Becoming more independent
TECH HELP
About 500 delegates from government and non-profit organisations, educational institutes and corporate sectors participated in third edition of the event ‘Techshare 2012’, that displayed different IT hardware and software products and services for the people with physical disabilities. 
On display was an instrument called ‘Smart Hat’ for those suffering from congenital disease – spina bifida--in which the head keeps tilting. Other devices for the visually impaired included an Indian currency note identifier and smart belts to aid walking without sticks.
The event was organised by BarrierBreak Technologies, in association with National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). Also on display were advanced gadgets such supernova access suite which provides access to Indian English voice accent. The gadget is also available in Hindi. The device comes handy for the blind to function independently on computer. Through this device, the user can access the web, write emails, create documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
Javed Abidi, director, NCPEDP said, “Less than one per cent of 80 million disabled Indians have access to assistive communication technologies. Due to their disability, these people cannot make use of any technology. We need strong implementation of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines that define official usability standards.” W3C guidelines refer to the inclusive practice of making websites user-friendly by those with disabilities.
Other products on display were portable video magnifier to provide better images to those with low vision, text to braille software in English and all Indian languages and hand operated brake, accelerator and clutch suitable for a person with handicap on right or left leg or both.
“The previous edition focused on talking ATMs. Subsequently, the RBI passed a regulation that 33 per cent of all ATMs to be made accessible for the specially abled. This year the focus was to make gaming and entertainment accessible for the specially abled apart from bringing different IT hardware and software products and services closer to them,” said Shilpi Kapoor, chief organiser of the event and founder of BarrierBreak Technologies.
