The seminar, titled “Disability and Disenchantment: New Challenges and Evolving” organised by the Equal Opportunities Office of JNU and the JNU-Visually Challenged Forum, had speakers elaborating on some of the hardware and software like JAWS, Magic, Kurzweil 1000 OCR, Prisma, that are available on campus to facilitate ease of learning and studying for the disabled.

The seminar provided a platform to various groups working for the physically challenged to discuss the technologies.

Dr Sam Taraporevala, Director of Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), Mumbai, in his presentation spoke of the efforts their organisation has put in for the amendment of the Copyright Act, 1957. “The Copyright Act of 1957 doesn’t allow people to access printed material by converting it into any other format. The XRCVC has put before the government the need to amend this act in order to allow the disabled access available information and resources,” he said.

Anna Varam, member of the Equal Opportunity Office (EOO) of JNU, said they were looking forward to new policies being implemented for disabled people by the government keeping in mind advice from academicians and the students concerned.

The EOO also highlighted their expectations from the government in terms of introducing transparency in social auditing processes and expenditure of funds allotted for the physically challenged.