Accessible Information, a universal aspiration

If the 19^th century was about scientific discoveries and inventions, and 20^th century was about industrial development, independence movements and world wars, the 21^st century is about the spread of information, knowledge and ideas. It is marked by technology and information coming together to allow for easy and affordable flow of information through computers and smart phones, transcending geographical boundaries. As a global stake-holder and agent for positive change, the United Nations has also contributed in the process of getting towards knowledge societies by promoting easy flow of information. In 2015, the general assembly of the United Nations adopted the concept of internet universality. As the name suggests, it talks about internet for all across the world without difficulty and discrimination. But the concept goes much beyond its literal meaning. The concept of internet universality is based on following four key principles.

·        It is human rights centric.

·        It is open for all.

·        It is accessible for all.

·        And it is marked by multi-stakeholder participation.

Also, United Nations has actively promoted the movement for universal accessible information. United Nations adopted the convention (38 c/70) on the 17^th of November 2015 whereby the UN declared that 28^th September will be celebrated as the international day for universal accessible information. Started in 2016, this year the world is celebrating the 3^rd international day for universal accessible information. It falls in line with the post 2015 development goals set by the United Nations, and also form a part of the 2030 sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

Besides the democratic application of the resolution, the day also holds importance for the persons with disability living across the world. Since the day talks about ensuring accessibility of information, the persons with disabilities are also one of the key stakeholders. Parallel to the development of technology, the assistive technology in the form of screen reading software’s has also developed to ensure accessibility of information for the PWD.Computers and smart phones can now be accessed with the help of screen reading software’s that provide audio output. Similarly, the development of Optical Character recognition (OCR) allows scanning of hard copy books and making them accessible to be read as soft copies on computer and other devices.

In addition to the above, digital Braille displays have come up to maintain Braille as a choice for those who are willing to continue with it. In this sense, the information not only becomes accessible, but also becomes free. Free in a sense that it is a choice available to the individual and not an imposedway out. Though the computers can be accessed using audio output, if the individual wants to access the computer in Braille, in that case audio should not be imposed and Braille should bethe choice. Plus, for people with multi-disability such as deaf and blind individuals, digital Braille displays are indeed a boon. It opens doors of communication through the only relevant sense available to such individuals that of touch. As a company manufacturing world’s most affordable refreshable Braille display “BrailleMe”, Innovision is proud to be a part of the global movement for universal accessible information.

This year, to mark the celebration of the 3^rd international day for universal accessible information, there will be the 3rd IPDC talks at Tunisia.Plus, there will be eight satellite IPDC talks in other countries to celebrate the International Day for Universal Access to Information. The IPDCtalks are a global event series that aim to create world-wide discussion on how to foster open societies and inlaws and practices in the area of access to information. Global public and community leaders, journalists, NGOs and digital pioneers are invited to IPDCtalks to share their achievements and initiatives with an audience of local and global stakeholders. The talks are streamed live, fueling a global conversation on social media about the importance of access to information.

This year, the theme for the international day for universal accessible information is GOOD LAWS AND PRACTICES FOR OPEN SOCIETIES. As far as Indian laws are concerned, there have been little advancement in this context. With the amendment in the copyright act, the publishers are now legally required to provide for soft copies of the book which is a good beginning. Similarly, Sugamya Pustakalya andother government initiatives also contribute through their respective capacity.

At Innovision, we firmly believe that accessible information should be a matter of right. It should flow freely, easily and economically. We believe that technology can empower the differently able. We envision a day when disability never comes in the way of living and independence.

On this international day for accessible information, we express our wish to reach out to different individuals with our technology solution “BrailleMe” across languages and geographies. We are devoted to the cause of eliminating the existing barriers that hinder the free and easy flow of information for the visually impaired. Therefore, while wishing you all a happy international day for accessible information, we promise that through BrailleMe, we are trying to make it a reality.

Thank you

LITERACY- The bridge from misery to hope

8th September is celebrated as international literacy day across nations. United Nation’s Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared in 1996 that 8th September will be celebrated as international literacy day, and the first international literacy day was celebrated in the following year. Today, the world is celebrating fifty second international literacy day and India is not lacking any behind in celebrations. On 5th September, which is celebrated as teacher’s day, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi said that role ofteachers in nation building is paramount. But when it comes to ground realities of policy implementation for the eradication of illiteracy, the excitement in celebration does not match the realities of implementation.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Kid-moon, on the eve of the International Literacy Day, emphasized “Literacy stands at heart of the 2030 Agenda,” and said, "It is a foundation for human rights,gender equality, and sustainable societies. It is essential to all our efforts to end extreme poverty and promote well-being for all people. That is why the Sustainable Development Goals aim for universal access to quality education and learning opportunities throughout people's lives." However, it is saddening to know that a latest UNESCO report indicates that if India is to meet its global education commitments, it would be 50 years behind in achieving the goal.
According to the report, "thecountry needs fundamental changes in the education system if it wantsto meet the 2030 sustainable development goals." This statement assumes importance when referred to findings of thedraft National Policy on Education 2016 released by the HRD Ministry appointed Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy headed by chairman TSR Subramanian. The report finds that the state ofeducation system in the country is rather deplorable and its existing realities are alarming. According to the report, though the literacy rate has shown considerable improvement since the time of Independence, continuing inequity, and the poor quality of education, remains some of the disturbing impediments.
When it comes to the literacy among the visually impaired individuals in India, these impediments are evidently visible. While India is the home for largest population of visually impaired individuals globally, the challenges faced by the visually impaired children in access to basic literacy are very discouraging. In case of primary education of any visually impaired child, the challenges liein various inter-dependent factors. They exist in infrastructure, awareness and overall social attitude towards visually impaired population.
At times, when a visually impaired child is born in a family, the parents are not aware about how should they go about getting the child educated. Leave alone the awareness about assistive technology, they do not know about Braille books or special schools for the visually impaired. This lack of awareness greatly results in illiteracy among the visually impaired. Or even if the parents come to know about facilities like special schools for the visually impaired, by then, the child has already fallen behind other peers by few years.

At school, lack of awareness among the teachers about teaching visually impaired students presents practical difficulties. There are not many special educators who are trained to teach visually impaired students.When it comes to infrastructure, the present conditions are not very satisfactory at the grass root levels. From the elementary level, needsand requirements of the visually impaired students are not taken into consideration. May it be about maps, diagrams or any objects, thevisually impaired students are not provided with alternate tactile models. Consequently, visually impaired students do miss out on someof the information which could be made available by making small changes in the existing infrastructure.
Other challenge that causes anincreasing drop in the literacy level among the visually impaired students is the availability of Braille books. The traditional hard copy books are expensive, bulky and difficult to avail. There is alot of human effort involved in making of the Braille books. Sometimes,the embossed Braille books reaches to the student after the examinations are over.

Plus, dependency on writers is also one of the biggest challenge. At times,even if the student is all prepared for the exam, he or she has to miss the exam because there is no writer available to write. Lastly, the overall attitude of the society towards the visually impaired individuals goes a long way in facilitating the further increase in illiteracy among the visually impaired students. Despite programs for inclusive education, if the attitudes and mind-sets are exclusive at the core, then we won’t be able to see any progress in spread ofliteracy among the visually impaired community. In order to provide equal opportunities of literacy to the visually impaired students, the government, societies and the whole system should first consider the visually impaired students as contributing section of the country.

Every coming day, technology is making lives easier for the visually impaired individuals. But there is a vicious cycle which does not allow the visually impaired individuals to actually benefit from the technological advancements. Technological solutions are available which are not affordable to the visually impaired individuals. This is because a lot of visually impaired individuals are living below poverty line, and the government does not see the need to provide subsidies. They survive by hawking in the local trains, or some of them beg to earn food. And the reason for their poverty is in their unemployment, which is directly linked with illiteracy. In this way,illiteracy lies at the root of this on-going vicious cycle, making the visually impaired individuals appear as someone to be pitied, someone at the mercy of alms or charity.

Today, on this fifty second international literacy day, Innovision wants to express its vision for the spread of literacy among the visually impaired individuals across countries through its product“BrailleMe”. BrailleMe is not just a Braille display, but it aims at helping the visually impaired get back their dignity and self-respect which they all rightfully deserve. It is a means to eradicate illiteracy, defeat the mighty arms of unemployment, and thereby exit the vicious cycle of misery. Innovision wishes all the visually impaired individuals a very happy literacy day, and commits to continue working towards making this day even more meaningful.

Inclusive Teaching

On the one hundred and thirtieth birth anniversary of India’s Second President and first vice-president Dr. S Radhakrishnan, we, at Innovision, pay tribute to India’s renowned Academician and reverent teacher. Dr. Radhakrishnan is known as a great thinker, philosopher and as the bridge between Indian and western philosophies. As his thinking was open and inclusive of different schools of philosophies, we as a company take inspiration from Dr. Radhakrishnan’s spirit of inclusiveness and his vision of education for India.

Innovision, through its technology solution “BrailleMe”, is trying to make its small contribution in the spread of education and literacy among the visually impaired students. If the facts of census 2011  are to be believed, the number of illiterate disabled persons stands at 12,196,641. According to WHO statistics from 2007, of the 37 million visually impaired persons across the globe, over 15 million were from India. At Innovision, the emphasis is on reducing the existing inequalities and opening doors of new opportunities for students as well as for working professionals.

For students, BrailleMe is indeed a boon, for now they can type their exams in Braille without the need of a writer. Unlike the hard copy Braille, BrailleMe provides refreshable Braille output which gets auto converted into sighted text. Similarly, soft copy books in any language can now be read in Braille, thanks to the text-to-Braille and Braille-to-text conversion.When the technology is revolutionizing, the ways in which we consumed information will also improve in numerous ways.

Access to lot more educational content in multiple languages and trying to substitute heavy schoolbags with bulky braille books -BrailleMe presents itself to be a Braille tablet for the visually impaired students. As the hard copy Braille books are bulky and not very portable, BrailleMe can carry thousands of books in single SD card. Because of the auto conversion from Braille to sighted text, inclusive education for the visually impaired students becomes even more simpler.

Sighted teachers who do not know Braille can still teach visually impaired students, check their answer sheets as sighted text, monitor their class assignments and homework. Besides making digital Braille content accessible and affordable, BrailleMe goes miles in elevating the sense of being at

par with sighted peers and feeling of being self-reliant among the visually impaired students.

With the government’s efforts to bring the level up of overall accessibility, this teacher’s day, Innovision reaffirms its commitment towards accessibility for the visually impaired students both domestic and international. We believe that absence of sighted assistance, accessible material or unaffordability of technological solutions should not come in way of education of the visually impaired. Therefore, today we reestablish our long-term vision for inclusive education as well as inclusive teaching, which will be an enriching experience for  both teachers and visually impaired students. While envisioning inclusive education as the reality, wish a very happy teacher’s day to all students and teachers across regions and geographies.