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This afternoon, i was testing Bing one more time. Have to admit that the search results are getting much better.
Today, the search was predictably on Braille Visiting cards. And Viola! i found 2 new links that were missed by google all this while methinks. Here they are:
Someone had a nice experience with Chandru..http://latikaroy.org/josBlog/?p=164
And Someone thinks Braille Cards are a bright idea!
What more can i say.. makes mah day.
Chandrashekhar, the entrepreneur responsible for all those great looking visiting cards, just got married this month. He is on Cloud 9, of course, and you can congratulate him here.. i will pass on the messages.. OR, if u really want to make his day, call him!
Blind visitors at Van Vihar National Park are discovering the wildlife treasures through Braille scripted information put up at various points at the park. In a first of it kind endeavour, volunteers of Arushi, an N.G.O. in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, created about two dozen aluminium Braille sheets that give information about the animals of the park. Read the full story here.
And then, heard about this organisation called Ekansh. Do visit.
Another important thing: A lot of the visually disabled children are looking for the Rapidex English Speaking Course in audio. I have recorded the full book and have the audio version with me. If you know of anyone who needs this book, just let me know, and i will have the tapes sent across..
Esha is looking for another beneficiary – in the NCR region.
We have a lot of work coming our way from the NCR region and a new delivery center is in order.
If you know of anyone who is:
A. Visually disabled to the extent that their normal employment options are impacted because of the disability.
B. Interested
C. Would like to be groomed into an entrepreneur.
D. Is available to work part time (but is committed)
E. Needs the money.
F. Is based in the NCR region.
Please ask them to reach me at esha_braille@yahoo.com
This person will be groomed and mentored over a 5-6 month period, to run their own show as entreprenerus, using the revenue streams of Esha, or any other revenue stream that they deem fit. At the moment, Esha has 3 revenue options (all 3 are designed for delivery by a visually disabled person):
1. Braille enabled visiting cards, stationery and greeting cards
2. Theater Workshops for Team Building – for corporates, schools and residential complexes.
3. Accessibility Audit of a building – for offices, schools, and other public places.
Have a Good Day! 
Finally!!
Its a simple website in black and white, no pictures. That is to show the black and white, pictureless world of the people we work for.
Feedback is welcome, and it will really help if you could just add a link on your blogs about the work we do at Esha. We do not have the resources to advertise, but I do believe that it is possible to spread the message through word of mouth. You might just help someone who is looking for this information.
Please go there, and tell me what you think!
We’ve designed a simple theater workshop that focuses on an exploration of our gifts.
Participants are encouraged to create their own play during the workshop, so everyone has a lot of fun. This workshop works at 2 levels – at the basic level, it makes us grateful for our own gifts, and at another, it sensitises us to the needs of those who are not as privileged.
On the 2nd of August, I was around at one of our workshops. Was blown by the impact on the participants after just 90 minutes of the workshop. It was so apparent that these guys were touched, that I did not even need to make the endpoint at the end of the workshop. Their faces indicated that they’d understood what the workshop was about.
You know, i like these days of small successes.. they make one’s day, and what’s better.. they remain in memory as sweet little raisins.
Every once in a while, I run Google Search for keywords that should ideally lead to the Braillecards.org website.
It helps us understand where we are on page rank, and also helps us know if there is anyone else in the same space, so we can collaborate.
Always, without exception, these net searches lead one to very interesting work being done by other people, and its impossible to not share the excitement!
Today, its this really nice list of periodicals for the disabled. The list has been compiled, quite nicely, by a website called Shruti. And while we are at it, I must also appreciate the website itself. It’s super cool.
We are not listed on this site yet 
Let’s see if i can find a way to get them informed.
The other nice place that i found was this:
This place is good because, though there are hajaar people working for the same end, it irritates me that there is no network, no one place where you can at least get information about such initiatives at one place.
Shruti and ACPD are both excellent because u at least get a consolidated, compiled information base.
As they would say in my IIM Calcutta lingo, Gud Show!
I really enjoyed this one. Do hope you like it too. Tell us what you think.
http://www.jp.onkyo.com/braille_essay2006/me01mr_nikhil_jain.htm
Today, we did the most thorough audit possible for Blind Accessibility. This was at IIT Delhi, and included points that i could not even have dreamt of!
The audit started at 1030 hours and went on till (phew!) 1630 hours. We did 3 audits – Visitor Audit, Student Audit, Employee Audit.
The report is now ready and submitted, and the payment realised. Wow!! The audit fees was just Rs. 4000 for all the 3 audits, because we worked really hard and finished all the 3 audits in one day!
(Raising a well deserved toast).. Congratulations!
How do the Visually Impaired play Chess
Do you know how different is a game of chess for visually challenged? How would you play if you were to close your eyes and yet enjoy the game?
It’s simple, albeit a few physical modifications to the equipment:
- In the chessboard, all the Black squares are raised about 3-4 mm above the white squares. The player can feel the raised or the lowered squares to figure out whether the piece is on a black or a white square
- Each of the chess pieces has a downward projection (nail) at the base, which fits into the squares on the Board having a hole in the center
- Through touch and feel, the player can determine whether the piece is a Pawn, Rook, Bishop, Knight, Queen or King
- All the Black pieces have a pin fixed on their heads. The touch of the pin on the pieces helps the player from distinguishing a white piece from a black one
The player is therefore able to have a clear picture in his mind of the position on the Board. The player is now ready to take on any opponent, sighted or otherwise.As per FIDE rules, a player is required to announce every move made, so that the opponent gets to know of the move. When the visually challenged play chess, instead of writing the moves on a Score Sheet, they record the same in Braille or on a tape recorder.
