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Disabled take to gadgets, establish network of joy [More Gadgets] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Buying a smartphone rang in a whole new life for L Ravi. The 53-year-old cleaner who lives in Madurai discovered that he could make video calls using 3G technology - which means he can communicate easily in sign language with his hearing and speech impaired friends. "My parents found it hard to send and receive text messages, which was the only way people with hearing and speech impairments could communicate," said Ravi's daughter Priya. "With 3G video calling, they are able to communicate with their friends in sign language. More than 100 of my father's speech-impaired friends across the country are now in touch with him after he got a smartphone," said Priya. "Face-to-face communication is far better than texting." For years, text messaging was the only way for the hearing and speech impaired to have their say but the advent of affordable 3G technology has quite literally widened their circle of friends.They can video chat and use Skype on their cellphones using sign language to connect with more friends and relatives across the state. A number of apps that also translate sign language into speech help them overcome communication barriers between disabled and non-disabled people. Though they could text, they watched mutely as the rest of the world communicated in a heartbeat using mobile phones. "It's made such a difference to their lives, all speech impaired people in his circle of friends use 3G connection in order to stay in touch with each other," said Priya. Her mother Radha, who also has a speech impairment, has also taken to video calling. "We have been using 3G video calling for the past year. We can stay in touch easily when I travel," said T K Shaishree, whose father is speech impaired. K Mahendran, who has a hearing and speech impairment, said, "It helps when we fall sick. I just make a video call to my friend who has similar disabilities and explain the problem in sign language." The internet is filled with YouTube videos that teach the disabled to use ATMs and conduct bank transactions. S Manoharan, president of Madurai District Deaf Development Association, said, "The internet has helped us grasp basic information on day-to-day activities. There are sign language videos online that explain how to use an ATM." M Sahadevan, who is visually impaired and is a professor at Presidency College in Chennai, said, "Technology is a great aid in the classroom. I not only use it to make life easier for disabled students but other students also find lessons more stimulating when I use software and aids." Videoconferencing software is helping the disabled form groups to share their opinions on current affairs. K Prakashan, a disabled person, said, "We regularly discuss current affairs on a video conference. The software is cheap and easily available. We're slowly opening up to gadgets and technology as a community ." Software, apps open up a whole new world to disabled students In the classroom, at social events and even while shopping, tech nology has made life a little bit easier for the disabled. Readers help the blind access scores of books online, MP3 and other devices help the deaf record speeches in class and translate them with software into a format they can understand and tablets help people with cerebral palsy , autism and other disabilities communicate. "There are many aids that help the disabled. For instance, we have a computer mouse with accessibility switches on it so a person with differential ability can use it easily.This helps disabled children work on a computer with ease," said S Smitha, member of Vidya Sagar Disability Legislation Unit, Chennai. Websites that follow the WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) rules gives people with low vision access. "A person with low vision can hear the words that appears as text on the screen. So they can `read' without being dependent on anyone else," she explained. "These innovations are making us more independent." K Rashmi, whose son is autistic, said, "When my son was four, we used a software called `Words Around Me' to help him with his reading difficulties. An animated character would appear on the screen and help hm identify a misspelled word. Technology has helped him learn without too much difficulty or stress." After her son turned 18, she began showing him Powerpoint presentations on activities such as baking. "We are now using software to prepare banners and letterheads to help him learn the basics of computer programming," she said. Software such as AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) and Awaz have proved useful for people with differential ability to operate touchscreen gadgets with ease. Kalpana Rao, principal of Vidya Sagar school for special children, said, "Software such as AAC and Awaz have been widely used in our school for the past five years. The software uses pictures and sign language. For instance, an image of an apple is accompanied by the word, which helps the students with differential ability learn better." (c) 2014 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |