“Bringing sight to blind and low-vision people,” is the caption of Be My Eyes App. The simple objective of the App is to help persons with blindness or visual impairment by connecting them to sighted volunteers. It was launched in 2015, and is currently available on both IOS and Android phones. The App has more than 2 million volunteers, who offer support in 180 languages. All a person with blindness needs to do to get…
Category: Accessibility
Flying with Disability – Aviation Guidelines in India
Posted in Accessibility, Disability Support, and Travel
Directorate General of Civil Aviation Guidelines for Persons with Disabilities and/or Reduced Mobility 1. AIRLINE SPECIFIC No airline shall refuse to carry persons with disability or reduced mobility and their assistive aids/devices, escorts and guide dogs including their presence in the cabin, provided such persons or their representatives, at the time of booking, inform the airline of their requirement(s). The airlines shall incorporate appropriate provisions on their website within three months from the date of…
Recently, I visited Dubai on a business trip and got a peek into what the city had to offer for persons with blindness. They call persons with disabilities as ‘persons with determination.’ I am not sure what to make of it. If someone says that you are determined, may be, you have to take it on face value. But, I found myself wondering why they were making a big deal out of it. Anyway, applying…
Flying Blind – Emirates v. Etihad
Posted in Accessibility, and Disability Support
Author: Dr. Kalyan C. Kankanala Flying with the right airline is very important for a person with blindness or any other disability. The nature and extent of assistance they provide determines the nature and extent of anxiety, trouble and difficulty one faces while flying. An airline with sensible, understanding and supportive staff can make a difficult journey comfortable and easy. All of them are bound by the applicable disability law to provide facilities and assistance,…
In my earlier post, I spoke about the legal framework for access of information and data to persons with blindness and other disabilities from the copyright and disabilities statute perspectives. In the article, I pointed out that access has been placed at less than one (1) percent and that the proportion of access is diminishing as the universe of information is expanding at a rapid rate. Sources and forms of information are changing so fast…