Inclusive Technologies
Tech to the aid of autistic children
June 6, 2007, Shuchi Grover, India Together
A recent workshop in Bangalore, the "Computer Training Workshop For Children And Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders" is using computers and digital technologies to help autistic children. This article reports on the proceedings and outcomes of the workshop, which was attended by participants from as far as Chennai and Mumbai. The workshop was organised by Dr. Arun Mehta and Vickram Crishna, who together have developed software for Stephen Hawking as well as having experience teaching and creating software for the visually impaired.
Enabling airwaves
October 2002, Lalitha Sridhar, Infochange
This article introduces India's first radio programme for the disabled. The programme is broadcast by the All India Radio with software support from Ability Foundation, an NGO. The various sections of the programme not just discuss the issues that matter to the disabled, but provide awareness about their rights as well.
Tackling autism
June 2007, Dataquest India
Autism affects some of the brightest minds, including many in the IT industry, this article details how technology can help. This includes the creation of a working environment with as few elements of distraction as possible and the use of special software which caters to their needs (like the 'dasher' software which allows for typing using a mouse rather than a keyboard which autistics find difficult to operate).
ICT support for disabled persons
2006, Rajib Mitra
New hopes are streaming with the advent of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Apart from its increasing importance in bringing the hemispheres close ICT has paved the way for the challenged people - physically or mentally - to ameliorate their life by providing appropriate educational environment and equipments suitable for them. But to avail facilities as much as possible through this booming technology international cooperation for copious provisions in respect to ICT, issues in standards and legislations at various levels, universal access to ICT and its challenges and the principles involved in creating standard technological products etc are to be taken care of.
Reading out of the "Idiot Box": Same-language subtitling on television in India
2005, Brij Kothari, Avinash Pandey & Amita R. Chudgar, MIT Press Journal
Same Language Subtitling (SLS) is the idea of subtitling the lyrics of song based television programs (e.g., music videos), in the same language as the audio. Situated in a literature review of subtitling, this article describes the first-ever implementation of SLS on a TV program of film songs, specifically for first-language literacy. Chitrageet, a weekly 30-minute TV program of Gujarati film songs, was telecast across Gujarat state in India, with the lyrics subtitled in Gujarati. The article discusses the results of the pilot study to test the effectiveness of SLS of film songs on the reading skills of out-of-school people.
