The things people do for an impressive business card….

Stumbled upon this today:
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/100-really-creative-business-cards//

And they really are VERY creative calling cards. At least some of them are. That set me thinking 0 what’s the big idea? Simple. The owners of these cards want to stand out, and they want to be remembered. So does everyone handing out a business card.

Why am i laughing so hard? Because, thats just what a braille enabled card does too.. it makes people talk to you, and it makes them remember you.

Shameless self promotion? You bet… but really.. that list had me doing two things really hard – thinking, and laughing!

There’s a simple way to do things, and even Sherlock Holmes thinks its usually the best.

Of late, i have been getting multiple cards orders, all unsolicited. but what makes it special is that these people saw the value in the product when they called me. They all said “its a fantastic idea!” None of them told me about helping the blind et al, but all of them said that it was a great product.

Thank you, everyone of you.. and finally, my stand that braille enabled cards are not just good for the blind, they are awfully good for you… stands vinidicated.. in whatever small way..

Thank you, to the little God sititng up there.

New Post – Updates, and Rapidex English Speaking Course, in audio

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..

Volunteers wanted and audio books available.

Harish, who is a visually disabled student of B. Com, needs help with his books.

 

We need volunteers who can read out these books and convert them to audio. The books are in Hindi.

And of course, these audio books are available for any other visually disabled person who wants to use them.

In addition, I am looking at creating an online library of educational audio material for the visually disabled. If you are interested, please send me audio recording of any chapter, any curriculum, any level, and i will add it to the online library. Class 1 to MA, anything is fine. You never know when it will save someone time if at least some part is available already. No effort is too small. PItch in people!!

The Delhi Center!

Yes, finally, we have it! Esha now has a Delhi center. This center offers all the 3 services:

1. Braille enabled visiting cards

2. Theater Workshop for sensitisation.

3. Accessibility Audit of offices, schools, et al.

So, if you live in the NCR region and want your visiting cards braille enabled, it can now be done much faster! Write to me at esha_braille@yahoo.com for more information, or you can always go to the website(www.braillecards.org)

Oh, and we also have some more Customer Testimonials! What’s more, they are already uploaded on the site too.

 Nisha, who lives in my building and is a very sweet mother of 2, has kindly agreed to update the site from time to time. I love her for it! Nisha is also available for freelance web based work, just in case you’re looking for someone…

Looking for someone in NCR region

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!

Someone likes Esha!

I just mentioned to a friend about Esha, and she liked it so much…

I was touched by what she wrote.. esp. when she said that

“where Indians visiting overseas don’t feel ‘wow’ at seeing braille in elevators, movie theaters and all major corporate communications.. because in that tomorrow, we have it all in India too..”

That is close to what i have always wondered.. when we ask for everything that is world class, why dont we ask for inclusive environments.. it costs us nothing, and only adds to a space.. why dont we?

The Esha Braille website is up!

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.

www.braillecards.org

Please go there, and tell me what you think!

Update

Today, we got another idea – FMCG companies that lose out on several blind customers because those labels are unintelligible. Such an awesome gap!!

We are planning to run a small survery, asking the blind whether a braille label will impact their purchase decision. I have a gut feel hypothesis, but let us start with the anti hypothesis – that it will not.

Thoughts, anyone?  

This is a test post to see whether WordPress automatically generates code like blogger does. I did learn html, but that was such a long time ago. here goes the attempt.

The Theater Workshop

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.