by." Richard Siebert and Dawn Cassidy, Genesee County’s Republican and Democratic election commissioners respectively, agreed that they were quite open to comments about not only accessibility issues but anything related to the voting process. There was one complaint after the Primary and both commissioners visited the site to see what should or could be done. The site host, YWCA, responded with parking spots closer to the building, which was a good fix, Siebert said. Before that, the Board of Elections hired a former Independent Living council to review polling places "to see if they qualified" for full accessibility, he said. To his and Cassidy’s knowledge, every site met the standards as of this year’s Primary. Magnifying glasses are even provided to help those with visual limitations read the ballots.

"Some people are hesitant to change," Siebert said. "We didn’t design (the polling system) but we’re trying to make it as accessible as we can. We welcome any comments." Poles took his time to check out the places and draft his list. He wanted to make sure he was right in his observations. His guide has been the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which were covered in a state Association on Independent Living workshop earlier this month. According to Cary LaCheen of the National Centre for Law and Economic Justice, both of those acts require districts to complete and submit an ADA checklist. A 2006 NCLEJ review found that nearly half of the districts didn’t even submit such a checklist and many districts answered "no" to questions about if they had policies or procedures in place to accommodate people with disabilities.

Poles wants to make sure that Genesee County serves as an excellent local example. Genesee County has the largest population of disabled people in the three counties (Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans). Why wouldn’t we be the bell-ringer for making improvements?" he said. "I have felt the thrill to be able to assist people to better their lives in the community. It’s huge, as far as the people we serve and the quality of life they’re trying to get to." His next-to-final step was to draft and submit a letter to the Board of Elections describing the issues he found and suggested solutions. He hopes to finish the job after having a discussion with Siebert and Cassidy. Both commissioners were ready to review those issues, they said Tuesday.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: A follow-up article about this situation will be published in The Daily News before Election Day on Nov. 2.)

The Daily News
Wednesday, October 20, 2010

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Centre Invites Proposals from States for Giving Central Assistance to the tune of Rs. 100 Crore to Provide Barrier free Environment in Govt Buildings and to Make Government Websites Accessible to Persons With Disabilities

The Centre has invited proposals from States to give central assistance to provide barrier free environment in important State Government buildings in the State Secretariat, Collectorates, Main Hospitals, Universities and other important Government offices to ensure that these are accessible to the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). Central assistance will also be given to make Government Websites at the State and District levels accessible to PwDs as per guidelines for Indian Government Websites issued by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances.Proposals from States have been invited by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under the “Scheme for Implementation of PwD Act, 1995 (SIPDA)” after effecting a major increase in the annual allocation under this Scheme from Rs. 15-20 crore in the past to Rs. 100 crore this year.

The Ministry has made a notional allocation to the States based upon their population of PwDs as per Census, 2001 and has requested them to sent proposals on that basis. For example, a notional allocation of Rs. 16.50 crore has been made for Uttar Pradesh, 8.90 crore for West Bengal, 7.90 crore for Tamil Nadu, 7.60 crore for Maharashtra, 6.70 crore for Madhya Pradesh and 6.60 crore for Andhra Pradesh. Similar notional allocations have also been communicated to other States based on their population of PwDs.

It may be recalled that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 2008, to which India is a signatory, calls for making buildings, work places, facilities including information, communication and other services etc accessible to PwDs on an equal basis. The Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Mukul Wasnik, had written to the Chief Ministers of all States earlier this year urging them to make the important buildings and websites of the State Government accessible to People with disabilities in a time bound manner.

Central assistance on significant scale is provided to states under “Scheme for Implementation of PwD Act, 1995 (SIPDA) to encourage them to move in that direction.

VBA

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A New Financial Access Frontier: Persons With Disabilities

Can a person with a disability living in a developing country become the valued client of a financial institution? According to Harvard Law professor Michael Stein, 650 million people around the world, nearly 10 percent of humanity, have a disability, and over 80 percent of these people live in developing countries. Yet, in research studies, fewer than 1 percent of the clients of microfinance institutions, dedicated to serving the world’s financially excluded people, were found to be persons with disabilities. One of the last great human rights struggles is only now starting to penetrate the world of low-income finance.

But how best to make progress in disability inclusion?

In June, the Center for Financial Inclusion at ACCION, in conjunction with the Disability and Development team of the World Bank, brought disability activists together with leaders from microfinance in a roundtable entitled, “A New Financial Access Frontier: People with Disabilities” to begin a dialogue. Disability activists and microfinance professionals are two tightly knit communities with their own vocabularies and their own ways of seeing the world so it is not surprising that at times heated debate preceded agreement on clear objectives.

In 2006, the passage of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities gave the disabilities community a major boost. This Convention requires all ratifying governments to “promote, protect and ensure” the rights of persons with disabilities. 2010 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act, and implementers of that landmark legislation testified to the remarkable changes it has brought about. Unyielding commitment to the human and economic rights of persons with disabilities is the lifeblood of many people in the disability community. The activists carry this message to financial service providers: Financial service providers wake up and act! It’s a matter of human rights, and it’s the law (in 85 countries).

The microfinance professionals, for their part, were happy to acknowledge the justice of the cause, and admitted to being somewhat abashed at their own ignorance. But, they approach the topic with a certain “Show Me” wariness. Their dedication to reducing financial exclusion notwithstanding, they want to be convinced of a business case for inclusion of persons with disabilities that is realistic and sustainable. Moreover, the U.N. Convention, though perhaps an interesting sign of the times, is certainly not a mandate they feel direct pressure to fulfill.

Once the two sides got past their introductory positioning, they began a fruitful search for strategies that might work. Listening, it struck me that the biggest barriers are less practical than about attitudes. Yes, physical accessibility matters, but in the context of developing countries, accessible design in a bank branch means little if the road to the bank is unpaved and pot-holed. Technologies like mobile phone banking and voice-enabled ATMs could overcome physical barriers at a stroke. They generated much hopeful enthusiasm, even though they have yet to be used widely to reach low income or disabled clients.

But negative attitudes are the real tough nut to crack, for both prospective clients with disabilities and for microfinance providers. Many person with disabilities have experienced so much societal exclusion and marginalization during their lifetimes that they often lack the confidence to approach financial institutions or to even conceive of themselves as microentrepreneurs. Disabled persons organizations (DPOs) and other disability rights organizations work on overcoming such barriers, both societal and self imposed, and help prepare their clients to connect with mainstream institutions, among them financial.

On the provider side, staff are often the perpetrators of exclusion, simply because they have absorbed the culturally prevailing images of people with disabilities as not competent or unable to handle financial responsibilities. In some cases, laws still create roadblocks, for example, if blind people are prevented from signing contracts they cannot see. Cultural attitudes may be starting to shift, thanks to the Convention.

Both sides agreed that persons with disabilities do not need special financial products to succeed, even though they may need flexible accommodation to help them access mainstream products.

A number of microfinance specialists reminisced about specific clients with disabilities. They reported that these were solid clients: resourceful people who knew how to overcome challenges and who were happy to receive a chance from a bank. When they talked about these clients, they sounded a lot like the early advocates of microfinance two decades ago, countering the objections of mainstream banks to serving the poor. In those days, the microfinance activists insisted that the poor and excluded were capable of being responsible clients. One hundred and fifty million microfinance clients later, the bet on the poor has proved sound. Round-table participants are preparing now to make similar bets on people with disabilities.

Elisabeth Rhyne, Managing Director, Center for Financial Inclusion

The Huffington Post

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Can and Able : Disability Sports

REMA NAGARAJAN TIMES INSIGHT GROUP

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi will be an inclusive event, with para sports held along with able-bodied events. But a global debate still rages on whether the lines between abled and disabled should be erased

South African Natalie Du Toit, whose left leg is amputated below the knee, qualified in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics. She became the first athlete with a disability to qualify for the final of an event in the largest ablebodied sporting meet, the Olympics. Natalie has won over 15 gold medals at various international events for disabled sportspersons and, in the Beijing Olympics, finished in 16th place in the 10,000 metre swim, just over 1.22 minutes behind the winner. While a few disabled athletes do qualify to compete against the able-bodied in certain sports, the movement globally is not so much for the disabled to compete against the able-bodied as for a merging of para games with able-bodied events.

Recently, Dr Robert Steadward, one of the founders of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), created a stir when he called for the Paralympic Games to be combined with the Winter Olympics. Such a merger would mean not only that para games are held along with ablebodied sports, but also that medals won in para games would count in the final tally of a country. Only then, believe the proponents of this move, will disability sports be taken as seriously and disabled sportspeople get as much recognition and funding as able-bodied sportspeople. The Commonwealth Games created history in 2002 by becoming the first fully inclusive international multi-sport games. This meant sporting events for people with disabilities would be held along with able-bodied sports events and have a common medal tally.

But not all persons associated with disability sports are enthusiastic about integrating disability sports with sports for the able-bodied. The debate on whether integration is desirable rages on internationally. Dr Steadward suggested that the two games could remain separate in terms of athletes and events, but could share resources like housing and transportation. He felt such a move would reflect a new level of acceptance of people with disabilities and bring more visibility to the Paralympics, which generally garner far less media coverage than the Olympics. Dr Steadward and the present-day IPC are in agreement that the Paralympic Games being the second largest sporting event in the world with nearly 4,000 participants makes it logistically impossible for any one city to host them simultaneously with the summer Olympics. That’s why Dr Steadward suggests clubbing them with the winter Games.

However, the IPC does not agree with Dr Steadward’s case for integration. Steffi Klein, who handles media and communications for IPC, explains that the committee believes that “the Paralympic Games and the Paralympics Movement with its mission, vision and values can and should stand on its own, staging a great sport event for elite athletes with a disability”. Combining medal tallies would not make sense in this case, she added. While admitting there’s much less public interest in the Paralympics than in the Olympics, Klein pointed out that awareness, acceptance of and public interest in the Paralympics Games had grown significantly over the last decade.

The International Olympic Committee too cites “institutional, technical and organisational difficulties” for not merging the two events. “The leaders of sports for those with a disability themselves do not want this integration. They have received the names Olympic and Paralympic — this proves that the IOC considers them as athletes in their own right,” says Emmanuelle Moreau, Head of Media Relations IOC. Moreau adds that IOC does not keep medal tallies and that the practice of media outlets providing medal tallies was independent of the IOC.

It’s been a long journey for the Paralympics from being separate events to ones held in the same city and the same venue as the main Games, though not fully merged. While the two were always held in the same year, since Paralympics 1988 and Winter Paralympics 1992 they have also taken place at the same venue. And in June 2001, the IOC and IPC signed an agreement securing this practice for the future, which meant that from the 2012 bid process onwards, the host city chosen to host the Olympic Games would be obliged to also host the Paralympics. Even for the CWG, becoming fully integrated was a huge progress from 1994 when athletes were first included just in exhibition events. And now, integrated games have become the accepted and established policy for the CWG.

The number of disability sport demonstration events at major sporting events is increasing as integration makes inroads on a sport-by-sport basis. While full integration of the Olympics and Paralympics might seem a long way off, more communication and integration between disabled and able-bodied sporting organisations across the world is leading to a steady breaking down of barriers. For instance, in countries like the UK the same bodies now handle able-bodied and disabled sportspersons for their disciplines. This is a big step from the earlier practice of keeping the two separate.

SPORT ISN’T DISABLED. ATHLETES ARE ATHLETES FIRST

Richard M Hansen, Canada’s globe-girding wheelchair athlete and Paralympian is one of the strongest advocates for integration. He tells TOI-Crest why segregration has to end

Why do you advocate merging disabled sports with able bodied sports?

Sometimes it is the right thing to do, to create sport opportunities for people with disabilities in segregated games. But it creates a perception that people with disabilities are less than equal. It’s contrary to the universal values of accessibility and inclusiveness. By creating sporting events where all athletes can compete together, we help break down barriers of segregation. I see sport as a mirror of how society views itself, its social values and behaviours. At the heart of an athlete is the desire is to be included and feel part of a sporting environment. We need better opportunities to better serve the athletes. The question we need to ask is — are we encouraging existing attitudes instead of breaking down barriers?

Why do international sports organisations like the IOC and others continue to insist on segregating games?

The IPC and other organisers should be commended for providing a vehicle for athletes with disabilities to express themselves and strive for their hopes and dreams. As an athlete who has benefited from these games, I feel so fortunate that these organisations have been there and that they provided me with the opportunity to be a gold medalist. I think segregation comes from a perspective of convenience and the desire to help people with disabilities participate in all aspects of life. A separate set of games accomplishes that objective.

What is the biggest hurdle to merging disability sports with able-bodied sports? How can they be overcome?

I think the biggest hurdle is communication between the organisers of the sports for people with disabilities and the mainstream games organisers. Dialogue would lead to a more similar vision and a common bond. Basically, a collaboration as opposed to a segregation or competition.

What is your opinion about the Commonwealth Games where the integration has happened? Are there other major sporting events where successful merging has already happened?

The Commonwealth Games are a wonderful model of integration, the beginning of a merging journey that has taken many decades. It went from a culture of indifference in 1994 to formal acceptance in 2002. I’ve heard from a number of athletes who characterise the Commonwealth Games as the greatest experience in their athletic life. Being able to participate with full medal status and feel fully included is a huge breakthrough. The Commonwealth Games are a democratic organisation and the member nations voted to provide full medal status for all athletes. It was a grassroots movement that came from all over the world. The Canada Summer and Winter Games are fully inclusive along with various European and World Championships. I think the more opportunities available to the athletes, the better.

Is it logistically possible to merge disability sports with able-bodied sports? Can a regular sporting event successfully handle the various categories that exist in disabled sports?

I think this has been answered in the past. A question for organisers is — can they afford to logistically stage two separate games? Is that the most ideal model? Ask the athletes and answers will emerge. There is no right or wrong model, just a reflection on where we are on our journey.

What do you see as the future of disabled sports? How do you plan to work towards making it happen?

Sports aren’t disabled. The athletes who participate in them are extremely bright, driven, and have exceptional talent and spirit along with a disability. Like a powerful force of water towards the ocean, it makes many pathways until it reaches its goal. Athletes are athletes first and just want true acceptance, to be honoured and appreciated like their peers.

In The Running

1924 The International Silent Games held in Paris for the hearing impaired were the first recorded games for any group of people with disabilities. The Deaflympics are held every four years like the Olympic Games 1948 Dr Ludwig Guttmann founded the Stoke Mandeville Games in England. It was a sports competition for British World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. From then on, the Stoke Mandeville Games became an annual event
1952 Competitors from the Netherlands joined the competition. It gave birth to the idea of Parallel Olympics (or Paralympics) 1955 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognised the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) and the Deaflympics
1960 The International Stoke Mandeville Games were held for the first time in the same country and city as the Summer Olympics (in Rome). For the first time, they were open to all athletes with disabilities from all over the world, not just veterans. This is described as the First Paralympic Games. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the governing body of the global Paralympic movement, started organising both Summer and Winter Paralympics every four years like the Olympic Games
1968 The idea of sports for athletes with intellectual disabilities was conceived by the Special Olympics Movement

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Victory for the disabled

One round in wider campaign. Pharmaprix outlets to make debit-card readers more accessible

MONTREAL – After winning a battle with Pharmaprix over inaccessible debit-card readers, Montreal disability-rights activist Linda Gauthier is looking for another fight. “We’re going to go further with this,” Gauthier said yesterday, following a recently brokered agreement with the drugstore giant. “It’s very important that other retailers are aware of this and change their practices.” Following a June agreement with the Quebec Human Rights Commission, Pharmaprix, operated by Ontariobased Shoppers Drug Mart Corp., is to ensure all of its stores’ cash registers have movable debit-card readers.

“It’s a terrific victory for us, I’m very, very happy,” Gauthier said. “I wanted to win this battle very badly. I would have gone to the Supreme Court if I had to.” To prevent debit information theft, many retailers have attached their card readers to an immovable metal base at the store checkout counter. But that practice discriminates against certain disabled customers -such as those in wheelchairs -who can’t easily reach the counter, says the Confederation des organismes de personnes handicapees du Quebec.

In January, Gauthier, who uses a wheelchair, filed a complaint with the commission after she couldn’t securely access the reader at a Pharmaprix in the city’s east end. But her fight actually started in 2007, when she’d go store to store in her Plateau Mont Royal neighbourhood urging retailers to switch to a movable card reader. Gauthier said Pharmaprix debit-card readers would now be connected by a spiral cord that would be very difficult for criminals to cut. Commission president Gaetan Cousineau urged other retailers to make debit-card readers accessible to their disabled clientele. “I would like to congratulate the parties for quickly reaching this agreement,” he said in a statement. During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the commission said it opened 178 files based on complaints of disability-related discrimination. This represents a quarter of the commission’s caseload and its second-most-frequently received complaint.

alampert@thegazette.canwest.com

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How families and coteries are ruining disabled sports in India

The disability sports sector in India seems to be in gross disarray with the administration of the sector in the stranglehold of a coterie of people who seem to have no interest in either the disabled or in sports. National disabled sporting federations seem to be run like mom-and-pop outfits with hardly any national character.Yet, not only does the sports ministry seem blind to such obvious mismanagement, it seems to be actively funding and perpetuating these outfits shelling out public money in crores every year to these organisations in the name of promoting sports for the disabled.

The rot seems to start right from the apex body of disability sports, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). The PCI is headed by the president Ratan Singh whose son Amar Singh is the vice-president. Amar Singh’s son, Raghavendra Singh is an escort or so-called professional masseuse for disabled sports teams. He is too young with no professional qualification to be a sports masseur. Yet, he gets selected, despite qualified persons in sports medicine with professional training in sports massage being available, says a disabled sportsperson on conditions of anonymity. Sportspersons are scared of speaking out against the office bearers who have a vice-like grip over their sporting careers, a threat they seem to use to good effect in keeping them from protesting.

When contacted, Ratan Singh admitted to the problem of office bearers signing up as escorts and managers. “Office bearers accompany teams as they can sort out any problem easily. I can do little about this. But as you can see, my son and I are not signed up for any team. My grandson is there for being a qualified masseuse. I did not make the selection,” said Singh.

Every single office bearer of PCI has listed himself as manager or escort with various teams accompanying them to countries like the US, Germany, Malaysia, Taiwan, Australia, Spain and so on. KR Shankar Iyer, the treasurer of PCI, is listed as an escort for the athletics and volleyball teams and manager for the wheelchair fencing team. CV Raghunath,
administrator of PCI, is listed as an escort for athletics, volleyball and the powerlifting teams. M Mahadev, the secretary of the PCI, is listed to accompany the athletics and volleyball teams.

The office bearers of national federations for each sport do what is done in PCI, which is to list themselves as escorts and managers or appoint themselves as the coach and take their wives along as escorts. Quite understandably, these so-called coaches, managers and escorts are of little help to the disabled sportspeople when they go abroad as they are allegedly too busy on jaunts and sightseeing with their wives and friends who accompany them as team escorts. Each so-called national federation is single-city based, filled with people from the same city and no national representation. For instance, powerlifting is run from Nagpur, swimming from Gwalior and athletics from Bangalore. The PCI, the overarching national body for all disability sports is controlled by a bunch of people in Bangalore.

The selection of sportspersons from all over the country for different sports is decided by small coteries of people of one city and allegations of irregularities in selection are common. It is the sportspersons who suffer the consequences of such mismanagement. Last month, the athletics team that was supposed to be in Germany for an international meet could not go as those responsible did not apply for the visa in time.

Most teams don’t even have basic sports equipment such as the swimming team not have approved swimming costumes or the table tennis team does not have wheelchairs.

Despite these malpractices being pretty obvious in the team lists for each sport submitted by PCI to the ministry as Long Term Development Plan 2010, the sports ministry seems oblivious to it and the allocation to these federations has been rising steadily every year going from about Rs 10 lakh in 2005 to over Rs 5 crore in 2010.

(Source: Long Term Development Plan 2010 submitted by PCI to sports ministry)

List of office bearers of various sports

ATHLETICS

Raghavendra Singh, escort: Grandson of PCI president, Ratan Singh and son of Amar Singh, PCI vice-president
M Mahadev, team manager: Secretary of PCI
David Premnath, coach: General secretary of Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India
CV Raghunath, escort: Administrator of PCI
Diana Joyline D’Souza, escort: Was personal secretary to PCI president
KR Shankar, escort: Treasurer of PCI

SWIMMING

VK Dabas, coach: Secretary of Paralympic Swimming Federation of India, also runs Paralympic Committee of Madhya Pradesh
Saroj Dabas, escort: Wife of VK Dabas
Suresh Kalra, escort: President of PSFI
Lalit Gupta, escort: Vice-president of PSFI

VOLLEYBALL

H Chandrashekar, cpach: Secretary of Volleyball Federation
M Mahadev, escort: Secretary of PCI
Chandrashekar, escort: Joint secretary of PCI

WHEELCHAIR FENCING

KR Shankar Iyer, manager: Treasurer of PCI

POWERLIFTING

Vijay B Munishwar, coach: President of Paralympic Powerlifting Federation and also runs Maharashtra State Paralympic Association
Deepali Munishwar, escort: Wife of Munishwar
CV Raghunath, escort: Administrator of PCI

TABLE TENNIS

R Murali, coach: Secretary of Paralympic TT Federation
Gopal Babu, escort: Member of executive committee, PTTFI
Shashikala Babu, escort: Wife of Gopal Babu
Satyanarayana, manager: President of PTTFI

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EU development cooperation; does disability count?

Europe has declared 2010 to be the year against poverty and social exclusion. It is a good occasion to look at the European policy towards a group that knows only too well what poverty and social exclusion mean: people in developing countries living with a disability. Does European development aid reach people like Lila Maya in Nepal, who became blind as a baby and was isolated and mistreated until a local NGO helped her set up her business? Or Ricardo in Mozambique, who never went to school because of his paralyzed legs?

A vicious cycle

Poverty, exclusion and disability are interrelated. Poverty causes disability, because it means that people do not have access to health facilities, information and adequate food that could prevent a simple disease to develop into a disability. With proper treatment, Lila Maya might have not become blind. Disability in its turn causes poverty, because practical problems and social stigma exclude people with a disability from education and work to earn their own living. Ricardo makes a little money by repairing the clothes of his neighbours, but what would his life have looked like, if he had had access to school and a wheel chair? According to the United Nations 650 million people live with a disability and 80% of those live in developing countries[1]. The European Union is a major player in development cooperation; it provides over half of all official development assistance worldwide[2]. An inclusive development policy of the EU can therefore really make a difference for people with a disability.

Beyond good intentions

In 2009 the EU ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is a legally binding convention which stresses the importance of international cooperation and states that countries should ensure that: ‘that international cooperation, including international development programmes, is inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities’[3]. This means that, besides and above the good intentions which the EU expresses by announcing a Year against poverty and social exclusion, it has is a legal obligation to ensure that development cooperation reaches people with a disability. The Convention is an important landmark signalling a change in attitude. In stead of talking about the handicapped who need to be cared for, people with a disability are now recognized as persons who have the right to participate in all aspects of society. Only countries that have ratified the Convention are bound to it. The EU already took this important step, but a number of European countries such as Norway, the Netherlands, Poland and Italy are still missing on the list.

Towards an inclusive European development policy

Europe has shown its commitment to the rights of the Lila Maya’s and Ricardo’s in the world. But to make sure they can
really benefit from European aid, more steps need to be taken.

Ratify: More countries should ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This will show their real commitment and helps to make sure that we will come from good intentions to realization of rights. The EU should urge those member states that have not done so yet, to ratify the Convention as soon as possible. Together, the European countries can encourage other countries to ratify and of course to implement the Convention.
Plan: The start of implementation is developing a good plan. A quick scan of relevant EU policy documents on disability and development does not give much hope. The Commission Work Programme 2010 refers to disability only once, in an annex and not in relation to development. The General development framework, makes no mention of disability at all. The Guidance Note on Disability and Development, published in 2004 by the European Commission[4] provides a number of useful principles, but apparently these are not put into practice. A good sign is that the Directorate General Development is considering to add disability to the list of ‘cross cutting’ issues. Recognizing disability as a cross cutting theme will help to ensure that attention will be paid to disability in all development activities: ‘mainstreaming’ disability. Already, the EU requires applicants of development grants to explain how the grant will benefit people with a disability. Besides mainstreaming disability in development activities, the EU will need to facilitate disability-specific services and support for disabled persons to empower themselves and to get access to mainstream services.
Learn: Developing such a plan is not easy. Implementing it will be even more challenging. Mainstreaming disability is a new concept and there are no studies yet that prove which strategies are successful. A lot can be learned from the experiences regarding gender and development. It is also important to do research regarding disability and development. Lessons should be drawn from good and bad experiences, to improve future policies.
Measure. To know if efforts are effectively reaching people with a disability, it is important to collect data before, during and after interventions. How many people with a disability are living in the project area? Which disabilities do they have and how does this affect their ability to benefit from development efforts? Targets will need to be set on how many people with a disability will be reached by a certain effort. In most cases, the required data will be unavailable. People with a disability are not counted and therefore cannot be accounted for. Starting to collect these data will make them visible. This will require ‘disaggregation’ of data: asking projects to report on how many of the people they are people with a disability, just as they are often required to do regarding women and youth.
Involve. Last but certainly not least, people with a disability should be involved in all the above. ‘Nothing about us without us’ is the adagio of the disability movement.

[1] UN 2006, Some facts about persons with disabilities, http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/facts.shtml

[2] http://ec.europa.eu/development/how/monterrey_en.cfm

[3] Article 32, see http://www.dcdd.nl/reader/reader.html

[4] http://ec.europa.eu/development/body/publications/docs/Disability_en.pdf

Published by: Dutch Coalition on Disability and Development (DCDD) -Saskia Bakker

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Advocates laud parking bill

NEAL P. GOSWAMI
Thursday June 24, 2010

BENNINGTON — Illegally parking in spots reserved for people with disabilities will soon cost offenders a lot more. Lawmakers joined law enforcement officials and advocates Thursday in hailing passage of Act 82, recently signed into law, which doubles the fine for illegally parking in a disabled spot from $100 to $200. The law and the increase takes effect on July 1. The Vermont Center for Independent Living, a statewide disability rights organization, advocated for the legislation. Bennington County Sen. Dick Sears, a Democrat, sponsored the bill and helped shepherd it through the House and Senate. VCIL Vice President Sam Liss credited Sears as the driving force behind the bill’s passage.

‘Constituent-driven’

The “constituent-driven” legislation was “lost with all of the discussion about texting and cell phones” during the legislative session, but an important bill for lawmakers, Sears said. “I hope that this law will help the situation and I’m really appreciative that both our local, county and state police departments are behind this bill,” Sears said. Liss said the bill will increase awareness because of the increased fine. “Most of us never have to think about going shopping, going to a park or going out for entertainment other than the thoughts about having to circle the parking lot hoping for a closer space. But for many of our friends parking is an issue of greater importance,” Liss said. “Act 82 appears to be about money… but it is about much more. This act is about awareness, about inclusion, about making sure that all Vermonters can get to where they want and need to go. This fine is like all others, a consequence for ignoring the law.” The legislation had received widespread support in Bennington County and throughout Vermont from law enforcement.

Vermont State Police Lt. Reginald Trayah, commander of the Shaftsbury barracks, was assigned by the state police to look into the bill. “As soon as it came across my desk, immediately I had a great deal of support for this. This will give us the opportunity to provide more access to individuals who need it, not only in Bennington County but the entire state.” Meanwhile, Bennington County Sheriff Chad Schmidt said enforcement of parking violations will increase. “In the past, we haven’t been as vigilant in enforcing these types of offenses,” he said. “I am pledging to you today that the sheriff’s
department will be more vigilant in our efforts and we will enforce these types of offenses.”

Bennington Police Chief Richard Gauthier said his department would enhance enforcement, too. “We will renew our efforts,” he said. Vermont law requires that parking lots on the premises of public buildings must include at least the same number of parking spaces required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new state law clarifies that the parking spaces must be marked clearly by visible signs. Sears said the sign requirements will help clarify which spots are intended for people with disabilities. Sears said he nearly violated the law recently because there was no indication the spot was intended to be for someone with a disability. “With Senate plates … and after sponsoring this bill, the last thing you want to do is get a ticket for parking in a handicapped spot,” Sears said.

Contact Neal P. Goswami at ngoswami@benningtonbanner.com

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Disability law: Hunger strike called off

After the Centre partially conceded their demands, a group of disabled people on Wednesday called off their hunger strike held to protest against their poor representation on a committee which is drafting a new law to protect their rights. Javed Abidi, convenor of the Disabled Rights Group, said the strike had been called off after the Centre’s positive response.

A S Narayanan, secretary of the National Association of the Deaf, told The Indian Express through a translator that Gopal Reddy, personal secretary to Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik, had confirmed that six more people would be added to the committee, of whom three were disabled. This would bring the total number of disabled people on the committee to six. Following pressure from various disabled groups, the Social Justice And Empowerment Ministry had formed a committee in April to draft a new legislation, reflecting the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to replace the Disability Act, 1995. The first meeting of the committee will be held on Thursday.

Disability activists are looking for three main changes to the Act.

VINAY SITAPATI
Indian Express

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What Women Want: The ability debates

DEEPA ALEXANDER

The triumphs and disasters of the differently-abled in India are two ends of the spectrum. Among the 70 million disabled in our country are those who have conquered peaks, won gold at the Paralympics, and raced in Himalayan and desert car rallies. But, millions more struggle to meet daily challenges in a society that tends to portray the disabled as either heroes or victims with little or no access to their rightful resources. The proposed amendments to the Copyright Act (1957) are seen as restrictive and discriminatory, as the copyright exception, which aims at allowing persons with disability easy access to copyrighted material, applies only to certain types of disability. We spoke to activists who address these issues, not as charity or welfare but as matters of development and dignity.

Change in attitude

National Trust’s programmes work on building capacity, changing patronising attitudes, building trust in the abilities of people with developmental disability and creating an equal playing field. Unfortunately, deeply entrenched attitudes continue to exclude people with disabilities. Even if an opportunity is given, it is given only once; if a person with disability fails, incapacity is assumed. But, in the recent case of a young woman with intellectual disability who had been raped in a women’s home, the Supreme Court upheld her right to ‘choose’ to keep her baby, and she has proved to be a competent mother. However, the disapproval of the intelligentsia in the media is an indicator of the social prejudices people with disabilities have to live with.

Implement their rights

Ability Foundation’s thrust is on creating an equitable society. Through our magazine Success & Ability, we spread this message at a time when service to the disabled was seen only at the physical, and not at the emotional level. Persons with disabilities need access to inclusive education, employment and public places. Being ‘accounted’ in the Census 2011 will open up a plethora of possibilities. Accurate data will enable Government intervention at various levels, leading to proactive action. We need ramps for wheelchair users, audio announcements in bus / train stations for the visually-impaired, and video announcements for the hearing-impaired. Floor numbers in Braille for lifts, sign language interpreters in every hospital, police station and court of law, slip-proof flooring in malls, and large-print books in public libraries for those with low vision are the other needs. The implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities as per the United Nations convention and the Persons with Disabilities Act (PWD), in letter and spirit, is also essential.

A development issue

My daughter Tamana was born with cerebral palsy. It pushed me to found an organisation in 1984 to fulfil the dreams of children with special needs and those of their parents. Therapy and counselling for children and their families is essential for optimum adult rehabilitation. Since Independence, the disabled have been categorised along with sections such as women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. While these have had powerful political lobbies, there has been no spokesperson for the disabled. The dichotomies between the Ministries of Education and Social Justice further worsen the exclusion. Most policy-makers look at disability as a welfare, not a development issue. Disability should be jointly addressed by the Ministries of Health, Women and Child Development, HRD, Social Justice and Empowerment. The definition of disability in the PWD Act does not include autism, which leaves out nearly two million autistic persons in India. Admitting disabled children in normal schools is not enough — you need to have professionally trained staff, who are sensitised. I also hope for a different curriculum for special children, even as they are being integrated in the mainstream. Better pay scales will also bring in more jobs in the disability sector.

Public-private partnership

NGO-run establishments provide free schooling for disabled children. The Government has provided legislative intent through the Inclusive Education Act, which makes it mandatory to include all kinds of impaired children. However, Government schools that cater to the poor are generally marked by grossly inadequate infrastructure and teaching aids, so imagine the predicament of the disabled. I would like a public-private partnership for day-care and residential institutions which provide educational and recreational service on a long-term basis. This needs to be supported by research institutions which focus on technology, communication and teaching aids. We need to benefit from global expertise, and customise them to local needs. As Childline’s primary mandate is child protection, I feel that the Government must compulsorily provide for a child protection policy in any institution that deals with disabled children, as, such children are more vulnerable to abuse.

The copyright angle

The Centre for Internet and Society is associated with the copyright amendment movement for persons with disabilities, and is one of the founding organisations for the Indian Right to Read campaign. At present, the proposed copyright amendment is detrimental to the disability sector’s needs. The exception extends only to ‘specially designed’ formats such as Braille and sign language, and does not benefit the millions who have cerebral palsy, dyslexia and low vision, and the visually-impaired persons who do not know Braille. Such persons require audio, reading material with large fonts and electronic texts, which are not ‘specially designed’ formats. For conversion to non-specialised formats, the amendment proposes a licensing system, which will permit only organisations working for the benefit of the disabled to undertake conversion and distribution. This will prevent educational institutions, SHGs, other NGOs and print-disabled individuals from undertaking conversion. The licensing system will also require approaching the Copyright Board for each work, which will be extremely time-consuming. The waiting period for obtaining permissions and subsequent conversion will result in students losing academic years, a violation of their right to education. The proposed amendment violates the Constitutional guarantee of equality under Article 14 since it discriminates between those visually-impaired persons who know Braille and those print-disabled persons who do not. It is important for the nation as a whole to take the concern of persons with disabilities as a mainstream concern.

The Hindu

Math

Spelling and Reading

Science

Special Education

Various Subjects

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The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi will be an inclusive event, with para sports held along with able-bodied events. But a global debate still rages on whether the lines between abled and disabled should be erased

SPORT ISN’T DISABLED. ATHLETES ARE ATHLETES FIRST

Richard M Hansen, Canada’s globe-girding wheelchair athlete and Paralympian is one of the strongest advocates for integration. He tells TOI-Crest why segregration has to end

In The Running

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One round in wider campaign. Pharmaprix outlets to make debit-card readers more accessible

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