India Attracts International Attention with Innovative Solutions for Visually Impaired; BAOU Showcases Low-Cost Smart Glasses
Ahmedabad: The Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU) campus witnessed a grand event on Thursday as the world's largest gathering of disability advocates and experts converged onto the same platform for the first-ever world conference and general assembly of International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) held in India.
The two-day conference, which drew over 650 delegates from 62 countries, highlighted innovative solutions to cater to millions of visually impaired people across the globe. At one of the stalls, BAOU showcased its smart glasses developed exclusively in Ahmedabad, priced under Rs 20,000, designed to provide individuals with blindness and low vision tools to assimilate into society using technology.
The smart glasses boast a powerful camera, AI-enabled interface, and features like identifying currency, reading documents in multiple languages, and narrating the scene in front of them. With their affordable price tag, these cutting-edge solutions aim to bridge the gap between technology and social inclusion for visually impaired individuals worldwide.
According to Dr Frances Gentle, the president of ICEVI, India has an immense opportunity to come up with groundbreaking solutions that can be replicated globally. Highlighting her country's progress in disability rights, she noted that India was the first nation to include deafblindness under its compulsory education framework and boasts a robust legal structure for persons with disabilities.
India, with its thriving IT sector, offers unparalleled opportunities for innovation in disability solution development. Dr Gentle praised the emerging technologies of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), stating they provide both avenues and cautionary points for the disability sector. The India-based organizations are also pioneering the way forward by providing low-cost yet advanced solutions for people around the world.
The host committee chair, Dr Bhushan Punani expressed delight at receiving an enormous number of delegates from different nations who sought to engage with this remarkable Indian conference that set records in terms of grandeur and diversity. This unprecedented milestone is expected to set a precedent for future conferences centered around disability rights and education globally.