Helping the disabled see, hear & speak

A walking stick that warns the visually impaired of an obstacle metres away, computer software that teaches Braille, offer Voice Output Communication Aid, and literally “speak” for the hearing and speech-impaired….

All these were on display at a two-day national conference on
‘Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology for Persons with Disabilities’, organised for the first time in the country at the National Institute of Training in Industrial Engineering.

“The idea was to alleviate the communication problems of persons with disabilities,” said Prof R Rangasayee, director, Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, which organised the conference.