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ALL INDIA CONFEDERATION OF THE BLINDREPORT OF ACTIVITIES2019-2020The period under report witnessed another phase of continuing consolidation and introduction of new initiatives. Some of the salient features of the work during the period included:Continuing visibility of the Confederation at the national and international level;Locating new supportive partners nationally and internationally;Convening the Confederation’s General Assembly (a Quadrennial event);Successes of our school students in curricular and co-curricular activities;Adding new dimensions to our CBR initiatives;Continuing our activities for empowering visually impaired women;Pursuing actively our advocacy and lobbying activities;Taking forward our other routine activities.Unfortunately, the impact of Corona crisis cast its evil influence on our activities towards the latter half of March 2020.AWARDS AND REPRESENTATIONSProf. Anil K. Anjea, one of the Confederation’s Vice Presidents and Chair of the Confederation’s Advocacy Unit, was presented the NCT Delhi State Award as the “Best individual working in the field of social work” at a function in Delhi by the State Minister for Social Welfare. Prof. Aneja was also conferred the prestigious “Rustom Merwanji Alpaiwalla Memorial Award (2020)” in the Voluntary Category for outstanding achievements in the Blind Welfare field, by the National Association for the Blind (India) at a function in Mumbai, at which the Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, Shri Ramdas Athawale was the Chief Guest.The Confederation’s Vice President, Mrs. M. Muthu Selvi was felicitated by the Honourable Chairman and Managing Director, IndianBank during the women's conclave organised by All India Allahabad Bankofficers association on 8th March, 2020. She was also presented “Saadhana Award” from the Inner Wheel club on 15th October, 2019 in Chennai and the “Lions Achiever Award” by the Lions Club of Anna Nagar, Chennai on 25th January, 2020.During the period under report, AICB’s Vice-President and Advocacy Chair, Professor Anil K. Aneja, was asked to serve as a member of the following committees:Statutory Advisory Committee of the Commissioner (Disabilities), Government of NCT of mittee on the Mobility of PwD students, Department of Social Welfare, Govt. of NCT of mittee for Identification of posts for Persons with Disabilities, Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangathan, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of mittee for Identification of posts for Persons with Disabilities, Transport Department, Government of NCT of mittee for creation of separate department of disability affairs for Govt. NCT of Delhi.In addition, the Confederation’s officers participated in a range of important meetings and Conferences on disability issues. Thus, Mrs. Manjula Rath, Chair Women Matters represented the Confederation at the regional conference organized in Kathmandu, Nepal in February 2020 by the ICEVI West Asia Chapter. She made a presentation at the Conference on the topic “Gender Equity in the Self help Organisations of and for the Visually Impaired” which was well received.The Confederation’s President, Mr. A.K. Mittal was invited to act as a resource person at various important events including meetings of the Core Committee on Braille development; National Workshop for research priorities for NIEPVD, Dehradun; National Conferences on inclusive education held at Dehradun and Lucknow. Prof. Anil K. Aneja, Vice President and Chair, Advocacy Unit, delivered lectures at Mumbai University.Ms. M. Muthu Selvi, Vice President, AICB, conducted a session on RPD Act, 2016 at the Tamil Nadu Association of the Blind, Chennai.AICB GENERAL ASSEMBLYThe event consisted of three components:AICB Quadrennial National ConferenceAICB’s newly constituted Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting AICB’s Quadrennial General Body Meeting.The entire event was supported by a reputed international organization—the Danish Association of the Blind.AICB Quadrennial National Conference was held at the Auditorium, Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini, Delhi, on October 18-19, 2019. The theme of the Conference was "Strengthening Grassroots Self-Help Movement of the Blind in a Globalised World".The Conference had around 140 participants from different parts of the country representing a large number of organizations. These included 91 delegates from 19 AICB Affiliates and its Founders/their nominees. Also present at various sessions of the Conference were senior officers from leading blindness organizations and important Government bodies.Necessary support for to and fro travel, board, lodging and local transportation was provided to all participants. The Conference began with an inauguration session with Dr. Sara Varughese, Director, CBM, as the Keynote Speaker. In her address, Dr. Varughese recalled the long period of partnership between AICB and CBM. She also spoke of several government schemes for the empowerment of persons with disabilities and stressed the need for coordinated and concerted action among disability organizations. The Conference had five professional sessions as per particulars summarized below:S. No.SessionSpeakerTopic 1.Session-1 Titled “Self-Help Organizations—Progressing Towards Inclusive Developments” Prof. Shirish Deshpande, President, National Federation of the Blind (India)Mr. A.K. Mittal, President, All India Confederation of the Blind; Secretary General, World Blind UnionRepresentatives from 11 AICB affiliatesSpecial Roles of Self-help Organizations in the Disability Sector.All India Confederation of the Blind—Journey Through the Last Four Decades. Structure and activities of affiliates. 2.Session-2 Titled “Globalisation and Empowerment”Prof. Anil K. Aneja, Vice President, All India Confederation of the Blind; Professor, Department of English, Delhi University, Delhi; Nodal Officer PwD, University of DelhiDr. Bhushan Punani, Executive Secretary, Blind People’s Association, Ahmadabad; President, ICEVI, West Asia ChapterMr. Dipendra Manocha, President, Daisy Forum of India; Developing Countries Coordinator and Lead of Training and Tech Support with the DAISY Consortium“Leaving No One Behind”—Sustainable Development Goals 2030: International And National Implications.“Making Rights Real”—The Incheon Strategy—Developments Regionally And Nationally.Marrakesh Copy Right Treaty for the Visually Impaired and the Print Disabled—Provisions and Implications.3.Session-3 Titled “Work for the Visually Impaired in India—new Trends, Developments and possibilities”Mr. T.D. Dhariyal, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, GNCT of DelhiDr. Aruni Sharma, Associate Professor, JNPG College, LucknowDr. Sanjay Jain, Associate Professor and Director Ph D. Research Centre, ILS Law College, PuneRPwD Act, 2016 and Rules, 2017: A Continuum or a Paradigm Shift.Assistive Technologies for the Visually Impaired—Challenges and Prospects in a Developing Country Like Ours.Rights Vs. Realities: Strategies for Strengthening Self-help Organizations Through Advocacy Initiatives.4.Session-4 Titled The “Triple E—Education, Employment, Empowerment”Dr. Anita Julka, Professor, Department of Education of Children with Special Needs, NCERT, New DelhiMr. S.K. Singh, Secretary General, National Association for the Blind (India)Mrs. Manjula Rath, Chair, AICB Women’s Matters; Associate Professor, Daulat Ram College, Delhi University, DelhiMr. George Abraham, CEO, Score Foundation, DelhiMrs. M. Muthu Selvi, the then Secretary, All India Confederation of the Blind; Manager, Allahabad Bank, ChennaiEducation for the Visually Impaired—Emerging Trends, Challenges, Solutions.Globalization and Employment of the Visually Impaired—The Way Forward.Self-help Organizations and Enhanced Women Participation.Redefining and Augmenting Resources: Sustainability and Strategies.Globalisation and employment opportunities for the visually impaired: Way forward.5.Session-5 Titled “Open House Discussion”In the evening of 19th October, delegates elected members of AICB Central Executive Council (CEC) for the next 4 years. Each State where AICB has affiliates, elected 2 CEC members, one of whom was a visually impaired woman.The CEC, thus elected had a meeting at 10 a.m. on 20th October. At this meeting, the CEC elected 10 office bearers of AICB for the next 4 years and recommended the names of AICB delegates to Asian Blind Union and the World Blind Union. AICB’s General Body meeting took place at the same venue as the CEC meeting viz. AICB conference hall, on 20th October 2019 from 11 a.m. onwards. All delegates representing affiliates including 38 women as well as founders/nominees present at the National Conference, attended the GB meeting. The General Body approved the following important organizational documents/matters:Quadrennial Activity Report,Quadrennial Statement of Accounts, Appointment and fees of auditors.The General Body accorded approval to the names of AICB delegates to ABU and WBU, as recommended by CEC. The General Body further set the outline of priorities for AICB for the next 4 years and accorded approval to the composition of a working group to formulate the required key documents for implementing the priorities—Strategic Plan, Advocacy Plan and Organizational Strategy. The aforesaid documents have since been finalized. AICB CAPT. CHANDANLAL SPL. SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND The School has continued its good work of providing quality education and conducive hostel facilities to visually impaired children from nursery stage to class 8. These services are provided free of charge. 19 children (Boys-13, girls-6) were admitted to the school during the year with the school’s total enrolment till class 8, standing at 120 students (Boys-83, girls-37) during the year. The children of the school took part with great zeal and gusto in different co-curricular activities at various levels. They secured a total of 14 prizes in competition with their blind and sighted counterparts. The students also continued to perform well at different school examinations. 12 Students (boys-6, girls-6) passed the final 8th class examination. The school celebrated the Silver Jubilee of its establishment during the year. Thus an impressive function was held within the school premises on August 31, 2019 to commemorate the occasion. Honourable Minister, PwD, Haryana Government, Rao Narbir Singh was the Chief Guest and top executives from different supportive corporate companies were present as guests of honour. A large number of ex-students of the school, who are now well placed in the open market were invited and honoured during the function.Several corporate houses and philanthropically minded individuals/organizations have come forward with valuable contributions to further expand the School’s activities and enrich its infrastructure. We are deeply grateful to each one of these valued supporters. Details of the help thus provided are presented below:S. No.Supporting OrganizationActivity1.M/s Mitsubishi Electric Automotive India Pvt. Ltd., GurugramProvision of school dress, furniture and musical instruments. A sum of Rs. 16,00,000 for supplying books running into 800000 Braille pages to blind schools and libraries free of cost. 2.Amway India Enterprises, DelhiContinued support for running the School’s computer lab and procurement of 2 new computers.3.Fluor Daniel India Pvt. Ltd., GurgaonMet part-expenditure on production of 3 children’s magazines in Braille. 4.Sponsored Parents Group, SwedenSupporting part of expenditure on education of blind children through the group leader Mr. Johannes Kettelhoit. The School’s activities had to be stopped in mid-March 2020 due to the Government’s announcement for immediate closure of all schools because of Corona Pandemic. AICB BRAILLE PRESSThe Press brought out a total of 199 new titles in Braille running into 38,889 volumes and 4,164,414 pages. These titles consisted of:School and College booksGeneral reading materialNational Book Trust PublicationsBraille editions of 3 children’s magazines2 women’s magazines (one in Hindi and one in Tamil)2 Digest form magazines (one in English and one in Hindi)TRAINING PROGRAMMES AT ROHINI PREMISESThe Confederation runs a number of training activities at its premises in Rohini, Delhi. Details are given below:Hindi Braille Stenography—Duration: 12 monthsThe course consists of intensive training in Hindi Braille Shorthand symbols, Hindi computer applications and the use of Orbit Readers in place of the earlier device of Braille shorthand machine. The candidates, at the end of the course, are fully competent to take down Hindi dictations on the orbit reader and then to transcribe it on to the computer. 10 candidates (M-5, F-5) from 5 States—completed the course in July 2019. The new batch which commenced training in August 2019 had 16 candidates. However, two of them left the course for personal reasons. Thus, the batch now has 14 trainees (M-4, F-10) from 5 States—Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Certificate Course in Computer Applications—Duration: 12 months This course has an advanced syllabus in various computer applications directly relevant to visually impaired IT aspirants. A total of 11 (M-7, F-4) candidates from 9 States—successfully completed the course in July, 2019. The new batch commenced training with effect from August, 2019 with an enrolment of 12 candidates, 2 of whom left the programme for personal reasons. The batch now has 10 trainees (M-5, F-5) from 8 States: Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Rajasthan and West Bengal.Basic Computer TrainingThis course provides training in basic computer skills which, usually, covers a period of about three months or so. The course proves very beneficial for individuals intending to acquire independence in the fundamentals of computer operation. 70 candidates (M-24, F-46) completed this basic training during the year. The training courses mentioned at a) to c) above are supported by M/s Wipro & M/s CAF.Unfortunately, the above mentioned training courses had to be suspended during the second fortnight of March 2020 because of the abrupt lockdown announced by the Government. Plans are now underway to impart training online during the lockdown period in the concerned activity. Crisis Management Training ProgrammeThis programme seeks to support lately blinded individuals. 36 lately blinded persons (M-24, F-12) received training during the year at the programme. The skills covered in training included: orientation and mobility, daily living activities, home management, Braille reading and writing and the use of computers as per the individual’s requirement. The duration of the programme is 3-4 months as per the individual’s need.The programme is supported by UNITAS (Switzerland).PLACEMENTThe Confederation does not stop at merely running training programme for visually impaired youngsters. It also makes determined efforts to secure remunerative job opportunities for its ex-trainees at the same terms and service conditions as applicable to their sighted counterparts for the position in question. As a result, 26 persons (M-11, F-15) were helped to secure jobs in the Government and the private sector. 13 of them got employment in nationalized banks/government Ministries/establishments. The remaining 13 got placed in private organizations/MUNITY BASED REHABILITATION (CBR) ACTIVITIESBesides paying attention to the job-related requirements of educated/semi-educated visually impaired youngsters from urban settings, the Confederation has also, during the past about two decades or so, been reaching out to the hitherto unserved/grossly underserved rural population of the visually impaired, through the disability-specific (visual impairment related) CBR approach. Thus, during the year under report the Confederation has conducted CBR work in the rural areas of five districts viz. Hamirpur and Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Jalaun and Pratapgarh, again in Uttar Pradesh. Details are presented below.As mentioned in our previous year’s report, support from LCIF for our project in Kaushambi concluded in December 2018, in accordance with the terms of agreement with the said funding agency. However, with a view to continuing to provide support to the cases in hand, the Confederation continued the project on its own till June 2019. As for Hamirpur and Bharatpur projects, assistance from Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP) was gradually withdrawn as per the terms of NABP’s long term plan agreement with us since December 2018 and assistance was available on a greatly reduced scale for these two districts for a few months during the reporting year. Details of work undertaken in these three districts (Hamirpur, Bharatpur and Kaushambi) are presented below in a consolidated manner.Incurable visually impaired persons identified: 60 (M-37, F-23)Persons provided training in skills like orientation and mobility, independent living and income generating activities: 42 (M-29, F-13) Rehabilitation grants provided to 13 clients to undertake/strengthen their own income generating activities: Rs. 166,226/- Follow up of 320 earlier supported clients was taken up in Bharatpur and Hamirpur. Persons provided blankets free of cost: 166 (M-73, F-93) Persons provided mobility canes free of cost: 42 (M-29, F-13)Persons helped to get Government pensions/benefits under various Government schemes: 17 (M-10, F-7)Number of blindness certificates, bus passes and railway concession certificates provided: 67 (M-44, F-23) Smart canes arranged for 8 BPS persons (M-6, F-2)Smart phone arranged for 1 male BPSFree Gas connections under Government run Ujwalla Yojana: 12 females Part-time employment arranged for 4 BPS persons (M-3, F-1) under government sponsored schemeEye screening— adults and children: 1272 (M-603, F-669) Persons provided eye glasses free of charge: 26 (M-16, F-10)IOL surgeries arranged at nearby hospitals: 71 (M-32, F-39)Workshop organized in Hamirpur on sex education and reproductive health care for 19 ladies.Awareness workshop for 88 disabled persons organized in Hamirpur. As reported last year, the Confederation made efforts to establish supportive collaboration with new international partners to run additional CBR projects. We are happy to report that we received very favourable response to these initiatives from two leading international partners viz. Danish Association of the Blind (DAB), Honourable Dr. Asha Seth and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). DAB entered into a formal MOU with the Confederation and launched a project titled “AICB Full Circle—a Holistic Approach”. The project duration, initially was nine months (July, 2019 to March, 2020) which was subsequently extended to June, 2020. The project was conducted in the villages of Jalaun district (Uttar Pradesh). The project consists of three major outcomes:Organizational development through supporting the Confederation’s General Assembly programme and other related initiatives.Training and rehabilitation of blind and partially sighted persons in Jalaun district with provision of rehabilitation grant (in place of interest free loans) to enable competent persons in the rural areas of the district to start their own income generating activities and thus become economically rehabilitated.Promoting positive attitudes of the parents, family members, village leaders and district administration officers for the blind and partially sighted (BPS) persons and enabling trained BPS persons to access Government developmental schemes in Jalaun district.The first outcome was addressed in the form of support to General Assembly activity as detailed earlier in this report. Details of work on the other outcomes are as follows: Villages surveyed: 52 Total population covered: 135601 (M-72488, F-63113)Incurable visually impaired persons identified: 165 (M-94, F-71)Persons provided training in skills like orientation and mobility, independent living and income generating activities: 61 (M-40, F-21) Persons helped to undertake income generating activities through rehabilitation grant: 37 (M-25, F-12) Rehabilitation grants provided to clients to undertake their own income generating activities: Rs. 522,000/- Persons provided blankets free of cost: 145 (M-82, F-63) Persons provided mobility canes free of cost: 89 (M-54, F-35)Persons helped to get Government pensions/benefits under various Government schemes: 24 (M-15, F-9)Number of blindness certificates, bus passes and railway concession certificates arranged: 113 (M-68, F-45)Opening of bank accounts for clients: 21 (M-13, F-8) Aadhar cards arranged: 9 (M-6, F-3)Free Gas connections under Government run Ujwalla Yojana: 10 ladies Support provided for construction of toilets under Government Scheme: 8 (M-4, F-4)Besides, the following activities relating to promotion of positive attitudes to BPS persons were also undertaken in Jalaun during the year:15 Informal Advocacy Meetings for blind and partially sighted persons and others covered under the project—a total of 539 participants Two Awareness Workshops for BPS persons and their family members—a total of 157 participants Two workshops for Government Officials, Panchayat leaders, BPS persons and families—a total of 250 participants One Networking meeting among economically rehabilitated clients—a total of 16 participants.The project in Pratapgarh has commenced from July, 2019. It is supported by Honourable Dr. Asha Seth (one of the Confederation’s generous well-wishers, a leading philanthropist and activist?in?Canada) and Canadian National Institute for the Blind—our new partners. Honourable Dr. Asha Seth has been good enough to take the initiative and raise funds for the project. The project deals exclusively with training and rehabilitation of the rural blind and blindness prevention/eye health activities in Pratapgarh district (Uttar Pradesh).Details of the work carried out in Pratapgarh district during the year are given below:Villages surveyed: 44 Panchayats Total population covered: 125637 (M-64206, F-61431)Incurable visually impaired persons identified: 129 (M-76, F-53)Persons provided training in skills like orientation and mobility, independent living and income generating activities: 90 (M-57, F-33) Persons helped to undertake income generating activities through rehabilitation grant and mobilizing family support: 33 (M-25, F-8) Rehabilitation grants provided to clients to undertake their own income generating activities: Rs. 463,000/- Persons provided blankets free of cost: 80 (M-53, F-27) Persons provided mobility canes free of cost: 90 (M-57, F-33)Number of blindness certificates, bus passes and railway concession certificates provided: 129 (M-87, F-42)Eye screening— adults and children: 5669 (M-2535, F-3134) Persons provided eye glasses free of charge: 1311 (M-473, F-838)IOL surgeries arranged at nearby hospitals: 348 (M-175, F-173)Eye care meetings arranged: 9Free Gas connections under Government run Ujwalla Yojana: 4 ladies Support provided for construction of toilets under Government Scheme: 3 (M-1, F-2)Employment assistance provided under MNREGA: 6 (M-5, F-1)WOMEN SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES Gender-equity and gender-justice constitute two pivotal points of the Confederation’s ideology and programming. Thus, the Confederation continues to facilitate and promote participation of BPS women in all its important policy and decision making processes and on-going educational, training and rehabilitation activities. It also runs the following services exclusively for them: WorkshopsOne workshop on reproductive health & sexuality issues for women/girls with visual impairment was conducted in Indore in collaboration with M.P. Welfare Association for the Blind on 30th November and 1st December, 2019. 28 visually impaired women participated in the workshop, which was coordinated by Mrs. Manjula Rath, Chair, Women Matters, AICB. One workshop for girls and women with visual impairment from tribal areas/backward states on importance of higher education, various facilities and developmental opportunities & rights, was held in Lucknow on 14-15 September, 2019. Organized in collaboration with National Association for the Visually Handicapped, the workshop took place at Dr. Shakuntala Mishra Rehabilitation University, Lucknow and was coordinated by Mrs. Gauri Sen who is now one of the Secretaries of the Confederation. Merit Scholarships The Confederation awards scholarships to meritorious visually impaired girls pursuing higher education across the country barring the Southern states, Maharashtra and Goa. 204 blind women applicants were granted scholarships under the scheme for the academic session 2019-2020. A total of Rs. 1,741,641/- was disbursed as scholarships during the year. The beneficiaries have been selected from 11 States of the Country. Functions were organized in Delhi and Lucknow in the month of November for presentation of scholarship cheques of first installment to the beneficiaries. Mr. Sanjay Roy, Director, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was the Chief Guest at the function held in Delhi. Intensive Training Course During the year, AICB conducted 35 days’ intensive training for visually impaired women which commenced from 27th May. 30 visually impaired women reported for joining the course but one had to leave due to ill-health after about 10 days. These participants were from 9 states of the Country. During the course, training was imparted in O. & M., self-defence skills, home management and computer application. Lectures were delivered by highly qualified blind men and women on various topics on Saturdays and Sundays. Topics like Personality Development, Sex education and reproductive health care, gender issues, RPwD Act, 2016, career opportunities etc. were dealt with during lecture sessions. The course concluded on 30th June.12 outstanding participants of the course, were presented quality laptops with screen readers at the concluding function.Hostel Hostel facilities were provided to 55 college-going visually impaired girl-students and female vocational trainees during the period at the Confederation’s Rohini premises free of charge. Facilities included provision of board, lodging and reader services. All of the above women-specific activities/services were supported by CBM.International Women’s Day This important Day was celebrated on 8th March in collaboration with Blind Women Empowerment Trust. A function was held to commemorate the event at the Confederation’s Conference Hall, in Rohini, Delhi. 41 girl students of Delhi University and trainees of AICB participated. 18 of these students participated in the quiz competition and 23 took part in the talent hunt. Ms. Priti Agarwal, Ex-Mayor and now Councilor of Rohini area, presented a demo for two apps namely Kibo and Divya Nayan. The apps provided access to print data/text. Finally, Ms. Priti Agarwal presented prizes to the position holders and the non- winning participants were given certificates of participation. ADVOCACY INITIATIVESThe period under report has been yet another year of vibrant activities as far as the Advocacy front of AICB is concerned. Details are given below: 1. NEW INITIATIVESUpon receiving inputs from visually impaired bank employees stating that the transport allowance paid to them on account of their disability was unjustified and inadequate vis-à-vis their central Government counterparts, AICB, along with Visually Impaired Bank Employees Welfare Association (VIEBWA), took up this matter in the Delhi High Court. The case has been disposed of with directions to the Indian Bank Association (IBA) to look into the issues raised by us and take a decision at the earliest. As per the above directions, now the matter has been taken up with the IBA.Despite a favourable judgement from the Central Administrative Tribunal to treat Special B.Ed. as equivalent with B.Ed. General while appointing TGT teachers, many appointing authorities such as the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board, Govt. of NCT of Delhi are differentiating between the two degrees. This matter has been taken up in the Delhi High Court and is under hearing. AICB took up the matter of non-issuance of a separate cut-off list for PwD by the Administrative Division of the Rajasthan High Court in the selection process of Judicial Officers/Judges for lower courts. This matter was taken up both in the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court of India. The Honourable Supreme Court of India upheld our contention to issue a separate cut off list for PwD. As a consequence of our petition, the eligible visually impaired candidate was allowed to appear in the main examination even when he did not meet the general cut off mark.AICB had filed a case in the Madras High Court regarding the non-implementation of reservation for PwDs in government aided colleges. The Court took cognizance and extended the reach to all educational institutions. Government is yet to file a status report on the matter as asked by the Court. Through this petition we hope to create several thousands of jobs for the visually impaired in Tamil Nadu.AICB has taken up a matter in the CCPD Court regarding denial of appointment to a visually impaired person at the post of Junior Assistant in Repco Bank despite his being statutorily eligible and qualifying the entrance examination for the same. The matter is under process. On noticing non-observance of reservation provisions by Bharathidasan university, Tamil Nadu, a legal notice has been sent and the matter will be pursued further. AICB has provided comprehensive inputs to the draft document of New Education Policy (NEP), issued by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India which may have significant impact on future education of India.We have also provided comments on the Draft Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2020. On accessibility front, we were consulted by the Ministry of Defence for making National War Memorial accessible for visually impaired persons. Following which, from the point of view of visually impaired, an access audit of the War Memorial was conducted and a detailed report was submitted to the concerned authorities. Following complaints of non-observance of rules in promotions, even in Group-C and Group-D services, RTIs have been filed to the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India; the Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India; and the Services Department, Government of NCT of Delhi.2. ONGOING MATTERSWe are happy to report that our case in the Central Administrative Tribunal against the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) has also been decided in our favour. Through this case we had challenged the action of KVS in not recognizing Special B.Ed. degree as being equivalent to B.Ed. General for appointments of TGT teachers. It may be recalled, that AICB had taken up the issue of promotional barriers for the visually impaired in banks from Scale 2 to 3 and Scale 4 to 5. Deciding the case in our favour, the CCPD had stated the requirement of serving as Branch Head for promotion from Scale 4 to 5 may be waived of in the case of visually impaired. Subsequently, some visually impaired persons in Punjab National Bank were allowed to appear for the Scale 4 to 5 examination but they were rejected at the interview stage. In view of this, AICB has once again represented to the Ministry of Finance asking them to implement the CCPD judgement and modify the guidelines. If this does not happen, the only way for us would be to approach the Delhi High Court.Owing to our interventions, a visually impaired (low vision) person, Dr. Balashankaran Narayanan has been appointed as Assistant Professor in Physics in the Gobi Arts and Science College, Tamil Nadu—a position which was denied to him earlier.Our case regarding the accessibility of currency notes and coins for the visually impaired is at an advanced stage of hearing. Unfortunately, an organization of the visually impaired has filed a petition which has the effect of countering the positions taken by us in the said case. In its hearing on 20.08.2019, the Delhi High Court appeared to appreciate our contention that apps and technology are not very appropriate. On the subsequent three dates, the case has not been able to come up for hearing and the next date of hearing is 07.07.2020. In response to our case relating to the accessibility of the IRCTC website for the visually impaired and the positive directions by the CCPD regarding the same, IRCTC has been in consultation with AICB and is working towards making their website more accessible towards visually impaired. 3. INDIVIDUAL GUIDANCEIndividualized guidance and support has been continued to be provided during the period under report.CELEBRATING LOUIS BRAILLE’S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY4th January, 2020, was the 211th Birth Anniversary of one of the greatest benefactors of the blind—Louis Braille. The Birth Anniversary is looked up to with great reverence and excitement by all of us.As in the previous year, the Confederation organized several important events to commemorate Louis Braille 211th birthday. Braille competitions were conducted to stimulate proficiency in Braille and honour excellence. Thus, the Confederation organized All India Madanlal Khandelwal Memorial Braille Essay Competition in Hindi and English. It is worthwhile reiterating here that Late Madanlal Khandelwal was himself blind, settled in England. He donated to the Confederation valuable funds for prizes to be given for this competition. Besides, 19th All India Braille Reading and Writing Competitions were held at the Confederation’s Rohini premises on 3rd January, 2020. Over 80 students representing 24 institutions for the blind from 10 states participated. These competitions carried attractive cash prizes. On the evening of 3rd January, the Confederation organized a symposium of Hindi poets in which a number of celebrated literary personalities presented their poems.The anniversary celebrations reached a high point on 4th January when a grand public function was held at the Confederation’s premises at Rohini, Delhi. A large number of blind persons and their well-wishers from 30 institutions/organizations participated in the function, which also commemorated the Day as World Braille Day. Mr. Rajan Sehgal, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation, Government of India was the Chief Guest at the function. Prizes and awards worth over Rs. 200,000 were presented as per the following details:Krishnawanti and Manoharlal Memorial Award (instituted by Dr. Ved Prakash Varma) consisting of Rs. 51,000/- in cash, a Memento and a Citation to Mr. Ankurjeet Singh, a visually impaired individual clearing the Civil Services Examination 2018 and currently posted as Assistant Commissioner, Amritsar. Krishna Kumari Varma Memorial Award (Instituted by Dr. Ved Prakash Varma) consisting of Rs. 21,000/- in cash, a memento and a Citation to Ms. Kavya S. Bhat, a visually impaired lady, who secured second position in M.A. (Political Science) examination 2019 in the whole of Mysore University. Aket Kansil Memorial Award (instituted by Mr. Ajay & Mrs. Anu Kansil) consisting of Rs.15,000/- in cash, a Memento and a Citation to Mr. Saurabh Prasad, a blind student who secured 93.8% marks among visually impaired students at CBSE’s class 12th examination 2019.Prizes worth around Rs. 85,000 were given away to participants securing first three positions at All India Braille reading and writing and essay competitions. Prizes worth Rs. 34,000/- to participants obtaining first three positions at All India Madanlal Khandelwal Memorial Braille Essay Competition (two languages). In addition, two outstanding trainees of the Confederation’s IT course were presented laptops with screen readers. TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONCapacity DevelopmentDuring the year, two workshops on “Capacity building for persons with visual impairment on use of laptops, other assistive devices, screen reading softwares, leadership and personality development” were held in Delhi and Lucknow—in Delhi on 15th and 22nd September, 2019 and in Lucknow on 28-29 December, 2019. The workshop at Lucknow was coordinated by AICB’s affiliate, National Association for the Visually Handicapped through Mrs. Gauri Sen, currently, Secretary, AICB. A total of 80 blind men and women took part in these workshops. Training in the use of Android mobiles, Orbit Reader 20, Brailleme and several apps was imparted to the participants. At both places IT experts acted as resource persons. In addition, the Confederation continued to critically examine and support Orbit Reader 20 manufactured at Encore Research LLP, Vadodara. Wherever required, training in the use of the device continues to be provided on phone/whatsapp by Sh. Rajpal, our CEC member.OTHER ACTIVITIES Recording Studio-Cum-Audio Library49 new titles were recorded at the Unit during the year. These were copied into 33 CD’s and 219 USB’s. The Unit had a total of 158 beneficiaries from Delhi and outside. The Confederation is now objectively examining the advisability of continuing this service, since so many other alternatives are now easily available to our visually impaired friends elsewhere. Amway-AICB Braille Libraries The Confederation has continued during the year, the Scheme of running Braille libraries, with support from Amway India Enterprises. Thus, funds were provided for running Braille libraries at Institutions for the blind in 10 centres across the country. As a part of this initiative, the concerned institutions were helped with grants to meet the cost of salaries of part-time librarians. Interaction with AffiliatesThe Confederation made available a sum of Rs. 275,000/- to five of its affiliates for running Amway-AICB Braille libraries, as indicated above. Besides, Braille books worth about Rs. 100,000 were also provided free of cost to these libraries. In addition, assistance to the tune of Rs. 207,000/- was extended to four affiliates.Besides, workshops on various aspects mentioned elsewhere in this report were organized in collaboration with our affiliates. Also, equipment bank branches continued to function through some of our affiliates. Through these banks, assistive devices are provided to individual users at subsidized costs, with the Confederation meeting the subsidy component from its own funds. AICB Blind Senior Citizens’ Committee The Committee provides a useful forum to senior citizen friends with visual impairment, to exchange views and experiences on matters of common interest as also for displaying their hidden talents in the spheres of music and literature. The committee held three meetings during the year in the months of April, October and December.Support to Covid-19 Infected ClientsAs this report goes for print, we have been receiving information about the sad plight of our clients and other beneficiaries due to the problems created by the Corona Virus outbreak and the resultant lockdown. Such reports/information has, naturally been causing considerable stress and consternation to us. We are very much worried about recently rehabilitated blind persons in the districts of Jalaun and Pratapgarh, U.P. Similarly, as per reports received, blind hawkers in the state of Kerala are facing financial hardships due to lockdown. They cannot perform their work and therefore need immediate financial assistance. In view of the above, the Confederation decided to help visually impaired in villages who are below poverty line and who had been economically rehabilitated by us in the districts of Jalaun and Pratapgarh. In addition, we have also decided to assist blind hawkers through Kerala Federation of the Blind—our affiliate. An expenditure of Rs. 210,000/- has so far been incurred on providing support to these persons. A total of 110 persons have thus been helped. Big “Thank You”No account of our activities can be complete in the real sense without acknowledging the invaluable support and cooperation we have been privileged to receive from our well-wishers from different sectors. Indeed, we owe a debt of deep gratitude to each one of our benefactors. Their contributions in cash or in kind, have gone a long way in sustaining and diversifying our manifold services. The generous helping hand thus extended to us reassures us that we are not alone in carrying out the stupendous tasks of empowering blind and partially sighted persons and further strengthens our resolve to continue our work, undaunted by various challenges and seemingly insuperable obstacles. A warm “Thank You” then, to all our supporting organizations and philanthropically minded individuals for all their contributions, big or small, which means so much to us. Thousands of our blind and partially sighted brothers and sisters, too, join us in expressing their immense gratitude to all our supporters, whose help has made these services possible.A list of our major supporter organizations is given below with profound gratitude from our side:Christoffel Blindenmission, GermanyNorwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted, NorwayM/s Mitsubishi Electric Automotive India Pvt. Ltd., GurgaonDanish Association of the Blind, DenmarkHonourable Dr. Asha Seth (Canada) and Canadian National Institute for the Blind M/s Amway India Enterprises, DelhiUNITAS, SwitzerlandDEUTSCHER VEREIN der BLINDEN and SEHBEHINDERTEN, GermanySponsored Parents Group headed by Mr. Johannes Kettlehoit, SwedenM/s Wipro and Charities Aid Foundation, IndiaUnion Department of Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities, New Delhi Heart and Hand for the Handicapped, USA We are also grateful to the following social workers for their valuable services provided to the Confederation in a purely voluntary capacity:Mr. Kulwant Rana, Ex-MLA (provided vegetables on weekly basis during the whole year). Mr. Manish Gupta, a well-known social worker.Mr. I.C. Gupta, Delhi (Structural Engineer for assisting the Organization in building maintenance and construction work)Mr. Polimati Naveen Chandra, Hyderabad (for designing and updating AICB website)Ms. Padma Batra, Delhi (rendering services in the recording studio)Ms. Sarita Barara, Delhi (rendering services in the recording studio)Mrs. Meera Mittal, Delhi (rendering help in monitoring services)Mr. Raju Mansukhani, Delhi (Honorary Communication Manager)We are also most thankful to all of our individual donors. ................
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