Braille

Introduction
Louis Braille invented "braille", a world wide system of embossed type used by blind and partially sighted people for reading and writing. It has been adaptedto almost every known language, from Albanian to Zulu.
He died in 1852 and, for a while, it seemed as if this system would die with the inventor. Thankfully a few key people realised the importance of this invention.In 1868, Dr Thomas Armitage led a group of four blind men to found the British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind.
This small band of friends grew and grew to become Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB). We are now the largest publisher of braille in Europe.Our pioneering work helps anyone with a sight problem.
Where does the story begin?
Louis Braille was born in a small town near Paris on 4 January 1809.
One day when Louis Braille was a small boy, he crept into his father's workshop to play. He had often seen his father making shoes and he decided he wouldlike to try. He picked up an awl, a sharp, pointed tool used for making holes in leather. As he bent over, the awl slipped and pierced his eye, destroyingit forever. Some time later his other eye became infected by the first and he lost his sight altogether. He was aged only 4, but still went on to becomeone of the most famous Frenchmen ever to live.
Louis Braille's school years
Despite his sight loss the young child attended the village school with his sighted friends for two years. Eventually it became clear that he would notbe able to learn much more, largely because he could not read or write. Without an education it was likely that he would have to beg on the streets, likeother blind people at that time.
At the age of ten he was lucky enough to be sent to a school for blind boys in Paris, one of the first in the world. Conditions in the school were veryharsh. The building was damp and unhealthy and discipline was severe. Pupils who misbehaved were beaten, locked up and given stale bread and water. Infact, this kind of discipline was common in all schools at that time. Life was harsh for nearly everyone and most sighted children left school at the ageof 12 and went to work in factories or in mines.
At the school in Paris the blind pupils were taught practical skills like chair caning and slipper making so that when they left the school they would beable to make a living. Once a week, after lunch, the boys were taken for a walk in the park, linked together by a long rope.
They were also taught to read but not to write. The letters they read were raised above the surface of the page so that they could feel them with theirfingertips. This form of writing was very difficult to read because it was very hard to tell the letters apart. The letters were printed by pressing copperwire into one side of the paper to make a raised shape on the other. Because each individual letter had to be made out of wire first and because the wirethen had to be forced into the paper with a press blind people were unable to write anything for themselves.
One day something happened that changed the lives of blind people forever. In 1821, a soldier named Charles Barbier visited Louis' school. He bought withhim a system he had invented called "night writing". Night writing had originally been designed so that soldiers could pass instructions along trenchesat night without having to talk and give their positions away. It consisted of twelve raised dots which could be combined to represent different sounds.Unfortunately it proved to be too complex for soldiers to master and was therefore rejected by the army.
How did he develop braille?
The young Louis Braille quickly realised how useful this system of raised dots could be, provided it was simplified. Over the next few months he experimentedwith different systems until he found an ideal system using six dots. He continued to work on the scheme for several years after, developing separate codesfor maths and music. In 1827 the first book in braille was published.
Even so, the new system did not catch on immediately. Sighted people did not understand how useful braille could be and one head teacher at the school evenbanned the children from learning it. Fortunately this seemed to have the effect of encouraging the children even more and they took to learning it insecret. Eventually even sighted people began to realise the benefits of the new system.
Not only could people with sight problems read braille but they could also write it for themselves using a simple stylus to make the dots. For the firsttime blind and partially sighted people began to be truly independent and to take control of their own lives.
What did he go on to do?
Louis Braille eventually became a teacher in the school where he had been a student. He was admired and respected by his pupils but, unfortunately, he didnot live to see his system widely adopted. He had always been plagued by ill health and in 1852, at the age of 43, he died from tuberculosis.
In France itself, Louis Braille's achievement was finally recognised by the state. In 1952 his body was moved to Paris where it was buried in the Pantheon,the home of France's national heroes.
Braille links - RNIBlist of 8 items• Everyday braille - about different types of braille including how numbers and money are represented.

life of Helen Keller

Helen Adams Keller was born on 27 June 1880 in Tuscumbia, a small rural town in Northwest Alabama, USA. The daughter of Captain Arthur Henley Keller andKate Adams Keller she was born with full sight and hearing.
Kate Keller was a tall, statuesque blond with blue eyes. She was some twenty years younger than her husband Captain Keller, a loyal southerner who had proudlyserved in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
The house they lived in was a simple, white, clapboard house built in 1820 by Helen’s grandparents. At the time of Helen’s birth the family were far fromwealthy with Captain Keller earning a living as both a cotton plantation owner and the editor of a weekly local newspaper, the “North Alabamian”. Helen’smother, as well as working on the plantation, would save money by making her own butter, lard, bacon and ham.
Helen falls ill
But Helen’s life was to change dramatically. In February 1882, when Helen was nineteen months old, she fell ill. To this day the nature of her ailment remainsa mystery. The doctors of the time called it “brain fever”, whilst modern day doctors think it may have been scarlet fever or meningitis.
Whatever the illness, Helen was, for many days, expected to die. When, eventually, the fever subsided, Helen’s family rejoiced believing their daughterto be well again.
However, Helen’s mother soon noticed how her daughter was failing to respond when the dinner bell was rang or when she passed her hand in front of her daughter’seyes.
It thus became apparent that Helen’s illness had left her both blind and deaf.
The following few years proved very hard for Helen and her family. Helen became a very difficult child, smashing dishes and lamps and terrorising the wholehousehold with her screaming and temper tantrums. Relatives regarded her as a monster and thought she should be put into an institution.
By the time Helen was six her family had become desperate. Looking after Helen was proving too much for them. Kate Keller had read in Charles Dickens’ book“American Notes” of the fantastic work that had been done with another deaf and blind child, Laura Bridgman, and travelled to a specialist doctor in Baltimorefor advice. They were given confirmation that Helen would never see or hear again but were told not to give up hope, the doctor believed Helen could betaught and he advised them to visit a local expert on the problems of deaf children. This expert was Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone,Bell was now concentrating on what he considered his true vocation, the teaching of deaf children.
Alexander Graham Bell suggested that the Kellers write to Michael Anagnos, director of the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind, andrequest that he try and find a teacher for Helen. Michael Anagnos considered Helen’s case and immediately recommended a former pupil of the institution,that woman was Anne Sullivan.
Anne Sullivan
Anne Sullivan had lost the majority of her sight at the age of five. By the age of ten, her mother had died and her father deserted her. She and her brotherJimmie were sent to the poorhouse in February 1876.
Anne’s brother died in the poorhouse. It was October 1880 before Anne finally left and went to commence her education at the Perkins Institution. One summerduring her time at the institute, Anne had two operations on her eyes, which led to her regaining enough sight to be able to read normal print for shortperiods of time.
Anne graduated from Perkins in 1886 and began to search for work. Finding work was terribly difficult for Anne, due to her poor eyesight, and when she receivedthe offer from Michael Anagnos to work as the teacher of Helen Keller, a deaf-blind mute, although she had no experience in this area, she accepted willingly.
Helen meets Anne
On 3 March 1887 Anne arrived at the house in Tuscumbia and for the first time met Helen Keller. Anne immediately started teaching Helen to finger spell.Spelling out the word “Doll” to signify a present she had brought with her for Helen. The next word she taught Helen was “Cake”. Although Helen could repeatthese finger movements she could not quite understand what they meant. And while Anne was struggling trying to help her understand, she was also strugglingto try and control Helen’s continuing bad behaviour.
Anne and Helen moved into a small cottage on the land of the main house to try and get Helen to improve her behaviour. Of particular concern were Helen’stable manners. She had taken to eating with her hands and from the plates of everyone at the table.
Anne’s attempts to improve Helen’s table manners and make her brush her own hair and button her shoes led to more and more temper tantrums. Anne punishedthese tantrums by refusing to “talk” with Helen by spelling words on her hands.
Over the coming weeks, however, Helen’s behaviour did begin to improve as a bond grew between the two. Then, after a month of Anne’s teaching, what thepeople of the time called a “miracle” occurred.
Helen had until now not yet fully understood the meaning of words. When Anne led her to the water pump on 5 April 1887, all that was about to change.
As Anne pumped the water over Helen’s hand , Anne spelled out the word water in the girl’s free hand. Something about this explained the meaning of wordswithin Helen, and Anne could immediately see in her face that she finally understood.
Helen later recounted the incident:
“We walked down the path to the well-house, attracted by the fragrance of the honey-suckle with which it was covered. Someone was drawing water and my teacherplaced my hand under the spout. As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water, first slowly, then rapidly. I stoodstill, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten, a thrill of returningthought, and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me.”
Helen immediately asked Anne for the name of the pump to be spelt on her hand and then the name of the trellis. All the way back to the house Helen learnedthe name of everything she touched and also asked for Anne’s name. Anne spelled the name “Teacher” on Helen’s hand. Within the next few hours Helen learntthe spelling of thirty new words.
Helen’s progress from then on was astonishing. Her ability to learn was far in advance of anything that anybody had seen before in someone without sightor hearing. It wasn’t long before Anne was teaching Helen to read, firstly with raised letters and later with braille, and to write with both ordinaryand braille typewriters.
Michael Anagnos was keen to promote Helen, one of the numerous articles on her that he wrote said of Helen that “she is a phenomenon”. These articles ledto a wave of publicity about Helen with pictures of her reading Shakespeare or stroking her dog appearing in national newspapers.
Helen had become famous, and as well as again visiting Alexander Graham Bell, she visited President Cleveland at the White House. By 1890 she was livingat the Perkins Institute and being taught by Anne. In March of that year Helen met Mary Swift Lamson who over the coming year was to try and teach Helento speak. This was something that Helen desperately wanted and although she learned to understand what somebody else was saying by touching their lipsand throat, her efforts to speak herself proved at this stage to be unsuccessful. This was later attributed to the fact that Helen’s vocal chords werenot properly trained prior to her being taught to speak.
The Frost King
On 4 November 1891 Helen sent Michael Anagnos a birthday gift of a short story she had written called “The Frost King”. Anagnos was so delighted with thestory that he had soon published it in a magazine hailing its importance in literary history.
However, it was soon discovered that Helen’s story was the same as one called “The Frost Fairies” by Margaret Canby. This was ultimately to be the end ofHelen and Anne’s friendship with Michael Anagnos. He felt he had been made to appear foolish by what he considered to be Helen’s deception.
There had to be an investigation and it was discovered that Helen had previously been read the story some years before and had obviously remembered it.Helen always claimed not to recall the original story and it should always be remembered that Helen was still only 11 years old, however, this incidentcreated a rift that would never heal between Helen, Anne and Anagnos. It also created great doubt in Helen’s own mind as to whether any of her thoughtswere truly her own.
In 1894 Helen and Anne met John D Wright and Dr Thomas Humason who were planning to set up a school to teach speech to the deaf in New York City. Helenand Anne were very excited by this and the assurances of the two men that Helen’s speech could be improved excited them further. Helen thus agreed to attendthe Wright-Humason School for the Deaf.
Unfortunately though, Helen’s speech never really improved beyond the sounds that only Anne and others very close to her could understand.
Helen enters Radcliffe College
Helen moved on to the Cambridge School for Young Ladies in 1896 and in the Autumn of 1900 entered Radcliffe College, becoming the first deafblind personto have ever enrolled at an institution of higher learning.
Life at Radcliffe was very difficult for Helen and Anne, and the huge amount of work involved led to deterioration in Anne’s eyesight. During their timeat the College Helen began to write about her life. She would write the story both in braille and on a normal typewriter. It was at this time that Helenand Anne met with John Albert Macy who was to help edit Helen’s first book “The Story of My Life” which was published in 1903 and although it sold poorlyat first it has since become a classic.
On 28 June 1904 Helen graduated from Radcliffe College, becoming the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
John Macy became good friends with Helen and Anne, and in May 1905 John and Anne were married. Anne’s name now changed to Anne Sullivan Macy. The threelived together in Wrentham, Massachusetts, and during this time Helen wrote “The World I Live In”, revealing for the first time her thoughts on her world.It was also during this time that John Macy introduced her to a new and revolutionary way of viewing the world. And in 1909 Helen became a member of theSocialist Party of Massachusetts.
In 1913 “Out of the Dark” was published. This was a series of essays on socialism and its impact on Helen’s public image was immense. Everyone now knewHelen’s political views.
Helen tours the World
Helen and Anne filled the following years with lecture tours, speaking of her experiences and beliefs to enthralled crowds. Her talks were interpreted sentenceby sentence by Anne Sullivan, and were followed by question and answer sessions.
Although Helen and Anne made a good living from their lectures, by 1918 the demand for Helen’s lectures had diminished and they were touring with a morelight-hearted vaudeville show, which demonstrated Helen’s first understanding of the word “water”. These shows were hugely successful from the very firstperformance, a review of which read as follows:
“Helen Keller has conquered again, and the Monday afternoon audience at the Palace, one of the most critical and cynical in the World, was hers.”
At this time they were also offered the chance to make a film in Hollywood and they jumped at the opportunity. “Deliverance”, the story of Helen’s life,was made. Helen was, however, unhappy with the glamorous nature of the film and it unfortunately did not prove to be the financial success that they hadhoped for.
The vaudeville appearances continued with Helen answering a wide range of questions on her life and her politics and Anne translating Helen’s answers forthe enthralled audience. They were earning up to two thousand dollars a week, which was a considerable sum of money at the time.
In 1918 Helen, Anne and John moved to Forest Hills in New York. Helen used their new home as a base for her extensive fundraising tours for the AmericanFoundation for the Blind. She not only collected money, but also campaigned tirelessly to alleviate the living and working conditions of blind people,who at that time were usually badly educated and living in asylums. Her endeavours were a major factor in changing these conditions.
Helen’s mother Kate died in 1921 from an unknown illness, and this left Anne as the sole constant in Helen’s life. However that same year Anne fell illagain and this was followed in 1922 by a severe bout of bronchitis which left her unable to speak above a whisper and thus unable to work with Helen onstage anymore. At this point Polly Thomson, who had started working for Helen and Anne in 1914 as a secretary, took on the role of explaining Helen tothe theatre going public.
They also spent a lot of time touring the world raising money for blind people. In 1931 they met King George and Queen Mary at Buckingham Palace, who weresaid to be deeply impressed by Helen’s ability to understand what people said through touch.
All the while Anne’s health was getting worse, and with the news of the death of John Macy in 1932, although their marriage had broken up some years before,her spirit was finally broken. She died on 20 October 1936.
When Anne died, Helen and Polly moved to Arcan Ridge, in Westport, Connecticut, which would be Helen’s home for the rest of her life.
After World War II, Helen and Polly spent years travelling the world fundraising for the American Foundation for the Overseas Blind. They visited Japan,Australia, South America, Europe and Africa.
Whilst away during this time Helen and Polly learnt of the fire that destroyed their home at Arcan Ridge. Although the house would be rebuilt, as well asthe many mementoes that Helen and Polly lost, also destroyed was the latest book that Helen had been working on about Anne Sullivan, called “Teacher”.
It was also during this time that Polly Thomson’s health began to deteriorate and whilst in Japan she had a mild stroke. Doctors advised Polly to stop thecontinuous touring she and Helen did, and although initially they slowed down a bit, the touring continued once Polly had recovered.
In 1953 a documentary film “The Unconquered” was made about Helen’s life, this was to win an Academy Award as the best feature length documentary .It wasat the same time that Helen began work again on her book “Teacher”, some seven years after the original had been destroyed. The book was finally publishedin 1955.
Polly Thomson had a stroke in 1957, she was never to fully recover and died on March 21, 1960. Her ashes were deposited at the National Cathedral in WashingtonDC next to those of Anne Sullivan. It was the nurse who had been brought in to care for Polly in her last years, Winnie Corbally, who was to take careof Helen in her remaining years.
The Miracle Worker
It was in 1957 that “The Miracle Worker” was first performed. A drama portraying Anne Sullivan’s first success in communicating with Helen as a child, itfirst appeared as a live television play in the United States.
In 1959 it was re-written as a Broadway play and opened to rave reviews. It became a smash hit and ran for almost two years. In 1962 it was made into afilm and the actresses playing Anne and Helen both received Oscars for their performances.
Helen retires from public life
In October 1961 Helen suffered the first of a series of strokes, and her public life was to draw to a close. She was to spend her remaining years beingcared for at her home in Arcan Ridge.
Her last years were not however without excitement, and in 1964 Helen was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award,by President Lyndon Johnson. A year later she was elected to the Women’s Hall of Fame at the New York World’s Fair.
On June 1, 1968, at Arcan Ridge, Helen Keller died peacefully in her sleep. Helen was cremated in Bridgeport, Connecticut and a funeral service was heldat the National Cathedral in Washington DC where the urn containing her ashes would later be deposited next to those of Anne Sullivan and Polly Thomson.
Helen’s legacy
Today Helen’s final resting place is a popular tourist attraction and the bronze plaque erected to commemorate her life has the following inscription writtenin braille:
“Helen Keller and her beloved companion Anne Sullivan Macy are interred in the columbarium behind this chapel.”
So many people have visited the chapel, and touched the braille dots, that the plaque has already had to be replaced twice.
If Helen Keller were born today her life would undoubtedly have been completely different. Her life long dream was to be able to talk, something that shewas never really able to master. Today the teaching methods exist that would have helped Helen to realise this dream. What would Helen have made of thetechnology available today to blind and deafblind individuals? Technology that enables blind and deafblind people, like Helen, to communicate directly,and independently, with anybody in the world.
Helen Keller may not have been directly responsible for the development of these technologies and teaching methods. But with the help of Anne Sullivan,through her writings, lectures and the way she lived her life, she has shown millions of people that disability need not be the end of the world.
In Helen’s own words:
“The public must learn that the blind man is neither genius nor a freak nor an idiot. He has a mind that can be educated, a hand which can be trained, ambitionswhich it is right for him to strive to realise, and it is the duty of the public to help him make the best of himself so that he can win light throughwork.”
Further reading
RNIB’s Research Library
let us try to make Helen Kellers in Pakistan.

Mr. Mehta

[PBCU] 'With help from tech, you can make it big anywhere' table end
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With the current churn in the technology space, the pace can get really hectic for a human resource professional in a technology firm. But Rajesh Mehtahas taken it in his stride. Attending conferences, giving presentations and training 100s of fresh recruits is all part of a days work for him.
Mehta, career development manager with IBM India, went blind at age eight, but you wouldn’t know it judging from his work—which is exactly how he wantsit. Using the text-based Lynx browser, Mobile Speak, and a JAWS (Job Access With Voice) screen reader to read out the screen, Mehta currently handles trainingsessions that are dense with information for new recruits.
Mehta denies any special credit. “There are many other colleagues of mine, here in IBM itself, who are doing brilliant work despite being visually impaired,”he says.
With a little help from technology and of course the drive and confidence, visual impairment need not be a hurdle to grow in the corporate world. “Thereare technologies available that can provide an equal opportunity in any profession,” says Kanchan Pamnani, a solicitor with the Mumbai High court, whois also visually impaired.
Screen readers: Screen reader software like Job Access With Speech (www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws.asp) read out aloud everythingthat is on the monitor, thus ensuring effective computer navigation. JAWS is probably one of the more robust solutions available for screen reading, thoughat $1,000 (approx Rs 39,590) it’s probably also the most expensive.
There are other cheaper options such as Screen Access For All (safa.sourceforge.net) which comes with a free basic version and an Indian language patchcalled Vachak.
OCR software: To read printed paper, you can use a scanner and an optical character recognition (OCR) software. All you need to do is, scan the printedpage and then run it through an OCR software, which will then store a digital version of the copy that you can edit. One such tool is Kurzweil 1000 OCR(blinksoft.biz/products/ocr/ kurzweil.html). It will also let you make a copy into Braille.
Mobile screen readers: To navigate through a mobile phone, Pamnani uses Mobile Speak (www.codefactory.es/mobile_speak/mspeak.htm) —it reads out everythingon your phone.
Audio book readers: There are plenty of audio books available on the internet which can be downloaded and loaded on MP3 players. You can then listen tothem at leisure. Browsing the net and the TV: Lynx browser (lynx.browser.org) edits web pages and displays them in text-only mode. You can then use a screenreader to browse the internet. Likewise, Sara Reading machine is a stand-alone reading machine which you can connect to a TV. It can also magnify printedmaterial.
Braille programs: There are several electronic and mechanical tools that help students type notes in Braille. Tools like TGD PRO (www. duxburysystems.com/tgd.asp?choice=pro)help in drawing computerised Braille diagrams. Handy they might be, but these tools usually come with a heavy price tag, says Sam Taraporevala, director,Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), who himself has successfully battled visual problems. “Many companies are ready to employvisually impaired people. Unfortunately, due to a lack of knowledge of the technology available, or a lack of access to these tools, the number of employablepeople is still very limited,” says Taraporevala. XRCVC gives free access to these tools and increases awareness through seminars that bring togethersuccessful people who have battled visual disability. The organisation is also involved in building products to facilitate day-to-day activities for thevisually impaired. One such project is a thumbprint recognition software for cheques, which they are developing with CMC. This will allow the visuallyimpaired to use cheques while banking. There are many similar projects in the pipeline, says Taraporevala, "I just want (visually impaired) people to knowthat there are diverse professions available for them—it’s not just about candle making and telephone operators. With a bit of help from technologyand the right training you can make it big in any profession today."
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its HJ again! again!

It is Henter Joyce Again……………..

These columns have featured, in several past issues about JAWS (the software for the visually impaired persons), and its creator Henter Joyce. The JAWS software is an excellent tool for the visually impaired persons and to limited extent provides guidance for colours and graphics, but very limited for supporting use of Computer for Mathemetics, Algebra and Trignometry. The new product I am going to describe below, handles addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Future versions will do higher levels of math, like algebra, trigonometry, differential equations, and calculus.
Virtual Pencil is computer software that is used to interactively solve math problems. It is designed for those who are pencil impaired: unable to operate a pencil effectively. This is not a tutorial, although tutorial mode is part of the package. Think of it as a virtual pencil, a tool that can be used to solve a math problem. It moves to the right spot on the "paper", guided by the user, and inputs the answers that the user selects.
Today I am presenting the “The Virtual Pencil Story” by Henter Joyce. I have acquired the software and am currently working on it. I will in future issues give more details about this new software.
The traditional pencil is a problem for people that are blind, or people that can't grip it or move it, or those that are learning disabled. A pencil plays a key part in learning Math, and other equation-solving disciplines. Typically a student uses a pencil to "work through" a math problem, writing down the intermediate answers and using them to get the final answer. But if you can't operate a pencil then you can't write down the intermediate answers, which makes it very difficult to use them in acquiring the final answer, and does not leave anything on the paper to show that you actually worked through the problem and you know how to solve it.Ted was helping her junior high school daughter with her homework a few years ago. Ted could do the math in his head, but he could not show her how to do it. Ted is blind, and his the girl is sighted. It was a very frustrating experience for both of them. That is when Ted realized that the problem lies with the pencil, or his inability to operate it. Ted received his math education when he was sighted, and skipped the frustration that must impact every blind student. And their teachers and parents.Why not have a computer program that the student can control with the keyboard, or voice commands, that simulates the function of a pencil? A smart pencil that knows where to put the intermediate answers, where to put the final answers, and where to get the raw numbers that are used to get these answers?This idea was patented in 1997, and is now called the Virtual Pencil.Sample Session using the Virtual PencilA typical addition problem goes like this:We are adding two numbers together, three digits each. They appear on the computer screen one above the other, just like you would write it on a piece of paper. Before we get to the test mode, maybe a tutoring session would be helpful? When in Tutor Mode the VIRTUALPENCIL will guide the student through the appropriate steps, telling him where he is, moving to the next input area, what action needs to be taken, and checking the answers. Here is a problem using Tutor mode:User: "location"VIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row ones column" (the cursor is below the ones column, ready for the first intermediate answer)User: "Tutor" (asks for the tutor information, the numbers)VIRTUALPENCIL: "3+9"User: "2" (enters the 2 in the ones column)User: "Next" (moves to the next step, the carry area above the tens column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "carry area tens column"User: "1" (enters the 1 above the tens column)User: "Next" (goes to the next step)VIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row tens column" (speaks the location)User: "tutor" (asks for the numbers in the tens column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+4+8" (gives the carry digit first)User: "3" (enters the 3 in the tens column)User: "next"VIRTUALPENCIL: "carry area hundreds column""1" (enters the 1 above the hundreds column)User: "next"VIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row hundreds column"User: "tutor"VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+9+6"User: "6" (enters the 6 below the column)User: "next"VIRTUALPENCIL: "carry area thousands column"User: "1" (enters the 1 above the column)User: "next"VIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row thousands column"User: "tutor" (asks for the numbers in the column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+ blank + blank" (there were no digits in the thousands column, just the carry digit)User: "1" (enters the digit)User: "Answer" (asks for the answer which is now displayed in the summation row)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1632, Correct!"Since we are in Tutor mode the VIRTUALPENCIL will tell you if it is correct.Now lets try the same problem in Test mode. The student must know how and where to navigate the cursor, because the "next" command will not work in this mode. The "tutor" command doesn't work either, so the student must know where to find the numbers and how to read them. A screen reader is being used, so as the cursor is moved around the problem it is also speaking the numbers that appear on the screen.User: locationVIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row ones column" (the cursor is below the ones column, ready for the first intermediate answer)User: "page up", "down arrow", down arrow", "down arrow" (goes to the top of the column and reads down to hear each number)VIRTUALPENCIL: 3+9User: "2" (enters the 2 in the ones column)User: "Left" (moves left one column, to the tens column)User: "Page up" (moves to the carry area tens column)User: "1" (enters the 1 above the tens column)User: "down arrow", "down arrow", "down arrow" (reads down through the column)VIRTUALPENCIL: 1+4+8 (gives the carry digit first)User: "3" (enters the 3 below the tens column)User: "Left" (moves left one column, to the hundreds column)User: "Page up" (moves to the carry area)User: "1" (enters the 1 above the hundreds column)User: "down arrow", "down arrow", "down arrow" (reads down through the column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+9+6"User: "6" (enters the 6 in the hundreds column)User: "Left" (moves left to the thousands column)User: "Page up" (moves to the carry area)User: "1" (enters the 1 above the column)User: "down arrow", "down arrow", "down arrow" (reads down through the column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+ blank + blank" (there were no digits in the thousands column, just the carry digit)User: "1" (enters the digit)Answer (asks for the answer which is now displayed in the summation row)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1632" (We are in Test mode, so it does not tell you if you are right or wrong.)The commands used in this example, like "left", "page-up", and "down arrow" are keyboard commands. They can also be thought of as voice commands, using a third-party voice recognition module. The VIRTUALPENCIL's responses can be spoken out loud, displayed in Braille, and/or displayed visually on the screen. This is a "test mode" example, the student controlled the computer as if it were a pencil, he knew where to go, what data to ask for, and where to put the input. The student already knew how to operate the Virtual Pencil and how to solve the problem.The teacher can prepare the fest, or homework assignment, and send it to the computer. When the assignment is finished the student can tell his computer to send it back. It can be emailed, printed, or handed in on diskette. In time we will have predefined sets of problems that coincide with popular text books, for homework exercises or tests. The student, or parent, can also make up their own practice problems.(This article contains matter extracted from the Henter Joyce web site).

It is Henter Joyce Again……………..

These columns have featured, in several past issues about JAWS (the software for the visually impaired persons), and its creator Henter Joyce. The JAWS software is an excellent tool for the visually impaired persons and to limited extent provides guidance for colours and graphics, but very limited for supporting use of Computer for Mathemetics, Algebra and Trignometry. The new product I am going to describe below, handles addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Future versions will do higher levels of math, like algebra, trigonometry, differential equations, and calculus.
Virtual Pencil is computer software that is used to interactively solve math problems. It is designed for those who are pencil impaired: unable to operate a pencil effectively. This is not a tutorial, although tutorial mode is part of the package. Think of it as a virtual pencil, a tool that can be used to solve a math problem. It moves to the right spot on the "paper", guided by the user, and inputs the answers that the user selects.
Today I am presenting the “The Virtual Pencil Story” by Henter Joyce. I have acquired the software and am currently working on it. I will in future issues give more details about this new software.
The traditional pencil is a problem for people that are blind, or people that can't grip it or move it, or those that are learning disabled. A pencil plays a key part in learning Math, and other equation-solving disciplines. Typically a student uses a pencil to "work through" a math problem, writing down the intermediate answers and using them to get the final answer. But if you can't operate a pencil then you can't write down the intermediate answers, which makes it very difficult to use them in acquiring the final answer, and does not leave anything on the paper to show that you actually worked through the problem and you know how to solve it.Ted was helping her junior high school daughter with her homework a few years ago. Ted could do the math in his head, but he could not show her how to do it. Ted is blind, and his the girl is sighted. It was a very frustrating experience for both of them. That is when Ted realized that the problem lies with the pencil, or his inability to operate it. Ted received his math education when he was sighted, and skipped the frustration that must impact every blind student. And their teachers and parents.Why not have a computer program that the student can control with the keyboard, or voice commands, that simulates the function of a pencil? A smart pencil that knows where to put the intermediate answers, where to put the final answers, and where to get the raw numbers that are used to get these answers?This idea was patented in 1997, and is now called the Virtual Pencil.Sample Session using the Virtual PencilA typical addition problem goes like this:We are adding two numbers together, three digits each. They appear on the computer screen one above the other, just like you would write it on a piece of paper. Before we get to the test mode, maybe a tutoring session would be helpful? When in Tutor Mode the VIRTUALPENCIL will guide the student through the appropriate steps, telling him where he is, moving to the next input area, what action needs to be taken, and checking the answers. Here is a problem using Tutor mode:User: "location"VIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row ones column" (the cursor is below the ones column, ready for the first intermediate answer)User: "Tutor" (asks for the tutor information, the numbers)VIRTUALPENCIL: "3+9"User: "2" (enters the 2 in the ones column)User: "Next" (moves to the next step, the carry area above the tens column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "carry area tens column"User: "1" (enters the 1 above the tens column)User: "Next" (goes to the next step)VIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row tens column" (speaks the location)User: "tutor" (asks for the numbers in the tens column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+4+8" (gives the carry digit first)User: "3" (enters the 3 in the tens column)User: "next"VIRTUALPENCIL: "carry area hundreds column""1" (enters the 1 above the hundreds column)User: "next"VIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row hundreds column"User: "tutor"VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+9+6"User: "6" (enters the 6 below the column)User: "next"VIRTUALPENCIL: "carry area thousands column"User: "1" (enters the 1 above the column)User: "next"VIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row thousands column"User: "tutor" (asks for the numbers in the column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+ blank + blank" (there were no digits in the thousands column, just the carry digit)User: "1" (enters the digit)User: "Answer" (asks for the answer which is now displayed in the summation row)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1632, Correct!"Since we are in Tutor mode the VIRTUALPENCIL will tell you if it is correct.Now lets try the same problem in Test mode. The student must know how and where to navigate the cursor, because the "next" command will not work in this mode. The "tutor" command doesn't work either, so the student must know where to find the numbers and how to read them. A screen reader is being used, so as the cursor is moved around the problem it is also speaking the numbers that appear on the screen.User: locationVIRTUALPENCIL: "summation row ones column" (the cursor is below the ones column, ready for the first intermediate answer)User: "page up", "down arrow", down arrow", "down arrow" (goes to the top of the column and reads down to hear each number)VIRTUALPENCIL: 3+9User: "2" (enters the 2 in the ones column)User: "Left" (moves left one column, to the tens column)User: "Page up" (moves to the carry area tens column)User: "1" (enters the 1 above the tens column)User: "down arrow", "down arrow", "down arrow" (reads down through the column)VIRTUALPENCIL: 1+4+8 (gives the carry digit first)User: "3" (enters the 3 below the tens column)User: "Left" (moves left one column, to the hundreds column)User: "Page up" (moves to the carry area)User: "1" (enters the 1 above the hundreds column)User: "down arrow", "down arrow", "down arrow" (reads down through the column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+9+6"User: "6" (enters the 6 in the hundreds column)User: "Left" (moves left to the thousands column)User: "Page up" (moves to the carry area)User: "1" (enters the 1 above the column)User: "down arrow", "down arrow", "down arrow" (reads down through the column)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1+ blank + blank" (there were no digits in the thousands column, just the carry digit)User: "1" (enters the digit)Answer (asks for the answer which is now displayed in the summation row)VIRTUALPENCIL: "1632" (We are in Test mode, so it does not tell you if you are right or wrong.)The commands used in this example, like "left", "page-up", and "down arrow" are keyboard commands. They can also be thought of as voice commands, using a third-party voice recognition module. The VIRTUALPENCIL's responses can be spoken out loud, displayed in Braille, and/or displayed visually on the screen. This is a "test mode" example, the student controlled the computer as if it were a pencil, he knew where to go, what data to ask for, and where to put the input. The student already knew how to operate the Virtual Pencil and how to solve the problem.The teacher can prepare the test, or homework assignment, and send it to the computer. When the assignment is finished the student can tell his computer to send it back. It can be emailed, printed, or handed in on diskette. In time we will have predefined sets of problems that coincide with popular text books, for homework exercises or tests. The student, or parent, can also make up their own practice problems.(This article contains matter extracted from the Henter Joyce web site).

tale of courage

Tale of courage

By Shazia hasan
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." ---
Helen Keller;

In my previous articles about JAWS published in these columns, I described how the software assists the visually impaired persons in making use of computer
programs, internet, etc.

In this article, I am writing about the person who created this software (JAWS). Apart from giving us a wonderful software to improve the quality of our
lives, he demonstrated that with determination and courage there is no obstruction which cannot be overcome.

Not many will easily comprehend that the author if this software Ted Henter is himself BLIND !! This article about his life will be a source of encouragement
for "special persons" and their parents and family members. Given the right environment and encouragement, special persons can easily blend themselves
in the society as an equal member.

Ted Henter, handsome, young 27 year old mechanical engineer was one of the worlds top ten motorcycle racers when in 1978 he met with an automobile accident
that left him blind. Just four years out of college at the time, Ted realized that career opportunities for blind engineers were limited. He began taking
computer courses at the University of South Florida and had his first job as a computer programmer, with Fortune Hotels in St. Petersburg, a year later.
Two years after that, in 1981, he began working for Maryland Computer Services developing the first talking computers for the blind and visually-impaired.
Ted had devoted his life to expanding opportunities for people who are disabled. A World and National Blind Water Skiing Champion, Ted has shown by personal
example that having a disability need not limit one's business or recreational pursuits. He believes there should be no obstacle to fulfilling one's potential.

Ted was fortunate to be in a society which provided encouragement and support for creating equal life for persons with disability.

The story of courage and success began in 1985, when Ted Henter, an engineer in the field of enabling technology and experienced software designer for speech
products, started his own company, EnTech.

Two years later, Ted was joined in the business by his friend, water-skiing partner, and successful businessman, Bill Joyce. Together they created Henter-Joyce
Inc. a company totally committed to providing access for people with disabilities to today's technologically oriented world.

Ted founded Henter-Joyce in 1987 on the premise that visual impairment need not hinder people's professional, creative or academic pursuits. Toward this
end, he developed JAWS (Job Access With Speech), a program that reads the content of a computer screen through the use of specialized software and simulated
speech synthesizers. Henter-Joyce grew slowly but steadily in the first seven years, enjoying an increasing share of the access technology market as time
progressed. In 1995,

Henter-Joyce introduced JAWS, or JAWS for Windows, and the market exploded. As word of JAWS spread through both the blind community and the computer industry,
Henter-Joyce became, as it remains, almost synonymous with computer use for the blind and visually-impaired. Using JAWS, blind or visually-impaired computer
users access a whole world of information, education and job-related applications including browsing the web, reading or writing e-mail messages, re-calculating
spread sheets or accessing information in a data base. Widely recognized as the industry leader, Henter-Joyce licensed their Off-Screen Model to Microsoft
in 1995. Microsoft plans to use the OSM as the basis of an open component architecture to develop their own access technology. A growing number of Fortune
1,000 and Fortune 500 companies use Henter-Joyce products, including AT&T, Commonwealth Edison, Federal Express, Honeywell, Marriott, Pizza Hut and Sears.
Top U.S. educational institutions, including M.I.T., Stanford, Harvard and U.C.L.A. have purchased site licenses so that their students may use Henter-Joyce
software. With the recent addition of MAGic (Magnification in Color) screen-enlargement software and unabated progress in JAWS development, the future
of Henter-Joyce is exceedingly bright. By re-investing financial and intellectual resources in the development of new and existing products, Henter-Joyce
will continue

to lead the computer industry in the development of screen reader and screen-magnification software and into an era of universal accessibility

Long before the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act, many of America's most successful corporations had discovered the unique contributions to
be made by employing people with disabilities. Henter-Joyce was one of the first companies to offer the specialized products and technological expertise
which are the keys to unlocking the tremendous potential of these exceptional individuals. Henter-Joyce remains the leader in this field today and in 1993
was honored by the U.S. Department of Commerce with the coveted Adaptive Technology Vendor of the Year award.

The Henter-Joyce Staff

Blind and visually-impaired people are an invaluable component of the staff at Henter-Joyce. As both users of Henter-Joyce products and staff members, they
are driven to maintain our position at the forefront of assistive technology, ensuring their own progress in addition to that of the blind and visually-impaired
community at large.

1985 he won his first of six national championships for blind water skiers, and culminated his skiing career by winning the overall gold Medal in the 1991
World Championships. Ted has been selected "For outstanding contribution to the rehabilitation of citizens with disabilities" by the Florida Rehabilitation
Association, and is an "Up and Comer Entrepreneur" according to Price-Waterhouse and the Tampa Business Journal.

In the end I would urge on social workers and persons in authority to create conditions and provide encouragement so that many "Helen Kellers and Ted Henters
in Pakistan are able to play their creative roles"…

In my future articles I will narrate tales of Pakistanis who despite handicap have made significant achievement and created place for themseves in the society.

Shazia Hasan

special children

There is absence of reliable statistics, but estimate is that about 2% of children in Pakistan fall in the group of Special Children. These children are deficient in one or other faculty for example, they are either deaf and dumb, blind, mentally retarded or physically handicapped. Physical and psychological needs of special children are different than their more fortunate brethren. These children are sensitive, and deserve different care and handling including education and up-bringing at home.

(As we know that, There are some special children, like mentally retarded, blinds, deaf and dumb and they are sensitive and upset). Some special children are slow in learning. It is not so easy for anyone to accept a significant loss in life, especially for a child. Children can not realize that life is a trial and every one has to face some thing in life. Even though it is not so easy to over come the loss some physical ability, but the family members and teachers can help a child to compensate their loss and live happily with our society.

To teach a handicap child, (special Child) is called special education. Teacher has to play very important role in developing and forming the character of a child. Teaching is not so easy job as we are thinking. Teaching, especially special teaching is very difficult and tough job requiring tremendous patience apart from competence.

According to Islam teaching is very respectful job. There are many responsibilities for a teacher. An educator should always be sincere with their profession and must understand the psychology and problems of students.

It is very important for students to respect their teachers; and share their problems with them. Those who are shy and hesitate do not learn. Here again, it the Teacher who has to encourage such children to open up and seek answers to their questions rather that swallow them and remain ignorant.

It is necessary for everyone to understand that what is education, Education is ornament of women and weapon of a men, It is a basic need of everyone including handicap persons.

Special children need proper guidance and help. Every one can not teach and handle a handicap child because they need a special trained teacher to satisfy their special requirements. The main problem is that in our lovely country most people do not know about the handicapped people and about their requirements. Being Muslim it is responsibility of our society to understand the feelings and problems of a handicap person. Our religion teaches that it is crime to hurt the feelings of any one. It is the responsibility of educational institutions to provide trained teachers and teaching material for special students. So a handicap child can learn happily and become an active part of the society. It is very important for a handicap person to be engaged in some work or pastime because empty mind is devil’s workshop. A handicap person should always keep trying to fight with their loss, because time does not stay for any one. Another very important thing for the society is to treat the special children with respect and care and attention they deserve rather than contempt, mercy or untouchable. They have their pride, and that pride should be respected.

I am a blind girl. I had faced many difficulties, in every step of life specially when I was student. In my past I was quite disturbed because there were many problems. As a girl I had many questions in my mind and I wanted to learn about different topics. Unfortunately it was only my dream. Last year, a software Jaws, changed my life. With the help of this Software, I am able to operate Windows, MS Words and use email and internet. This has suddenly opened new world for me, emotionally as well as knowledgewise. Now I am very happy with my life. It made me glad and confident. It changed my thinking. It made me independent. Few weeks back with lot of apprehension, I wrote an article and when the article found place in DAWN (12th March 2000), my confidence and faith in life was strengthened.

Now I am sure that blinds can work independently with sighted persons. I have start writing articles because I want to share my experiences with other special friends and parents or family members of special children. I want to share my happiness with others. I am enjoying and having fun in making others happy
Shared grief is half the sorrow but happiness when shared, is doubled.
By Shazia Hasan

a dream come true

By Shazia hasan
Published in Dawn news paper in 12 March 2000
So my dream comes true

My PC is my sword to fight Against Blindness

As we know that life is a continuous trial andexamination for everyone, especially for handicappedpeople like me. I lost my sight when I was 8 years old. At that time, I thought that I have lost everything in life but it was only my thinking, which changed later. I am now 25 years old and my education and events since I lost my sight have transformed my thinking. It is true that blind people are very lucky because in the sense that they tend to compensate the loss of sight by developing other faculties and usually have a very sharp mind. In my past I thought that I could not, in formal writing, do any thing with out sighted help because I had faced many problems specially when I was a child. I had no problems making friends but was unhappy with my limitations. As a child I was very fond of painting and I wanted to become an engineer but the loss of sight handicapped me. Slowly but surely I learnt to live with my blindness and went to Idea Rieu School, a famous blind people's school in Karachi. I did my Matriculation reading books in Braille and making my own notes at home with help from my loving parents. During school days I made many friends and had great fun in picnics, assembly and other activities. After leaving school I was at a loss again because there werenot and still are not many job opportunities for a blind girl in Pakistan. I did many small courses from STPRC (Special Teachers and Parents Resource Centre) and engaged myself in voluntary teaching at Shaheed-e-Millat school. Even though I enjoyed teaching but I wanted to learn further andexplore other avenues in life. Then, last year, as the new millenium approached, the real transformation in my life began to happen. I had learned about the blind using computers in Europe and USA but it was such facilities were not available in Pakistan. Obviously, it would have been very costly and inconvenient to go abroad. In 1999, however, computer training for the blind was offered for the first time in Pakistan by AK Centre by a qualified, Computer trainer from RNIB (the Royal National Institute for Blinds (U.K.) The AK Centre is located in Karachi near Bahadurabad. The telephone number is 4937525 for those like me who wish to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Naturally I was the first student to enroll. I have since learned Windows, Microsoft Word, E-mail package (Outlook Express) etc. with the help of Jaws. Jaws is the name of a software which runs in the background and reads the screen and cursor position. A blind person can use the computer by using keyboard with help of Jaws. It reads all for a blind person. So a blind person can work and become an active part of society. It is a really nice change for my life. Now my life is so changed because I feel independent. Day by day I am getting more knowledge by using Internet because knowledge, that I gain, is power and wealth. My Jaws is my helper and educator. It guides me in many different fields. I am now a competent user of a PC making full use of E-mail & Microsoft Word. I now E-mail to my friends and family abroad and in other cities in Pakistan.
The following article appeared in the daily DAWN Karachi of 12th March 2000, on page 2 of the Magazine section under the title PEOPLE'S POWER.
The article is reproduced below:
MY FIGHT AGAINST BLINDNESS
Life is a continuous trial and examination for everyone, especially for handicapped people like me. I lost my sight when I was eight years old. At that time, I thought I had lost everything in life but it was only my thinking, which changed later. I am now 25 and my education and experience has changed my thinking.
It is true that blind people are very lucky they can compensate for the loss of sight by developing other faculties and usually have very sharp minds.
In the past, I used to think that I could not do anything without sighted help because I had faced many problems, especially when I was a child. I had no problems making friends but was unhappy with my limitations. As a child I was very fond of painting and wanted to become an engineer,
Slowly but sure, I learnt to live with my blindness an d went to Ida Rieu School, a famous ;blind people's school in Karachi. I did my Matriculation reading books in Braille and making my own notes at home with the help from my loving parents. During school days I made many friends and had great fun at picnics, assembly and other activities.
After leaving school I was at a loss again because there are not many job opportunities for a blind girl in Pakistan. I did many short courses from STPRC (Special Teachers and Parents Resource Centre) and engaged myself in voluntary teaching at Shaheed-e-Millat School. Even though I enjoyed teaching, I wanted to study further and explore other avenues in life.
Then, last year, as the new millennium approached, the real transformation in my life began to happen. I had learned about the blind using computers in Europe and USA but such facilities were not available in Pakistan. Obviously, it was very costly and inconvenient to go abroad.
In 1999, however, computer training for the blind was offered for the first time in Pakistan by A.K.Centre by a qualified computer trainer from RNIB (the Royal National Institute for Blinds - UK). The AK Centre is located in Karachi near Bahadurabad. The telephone number is 4937525 for those like me who wish to take advantage of this great opportunity.
Naturally, I was the first student to enroll. I have since learnt Windows, Microsoft Words, e-mail package (Outlook Express) etc. with the help of Jaws. Jaws is the name of a software which runs in the background and reads the screen and cursor position. A blind person can use the computer by using keyboard with the help of Jaws. It reads everything for a blind person. So a blind person can work and become an active part of society.
It is a really a nice change in my life. I feel independent. Every day I am getting more knowledge by using ;the Internet. My Jaws is my helper and educator. It guides me in many different fields. I am now a competent user of a PC making full use of e-mail and Microsoft Word. I now e-mail to my friend and family abroad and in other cities of Pakistan. This keeps me busy and happy. I wish
After the passage of time my life is totally changed. I started teaching computer at Ida Rieu school/degree college. It is a unique experience for me. I found many cyber friends. Mydream to to become a writer some day is also came true. By Shazia Hasan
Still I wish to restore my site again and see all the beauty of this world.

White cane safety day

White Cane Safety Day: A Symbol of Independenceby Marc MaurerIn February of 1978 a young blind lady said, "I encounter peopleall of the time who bless me, extol my independence, call mebrave and courageous, and thoroughly miss the boat as to what thereal significance of the white cane is."The National Federation of the Blind in convention assembled onthe 6th day of July, 1963, called upon the governors of the fiftystates to proclaim October 15 of each year as White Cane SafetyDay in each of our fifty states. On October 6, 1964, a jointresolution of the Congress, HR 753, was signed into lawauthorizing the President of the United States to proclaimOctober 15 of each year as "White Cane Safety Day." Thisresolution said: "Resolved by the Senate and House ofRepresentatives., that the President is hereby authorized toissue annually a proclamation designating October 15 as WhiteCane Safety Day and calling upon the people of the United Statesto observe such a day with appropriate ceremonies andactivities."Within hours of the passage of the congressional joint resolutionauthorizing the President to proclaim October 15 as White CaneSafety Day, then President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized theimportance of the white cane as a staff of independence for blindpeople. In the first Presidential White Cane ProclamationPresident Johnson commended the blind for the growing spirit ofindependence and the increased determination to be self-reliantthat the organized blind had shown. The Presidential proclamationsaid:The white cane in our society has become one of the symbols of ablind person's ability to come and go on his own. Its use haspromoted courtesy and special consideration to the blind on ourstreets and highways. To make our people more fully aware of themeaning of the white cane and of the need for motorists toexercise special care for the blind persons who carry itCongress, by a joint resolution approved as of October 6, 1964,has authorized the President to proclaim October 15 of each yearas White Cane Safety Day.Now, therefore, I, Lyndon B. Johnson, President of the UnitedStates of America do hereby proclaim October 15, 1964 as WhiteCane Safety Day.With those stirring words President Johnson issued the firstWhite Cane Proclamation which was the culmination of a long andserious effort on the part of the National Federation of theBlind to gain recognition for the growing independence andself-sufficiency of blind people in America, and also to gainrecognition of the white cane as the symbol of that independenceand that self-reliance.The first of the state laws regarding the right of blind peopleto travel independently with the white cane was passed in 1930.In 1966, Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, the founder of the NationalFederation of the Blind, drafted the model White Cane Law. Thismodel act - which has become known as the Civil Rights Bill forthe Blind, the Disabled, and the Otherwise Physically Handicapped- contains a provision designating October 15 as White CaneSafety Day. Today there is a variant of the White Cane Law on thestatute books of every state in the nation.>From 1963 (and even before) when the National Federation of theBlind sought to have White Cane Safety Day proclaimed as arecognition of the rights of blind persons, to 1978 when a blindpedestrian met with misunderstanding regarding the true meaningof the white cane, is but a short time in the life of a movement.In 1963, a comparatively small number of blind people hadachieved sufficient independence to travel alone on the busyhighways of our nation. In 1978 that number has not simplyincreased but multiplied a hundredfold. The process began in thebeginning of the organized blind movement and continues today.There was a time when it was unusual to see a blind person on thestreet, to find a blind person working in an office, or to see ablind person operating machinery in a factory. This is still alltoo uncommon. But it happens more often and the symbol of thisindependence is the white cane. The blind are able to go, tomove, to be, and to compete with all others in society. The meansby which this is done is that simple tool, the white cane. Withthe growing use of the white cane is an added element - the wishand the will to be free - the unquenchable spirit and theinextinguishable determination to be independent. With these ourlives are changed, and the prospects for blind people becomebright. That is what White Cane Safety Day is all about.

third post

Allah Subhan o Taala has blessed its creatures with many abilities. But no one has all the abilities. Some are blessed with ability to sing, some with ability to paint, some with ability to learn, some with ability to see, some with ability to hear and speak…… some abilities are physical some are mental or spiritual. Instead of being grateful for what we have, we ungratefully call those who lack any of the physical abilities, as HANDICAPPED.
Advanced societies ensure that lack of any ability should not deprive the person of the fruits of modern day life. Providing equal basic opportunities and eliminating any hurdle which may result due to lack of any ability is the characterstic of good social system.
In Pakistan the role of society, be it Government, Corporates or NGSs. has been limited. IDA RIEU is one of the few such organizations which excels in providing platform for visually challenged persons to acquire education and modern day skills such as use of Computers etc. It is strengthening the growing spirit of independence and the increased determination to be self-reliant. We are grateful and proud of every single person who is supporting these efforts and brought our institution, IDA RIEU to an international standard. Unfortunately this effort is only a drop though a golden drop. Another phase of life which starts after the person has acquired knowledge and skills is integration in the social system. This unfortunately is very limited, extremely frustrating and very painful. I am not going in details of various aspects, but basically we expect to move around and seek employment like any other member of the society.
The example is standard chartered bank who is the first bank in Pakistan who has provided blind persons opertunaty to work par with sighted persons in their tele marketing department.
On this day of white cane, when effort to enhance public awareness, I like to urge upon the law makers, the need for enacting white cane laws, as US President, Lyndon Johnson did in 1964. I would also like appeal to you all to use your influence to ensure that persons who have acquired the computer skills in particular and other skills in general to be employed in various private and government and organizations.
We need understanding not mercy.
We lack sight but we don’t lack vision.

second post

Special Gateway
By Shazia hasan
Email address: s_hasan21@hotmail.com

Improving Quality of Life for "Special Persons"

Article by Shazia Hasan (JAWS Expert and Counselor for Special Persons)

Many world surveys and studies conducted by independent health organizations
have proved that there is alarming rise in the number of persons suffering
from social and emotional disorder and need therapy to correct their
situation. The changing life style, growing social and family pressures and
economic
conditions etc. add to this condition. In case of Special children and their
families the social and emotional disorder becomes more acute as they have
to live with the disability.

While seeking the diagnosis and treatment of any ailment, one chooses the
qualified and right professional guidance. Similarly, it is very important
to
have a Professional Guidance in determining the visible or dormant existence
of social and emotional problems. Determination of the problem and guidance
from an unqualified person offering professional counseling (therapy)
normally worsens the condition.

In case of therapy (counseling), it is all the more important to seek the
guidance from a qualified person because the person (patient) can neither
see
the effect of therapy immediately nor can he have consultation for second
opinion.

In order for my readers to understand the counseling and why I recommend
this to "special persons" and their families, I am giving brief description
of
conditions in social and emotional disorder.

Counseling

Counseling is a name of an affective and cognitive therapy. In counseling we
aim at solving the problems with the help of 2-way conversation with out the
help of Medicine. A counselor can help those persons who suffer with any or
combination of the following conditions;

A: Depression - caused by loss of loved ones, loss of sight or limbs etc.
change of environment, job loss etc.
B: Behavioral problems resulting in aggressiveness, passiveness, eating
disorders, compulsive disorders, personality problems, mood disorders and
learning
problems etc.
C: Anxieties resulting in general anxieties, panic disorder, fears,
suspicion etc.
D: Phobias resulting in night terrors, social phobia etc.

Emotional Disorder conditions for Parents

In case where the very first child is a special child, parents experience an
emotional setback. Different parents develop different phobias e.g
considering
it a divine punishment, considering it an act of revenge by someone jealous
with them. Parents need to understand the cause for this type of special
child
and the way they should do the upbringing of such child.

In case where one or more of the siblings are special child, the situation
gives the parents all the above mentioned phobia and in addition confronts
with
the situation of upbringing the special child without causing disparity and
feel of extra attention by some or lack of attention by others.

In case of over-pampered special child, he gets more frustrated with the
society when he does not get the same extra attention to which he has been
made
habitual by the parents.

It is sometimes difficult for parents to understand their special children.
As these children are shy and more sensitive than other children. It is
therefore
necessary to open the channels of communication between parents and special
children.

Emotional Disorder conditions for Special Children

As we know that special children, particularly blind children have
limitations in various fields of life. That is why these persons develop
feelings of
being unwanted, feeling of helplessness, feeling of nervousness, feeling of
worthlessness, frustration, rejection and confusion. It is necessary to help
them in coping with such unreal feelings.

A counselor can make a special child to find his or her own ways of life.
Accept the handicap and try to develop the special faculty or caliber with
which
the child has been blessed. Thus develop his/her personality and live in his
own way. Counseling helps them to realize their self and to make them
understand
causes that is bothering them in achieving their goals and how they can
overcome with their loss and how would they improve their daily living
skills.

My Own Experience

Being a blind girl, I have gone through most of these phases myself and with
the support of my family and friends and my own determination, I have
overcome
the limitation. I am therefore briefly describing my own experience so that
other special persons could benefit from my experience. All the surgical and
medical assistance could not save my sight which I lost when I was only 8
years old child. I would think that I have lost everything in my life and
often
faced difficulty adjusting with my limitation and integrating in the
society. Not only my ambition to become an engineer or doctor was lost for
ever, even
becoming a useful member of the society appeared distant.

A person lives with his family and society. While fortunately, I had a very
understanding and co-operative family, I had problems adjusting in the
society
or the society accepting my limitation. With the passage of time, these
feelings grew stronger till I found an opportunity which slowly but surely
turned
my negative thinking towards positive thinking.

This opportunity was offered by a new software, JAWS. This software brought
joy and happiness when I started learning computer with its help. Jaws made
me very independent. While surfing the web I learnt that blinds are doing
counseling in Europe and USA. I knew that counseling is very useful for
special
children and parents. But unfortunately the individual counselor for special
persons was not available in our lovely Country. In order to fill this gap
I decided to become a counselor for special children and their parents. When
I discussed my ambition with some leading Therapists, I was very much
encouraged.
A prominent Centre providing counseling and therapy with the help of leading
Psychologists arranged counseling course for me. I have successfully
completed
the course and have received certificate of recommendation from the Centre.
My confidence has further been strengthened after I started giving
counseling
to special persons and finding very distinct change in their attitudes. They
have developed positive attitude towards life and have determination to live
with their limitation as a productive member of the society.

It will be my pleasure to be of service to special persons and their parents
who may be needing my services.

Contact:
s_hasan21@hotmail.com f
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my intro

name: shazia hasan. occupation: teacher/councellor for blind children and parents. organization: Ida Rieu (dr. Mohammad Ghulam Punjwani school/college for blind.
contect me b y sending e mails at s_hasan21@hotmail.com