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• Workshop on Science Learning
• First ever stall in bookfair
• Building an Accessible Arena
• Workshop on Voice and Non-voice based Vocations in Media
• Workshop on Science and Math learning
• Workshop on Tamil Journalism
• Seminar on Accessibility

Parallel music fest 2014

• Drishti got an opportunity to co-organize with the rotary club of madras coromandel, super singer competition for a second consecutive year.
• Nearly 75 visually impaired youth across Tamilnadu participated, and staged their artistic expertise in classical vocal, light music vocal and light music instrumental to the audience.
• The prelims held at Adayar youth hostel, and the finals at Music academy Chennai.
• The winners of that three categories dewly appreciated and awarded during the parallel music fest award function Kalai mamani H Ramakrishnan, MR. Murali [The Hindu] and Sangeetha Kalanithi 2014, graced the Function at music academy mini hall Chennai.

Parallel Music Fest 9th December 2013

• Drishti in coordination with it’s parent club RCMC has conducted the parallel music fest very successfully on 9th December 2013 at the Music Academy, Main Auditorium.
• Having received a good response from the visually challenged artists during 2012, RCMC, for the first time, conducted Super Singer Competition for the visually challenged youngsters between 13 to 25 of age.
• The competition was conducted under 3 categories namely: Classical Vocal, Light Music Vocal and Light Music Instrumental.
• Students in large numbers participated across schools and colleges in Tamilnadu and won several prizes Ms. Akshaya and Ms. Gomathi won the Super Singer 2013 Shield in Classical Vocal and Light Music Vocal respectively.

Parallel Music Fest December 2012

• On the 3rd of December 2012, on the occasion International Disability day, the club in cooperation with Rotary Club of Madras Coromandel, conducted a Parallel classical music fest by budding visually challenged Carnatic singers at the Music Academy, Mylapore.
• This gave singers greater confidence and an opportunity to exhibit their inherent potentials and this was well-appreciated by the audience.
• This was organized to exhibit the inherent talent of the visually challenged budding singers.

Medical camp 2014

• The one-day Medical Camp on Eye, Dental and General Health for the visually impaired on 16 08 2014 (Saturday) at RR Towers 4, Guindy, organized by Rotary Club of Coromandel jointly with Rotaract Club of Drishti, received a decent response from the visually impaired community.
• Team of doctors from Chettinad Health City and Rajan Eye Care led by Mrs. Leela and Mr. Balaji respectively did a thorough check-up to the participants and had provided them with clear medical prescription to follow up.
• All the 78 attended participants got enlightened themselves about health and hygiene. Also, some have even expressed their willingness to pursue their treatment further.
• Volunteers from Cognizant Outreach and MIT Engineering students did an excellent work by ensuring a smooth conduct of the event. Drishti honoured the doctors and volunteers with a small memento as a token of appreciation at the end of the day.
• Rtn Suresh, President RCMC, Rtn Bala, Rtn Ravi and Rtn Ganeshan Subbiah graced the event with their precious presence. Rtn Kavitha and Rtn PS Suresh conveyed their best wishes and inquired the details of the event.

Eye Screening camp

Report on One day General Medical Camp and Eye Camp for the visually impaired

Date : 16 08 2015

• As we are aware, adult blindness and Low vision have become more prevalent in today’s world. In order to retain the vision and take corrective medical measures for those low vision or partially sighted students, Drishti in coordination with its parent club RCMC had conducted an Eye-Screening camp at Rajan Eyecare Hospital.
• Five students per day, for eleven days, participated in this camp and had undergone necessary corrective measures. Another special feature of the camp is that a special talk was arranged on 26
• Five students per day, for eleven days, participated in this camp and had undergone necessary corrective measures. Another special feature of the camp is that a special talk was arranged on 26^th July 2013.
• Dr Sujata Mohan, founder and Managing Director of Rajan Eye care gave an informative and thought provoking speech on “Eyesight: it’s protection and recent developments.”
• The corrective medical measures prescribed to the students by the hospital were also taken care by RCMC.
• For the 3^rd consequtive year, Drishti, in association with Chettinadu Health City and Rajan Eyecare, had conducted a one day general medical camp and eye camp for the visually impaired.
• Nearly 50 visually impaired of all ages got benefited from the camp. They were well screened and provided with necessary medicines at the end of the day.
• A few were also informed to visit the respective hospitals for further treatment for free of cost. Well-wishers and supporters of drishti attended the camp and registered their appreciations to the club.

The World Heart Day

• With the Slogan “Have a Healthy Heart and Wealthy Thoughts”, Drishti members celebrated the World Heart Day on the 28^th of September 2013.
• Though the day is celebrated each year on 29^th September, the club decides to celebrate it on the 28^th for the club’s strong arm KVTC was inaugurated on that day.
• All the guests were given the Pamphlets that highlights the steps to take for maintaining a healthy heart.
• During the inauguration function, RTR Venkatesh studying in 3^rd B.A. spoke about the importance of heart and the measures to be taken to preserve a healthy Heart.

International Peace Day

• They say “Machines that men made, have made men Machines!” It is this scenario that prevails in this hustle and bustle world. The result is, Man loses his peace of mind and ruins himself.
• In order to create awareness about the essentialness of Peace and bring in Harmony among each other, the club celebrates International Peace Day on 21^st of September 2013.
• Drishti members distributed around 200 Pamphlets at RR Towers 3 and Guindy Bus Stand, highlighting the significance of Peace and Brotherhood. There was a good response from the public. In fact, a few inquired about the activities of the club with curiosity.

Course Details:

Duration: Depends on the requirement of the candidate’s skill set

Timing: 3 hrs

Premise: Karna Vidya Technology Centre, RR Towers 3, Thiru-Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy

Eligibility:

The candidates should be a visually impaired employee

Course Content:

• Test of Reasoning/Mental Ability/Aptitude:
• Verbal and Non-Verbal
• Quantitative Aptitude:
• English
• General Awareness
• Current Affairs
• Other concepts related to respective Exams

Course details:

Duration: Depends on the examination schedule

Timings: Every Sunday between 10.30 AM – 01.30 PM (IST)

Seats: 20

Premise: Karna Vidya Technology Centre, Guindy

Eligibility:

• Visually impaired candidates should have attained the eligibility criteria as per the exams they apply
• Visually Impaired persons who can dedicate their full time for the entire course duration for their career benefits should apply

Mission

• Creating awareness among the visually challenged on education, employment and social inclusion.
• Providing training to effectively mould their employability skills for a healthy participation in their field of interest.
• Providing effective counseling and guidance towards overcoming all their psychological challenges and problems.

Vision

• To bring in Social Inclusion in in all around the society.

Young and vibrant members are actively participating in all the activities of the club. They are pursuing graduation in varied subjects through different colleges in and aroung Chennai.

A Talking ATM is a type of automated teller machine (ATM) that provides audible instructions so that persons who cannot read an ATM screen can independently use the machine. The world’s first talking ATM for the blind was an NCR machine unveiled by the Royal Bank of Canada on October 22, 1997 at a bank branch on the corner of Bank Street and Queen Street in Ottawa, Ontario.   Talking ATM in India: Union Bank of India became the first bank to make electronic banking easier for the visually impaired with its “talking” ATM. India’s first “talking” Automated Teller Machine has been inaugurated in Ahmedabad. The ATM by the UBI is the first of its kind for the visually challenged.   According to functionaries of the Blind People’s Association, the users have to plug-in a headphone into the ATM which has a unique voice interface and once it is done the machine guides them into further operations.   The ATM can also be operated by wheel chair-bound persons as well.   Tarak Luhar, visually impaired since birth, was the first to withdraw money from the country’s first ‘Talking ATM’ installed by the Union Bank of India.   The following steps to operate this talking ATM Machine.   COMMON STEPS  

1. Customer inserts the Audio jack.

 

2. The customer is greeted by the ATM with a message "Welcome to State Bank ATM"

 

3. The customer is prompted by the ATM to select the language of his choice. "Press 1 forEnglish; Press 2 for Hindi"

 

4. The talking ATM confirms the selection of language. "You have selected English/Hindi as thelanguage of your choice" based on the customer's input.

 

5. The ATM prompts the customer to select the volume level. "Press 1 to increase the volume.Press 2 to decrease the volume"

 

6. The ATM prompts to select the display option, whether to hide or show the transaction onthe screen for privacy. "Press 1 to hide the screen. Press 2 to show the screen"

 

7. The ATM prompts the customer to select whether he requires the orientation of the ATM.

  "Press 1 to hear the orientation. Press 2 to skip the orientation"  

8. If the customer selects to hear the orientation, The ATM describes the lay out of the ATM.

  After hearing the orientation the ATM prompts the customer whether he wants the ATM to  repeat the orientation. "Press 1 for Yes. Press 2 to continue the transaction"  

9. The ATM requests the customer to insert their ATM card and remove it.

 

10. The ATM asks the customer to enter their ATM PIN. "Please enter your PIN and press the

  enter key"

Shoes that tell you the map of a mall; glasses that vibrate when near an object; apps that identify objects for you; list of devices are such long when it comes to assistive navigational devices in the market. When in countries like USA themselves where the infrastructure accessibility is far better, people invent and use such devices, in countries like India where accessibility still remains a word, people get excited and long for such devices when they hear/read about them. Two such devices that are widely demonstrated and discussed in India are the smart canes and the glasses. No doubt, they are going to share the writing pad this time. What is a smart cane? If you want an official definition, here it is: The "Smart Cane" is an innovative device that can be mounted onto a traditional white cane carried by the visually challenged. It uses ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles at up to three metres. The range of the detected obstacles is conveyed to the user using vibratory signals with differentiated characteristics. It is designed as a user-detachable unit and is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, such as those commonly found in mobile phones and digital cameras. – www.phoenix medicalsystems.com In other words, a smart cane is a device with ultrasonic censors that work like a batt in detecting objects. However, these censors can detect objects only above knees and objects lower than that will be taken care of by the traditional white cane on which the device is attached. The user can adjust the position of these censors to up, straight and low as per their requirements. The device vibrates when it detects an object/person at a distance of three metres. As you move closer to the object, the frequency of vibration increases to indicate that you are nearer the object. In India, this project is a join venture by Saksham Trust, Delhi, IIT, Delhi and Phoenix Medical Systems, Chennai. When testing its usability, I can easily say it is an excellent innovation as it is portable, battery powered and affordable. However, smart cane is not designed with the intelligence to differentiate between objects and human beings. It doesn’t have location censor too. So it vibrates even in a crowded place like a bus stop or on a train which would confuse the blind/visually impaired user. It does not have censors for the sides and so will not be able to indicate anything on either sides. But this is acceptable as the user anyway would get to know as he/she taps the cane. So it is advisable to switch off the smart cane when you reach a crowded place and use the traditional cane, the mobility training experts say. Smart glasses are mostly the same in India as I heard from one founders of an organization who had had the opportunity of witnessing a demo. However, deep readings reveals that the developed countries have been testing glasses which are intelligent to read bus numbers, street signs and so on. These intelligent glasses are still under researchers’ hands and so we have to wait until they hit the market. During one discussion with an NID (national Institue of Design) graduated engineer, my friend and I shared some points: 1. Smart cane should be aided with cameras 2. It should be network enabled to use location based services 3. It should have the text to speech function to describe the location/object/person information 4. It should allow the user to connect an earphone with it. The reply wee got is  that it is not at all difficulty in this tech-enabled world. However, it needs lot of funding and building these systems on a smart cane will make it an expensive affair to buy for a visually challenged user. The current smart cane is surely a development in navigational accessible technologies and the goodnews is that some NGOs give these smart canes for free for students. Only if the scientists, funding organizations, marketing organizations join hands to make it more affordable, intelligent and useful,  accessibility will become more meaningful in many people’s lives.