The Times of India (Pune)
February 28, 2017

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) will display various products designed to help the disabled on Tuesday , the National Science Day .

The technology would be available free of cost at CDAC's Savitribai Phule Pune University campus facility. All one has to do is carry a pendrive. The products, designed by CDACs across India, are on the exhibition's theme of `science and technology for speciallyabled persons'.

Some of the projects that would be on display include Shruti-Drishti', an integrated browser-based tool for the visually-impaired; a hindi text-tospeech system, and `ALViC,' accessible Linux, also for the visually-challenged. `Anumaan,' predictive texting, GEM (Gestures with Mouse) and GNU Linux distribution for the cog nitively-challenged, and `e-Saadhya', an education framework for children with autism would also be on display . Other products that can be expected are `Swar,' for the speech-impaired and `Tarang', a digital programmable hearing aid. “The education framework includes a special educator's environment with standard assessments, individualized education plans and lesson plans, along with a multimedia-based individual learning environment. The child just has to log in to the framework to access the personalized lessons and exercises, which are created by the educator or parent from their login environment,“ joint director of HPC-Tech, CDAC, Tarun Kohli, said.

Explaining `Swar,' a mobile app for non-verbal children, associate director of HPC-Tech, C-DAC, Ashish Kuvelkar said the child just has to tap an image on the screen and the app will communicate it through the phone's speakers. “ Apart from existing pictures, parents can add or delete new images,“ Kuvelkar said.