Enabling the disabled

Last week, most newspapers carried an interesting article about an NRI making a touchscreen for the blind. This is a topic close to my heart and I have been inspired to dedicate my first article of the new year on latest gadgets for differently abled persons.

As a child, I had the opportunity to learn Sanskrit. The other student who took the class with me was visually impaired, though he could read and write. This was my first interaction with someone who couldn’t see. A few days back, at a Titan watch showroom, I came across their Braille Watch, launched in December 2008. The watch is pretty and very useful, an ideal gift if you know someone who is visually impaired. It is also priced at an affordable Rs 995. Though there are other manufacturers making such watches, I have to commend Tatas for taking the lead, and bringing out the best designed watch I have come across in the recent times.

Another great device is the Tango. Invented by Richard Ellenson, the father of a boy with cerebral palsy and made by a company called Blink Twice (www.blink-twice.com), this device lets people affected with cerebral palsy learn how to speak and use touch to convey how they are feeling. The Tango, priced at $7,000 is, however, not affordable for all and still not available in India.

Another great invention called the Frog Pad (www.frogpad.com) is a keyboard that lets you use the computer with one hand. Though not specifically designed for people with disabilities, this is a great tool (at US$150) to help people with just one hand use the PC. It comes in both left-handed and right-handed versions.

Similary, audio books are gradually becoming common, though they are still more popular among people who like to travel a lot. I recall a mail from a society in Pune which wanted help from people to dictate and record books, so that those who could not read could listen to them and acquire some knowledge. In fact, there is a big movement on the Web urging people to read a book, record it and send the MP3 file to the nearest blind school. This is not a tough process since most phones now have built-in voice recorders that create MP3 files.

This article can go on and on. We also have to remember people like Jaipur’s Mujib Khan, who has adopted normal cars to work for physically challenged people (http:// tinyurl.com/ mujibkhan), and all those mechanics who attach additional wheels to scooters so that they can be driven by differently abled people.

Assistive technology can do a lot to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. That is, if the technology is made available. Sometimes it can be very costly, and thus beyond people with low incomes. It is time Government programmes and private organisations came forward with assistance.

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The above article appeared in the Indian Express on Sunday, 11th January 2009