Asia-Pacific, Assistive Technology, Universal Design, July 15 2021

INDIA: A Museum of Possibilities, a permanent exhibition on assistive devices and accessible technology for differently abled people, is getting readied in the city by the State Commissionerate for the Welfare of the Disabled and Vidya Sagar, a non-governmental organisation.

The museum, which will open this year, will focus on this across four aspects — live, work, play and communicate. A model of an accessible home, assistive devices and accessible technology across these four areas will be on display.

“The museum will not just display the latest technology which differently abled persons can explore, but it is also being conceived as a space which will create awareness and empathy among the public. As an unique space, we are hoping that people who visit can experience and empathise with the differently abled,” said Johny Tom Varghese, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

He said that they were hoping for the project to be a launchpad for training initiatives. “We are exploring the idea of having a canteen near the museum which can be run by differently abled persons,” he added.

The Team for Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation (TARA), one of the pillars of Project Begin to Live Independently with Support Systems (BLISS) from Vidya Sagar, has worked on conceptualising the permanent exhibition.

“The main objectives of TARA is to make workplaces and homes accessible for differently abled persons as well as the elderly. Accessible technology and devices can be incorporated into personal spaces to make the daily lives of differently abled persons a lot easier,” said Poonam Natarajan, founder, Vidya Sagar.

The organisation has been exploring options available with regard to assistive devices and technology available with various vendors, and making this information accessible to the differently abled.

Vidya Sagar is also looking for a team to join the project and is looking for persons for the roles of manager, therapist, AAC expert and museum assistants. Application forms are available at http://bitly.ws/fwhy.

Originally Published in The Hindu.