Assistive Devices for PwDs By Dr Youven Naiken Gopalla, MD - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Assistive Devices for PwDs By Dr Youven Naiken Gopalla, MD

Questions How many of you know or have interacted with someone with a • disability? How many of you have people with disabilities in your organisation that • you know of ? How many have been to at least one training or workshop on disability? •

Exercise  1) What is the disability you FEAR the most – one that you feel you would never want to have, based on what you currently know about it.  2) What is your favourite activities, things you love to do. Could be hobbies, interests, whatever. Do this quickly, right off the top of your heads.

Global Rainbow Foundation  Founded on 11 th November 2011- 11.11.11  By Prof. Armoogum Parsuramen  Charitable trust which was created to give support and assistance to persons who by their physical, mental or other medical condition face greater challenges in life.  The “Rainbow” symbolizes the diversity of material and psychological help provided to these people to assist them in building up their self-confidence and trust to achieve in life with a high self-esteem.

Activities : 2011-2016  Providing more than 900 amputees with both lower limb and upper limb prosthesis  Making more than 30 children with cerebral palsy stand on their feet for the first time in their life  Providing free assistive devices ( motorised wheelchairs, scooters, laptops, SmartCanes, braille notes) to over 150 persons with disabilities  Introducing the SmartCane technology in Mauritius and Africa  Implementing the Visionary Learning Program in partnership with the Royal Institute for the Blind as a pilot program in Mauritius  Providing free rehabilitation service to Persons with Disabilities through our Centre in Port Louis and Petit Raffray  Organising concerts and events to showcase the hidden talents of Persons with Disabilities

GRF Commitments towards PwDs  ENABLE  To make able by providing the necessary assistive tools  EMPOWER  Empowerment of PwDs by providing them opportunities to think and do for themselves  EDUCATE  To educate public about disability  To train PwDs with employability skills

New World Health Organization (WHO) Definition of Disabilities In 2001, the WHO established a new definition of disability; it is based on human rights, or social models, and focuses on the interaction between a person with a disability and the environment. DISABILITY is an umbrella term, which includes several components: • impairments : a problem in body function or structure • activity limitations : a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action • participation restrictions: a problem experienced by an individual’s involvement in life situations

Disability Redefined Disability is the world’s largest minority group and it is one that anyone can join at any time .

UN CONVENTION on the RIGHTS of PERSONS with DISABILITIES  Personal mobility and independence are to be fostered by facilitating affordable personal mobility, training in mobility skills and access to mobility aids, devices, assistive technologies and live assistance (Article 20).  Countries are to promote access to information by providing information intended for the general public in accessible formats and technologies, by facilitating the use of Braille, sign language and other forms of communication and by encouraging the media and Internet providers to make on-line information available in accessible formats (Article 21).  Mauritius signed the Convention in September 2007 and proceeded with its ratification in January 2010.

Jaipur Foot Prosthesis  Jaipur Foot Mauritius is a humanitarian initiative of the Global Rainbow Foundation (GRF) to empower and bring a change in the lives of amputees by offering them the gift of mobility .  With the help of eminent partners, free prosthesis are offered to amputees locally and regionally.  The project is carried with the technical partnership of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS ), an organization based in Jaipur, India.

BMVSS  It is the world's largest organisation serving the disabled.  This NGO provides all its assistance, including artificial limbs, calipers and other aids and appliances totally free of charge .  Since its inception, BMVSS has rehabilitated more than 1.3 million amputees and polio patients by fitting / providing artificial limbs (Jaipur Foot variations), calipers, and other aids and appliances worldwide.  BMVSS is the parent body for Jaipur Foot.

Jaipur Foot Technology  Jaipur Foot is technically distinct from other foot / limb technologies. It is the only non- articulated foot in the world that provides mobility in all three planes i.e. Dorsi-flexion, Inversion/ Eversion and transverse rotation.  The Jaipur Foot enables amputees to walk, run, trek, swim, squat, sit cross legged, walk on uneven terrain etc.

Stanford Jaipur Knee  The Stanford-Jaipur Knee is a new invention designed by the Stanford University, USA together with the BMVSS team.  The Stanford-Jaipur Knee has been hailed by Time magazine (issue of November 23, 2009) as one of the 50 Best Inventions of the World in the year 2009.  The Stanford-Jaipur Knee, also known as the Jaipur Knee, mimics normal human gait by providing stability in stance and easy movement.  Jaipur foot is today the world most widely used prosthetic foot.

Mobility: Not Just Wheelchairs • Wheelchairs come in a variety of styles and sizes, with many types of attachments available. Only some are assisted by someone who pushes the chair. • Other assistive devices include Segways, service dogs, canes, walkers, and adaptive devices for gripping objects, writing or drawing, or for activities of daily living , such as drinking or eating .

Smartcanes  Smartcane is a mobility aid that detects knee-above and raised obstacles, which are not detected by the use of the white cane. Since the device uses ultrasound, it increases the obstacle detection range  to 3m, thereby improving safety for the blind user.  The device fits on the top fold of the white cane and provides information in addition to that given by the white cane.  It helps to detect knee-above obstacles which are usually not detected by the white cane like the underside of a car, hanging cloth strings, coolers and A/C etc. These obstacles usually pose injury to the head or upper body parts and thus are critical to detect early.

SmartCanes  Salient Features  Improves mobility, gives independence & boosts self- esteem.  Also useful for individuals with deaf-blindness.  System designed as a detachable unit mounted on a white cane. Low-cost and replacable white cane makes it affordable and easy to use in developing countries's road conditions.  Design features: user-detachable, light-weight, Braille controls and an ergonomic design to allow the user to hold the SmartCane with a variety of personalized grips.  Detection and warning of fast-approaching obstacles, like vehicles, within 3m allowing time for a reflex action.

How it works

Visionary Learning  Promote accessibility of people with visual impairment through technology. It provides to the beneficiaries the suitable technological tools and resources to overcome the barriers to education and independency  Laptops equipped with the screen reader NVDA will be donated to visually impaired people. The donation is followed by intensive IT training in the manipulation of the software NVDA and the use of shortcut keys on the keyboard.

NVDA  NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free “screen reader” which enables blind and vision impaired people to use computers. It reads the text on the screen in a computerised voice. You can control what is read to you by moving the cursor to the relevant area of text with a mouse or the arrows on your keyboard.  NVDA can also convert the text into braille if the computer user owns a device called a “braille display”.  NVDA provides the key to education and employment for many blind people. It also provides access to social networking, online shopping, banking and news.

Bookshare  Bookshare is an online accessible digital library for people with print disabilities such as blindness, visual impairment, dyslexia and certain physical disabilities.  It is a Global Literacy initiative of Benetech, a leading Silicon Valley-based nonprofit technology company. Benetech uses technology to address pressing social needs.  Currently, there are members in over 70 countries. Bookshare has more than a quarter million users and over 375,000 books in its collection, contributed by volunteers (who scan and upload the books to the site), as well as more than 500 U.S. and international publishers  Bookshare.org is the web-based repository of thousands of digital books, including textbooks, literature, current popular reading, teacher recommended reading, reference materials, newspapers and periodicals, and much more. Members can view the books in any web browser and can use any text reader software to have the books read aloud by the computer.

Cecifoot  Cecifoot is a 5-a-side football match practiced by visual impaired athletes. This sport is recognized by the FIFA and the rules are conveniently adapted to the disability of the players.  In 2004, during the International Paralympics Games in Athens, Cecifoot officially became a paralympicgame.