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ICT CAREERS AND EMPLOYMENT

METHODOLOGIES FOR VISUALLY


DISABLED

Krishnakant

Monday 01 September 2008


Technology and knowledge sharing

• Technology facilitates sharing of knowledge


• Information communication technology serves multiple
purposes
• ICT never discriminates between handicap and non-handicap
• Accessibility means making technology usable for handicap
people
• Asistive technologies include hardware and software
Wonders of accessibility
• Visually disabled people use computers with equal ease
• Text to speech technology resulted in screen reader
• Wordprocessing, Surffing with internet and emailing possible
for totally blind
Accessibility opens avenues in ICT for blind

• Blind people can use almost all softwares both on GUI and
command line
• Screen readers in free and proprietory forms
• Tactile displays and braille displays provide added support
• Surfing the net is possible with screen readers and braille
displays
• Wordprocessing and formatting documents with ease
• Programming is an art expressed with technologies
• Programming involves brain not eyes
Available technologies and their implications

• With braille displayes information including icons can be felt


• Orca screen reader is free screen reader for accessing desktops
and internet
• Free software backed by hardware open all the dores of
information
• any document not available in soft copy can be scanned for
text
• thus blind people are equally independent
Career Opportunities which can be pursuede

• ICT’s have let to a plethora of opportunities


• Programming is top most possibility for career
• Server administration is an established job opportunity
• Executives and other desk related jobs
• Law and related fields
• Journalism and related fields including news reading
• Accessibility technology has braught down all barriers
Seeking equal employment opportunities

• Free software based technologies is the key


• Free and open source extents beyond technology
• Screen readers like orca on the gnome desktop can be
customised
• Employment in any sector would need use of ICT’s
• Development of skills through various courses
• Ask for free software based options in courses
• So far blind people were limited due to lak of awareness
• It is a matter of application of technologies
Employment Methodologies

• One shoe does not fit all


• Different methodologies for different sectors
• Challenges in convincing vary from sector to sector
• Motivations in the corporate sector are different than
social sector
• Different fields need different arguements
Corporate sector methodologies

• Explore the motivations for employing by corporates


• With given talent, blind are sources of motivation
• Industrial employers want people with high degree of
concentration
• Till date very few are aware of accessibility
• Government must launch awareness campains
• NGO’s play a major role
Recommendations for stratergy
• Programming is the best field to explore
• Promote employment in fields like IT project management
• Blind people can be employed in programming on GUI
• Employers can be impressed by practical work
• Promote active inclusion of blind programmers as interns
• It has been observed that cases of blind interns generally get
employed by the same company
• Blind people can be given contracts for software/ hardware
support
• Opportunities must be created for self employment with
support and services
• Industry looks at performance not eye sight
• Advance graphical jobs like websight design may not be a
good option
• Send blind students actively for campus placements
• Blind people program in high-end technologies
• php, java, python etc are all best choices
Social and government sector

• Almost similar motivations


• Laws make it statutary for employing handicap
• Should employment happen for the sake of it?
• Blind people can contribute to the nation and society
• Administration at the back ofice is a very good option
• Computerisation has infact proved to be a boon
• Tools like latex can be used for excelent reporting and
presentation
• Accessibility is growing every day
Choosing the right technologies

• Biggest hurdle is the wrong technology


• No employer is generally willing to invest for one employee
• Questions of industry
• Why should I buy new technology for one handicap person?
• How would my investment be justified?
• What if the handicap person leaves the job?
• Choose only free and open source
• Free software will not involve added investment
• Free software is customisable to the work place needs

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