DISABILITY NEWS

News 1 Disabled Citizens and the Future of Artificial Intelligence A Hindu opinion article examines disabled citizens' place in India's AI ecosystem. It calls for pre-deployment bias testing, consented representation of persons with disabilities in training data, and compliance with RPwD Act, 2016 accessibility standards, recalling the Supreme Court's 2024 Rajive Raturi judgment linking accessibility to Article 21. Source: The Hindu (Op-Ed) | thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/disabled-citizens-and-the-future-of-ai/article71548718.ece News 2 Cotigao Trails Opened to Students with Disabilities In Goa, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary's nature trails have opened to students with disabilities for the first time. The Canacona sanctuary, established in 1968, has eight trails of 500 metres to five kilometres. Source: The Times of India, Goa | timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/in-a-first-cotigao-trails-open-to-students-with-disabilities/articleshow/134645694.cms   News 3 Karnataka Invites Applications for Disability Welfare Schemes Karnataka's Directorate for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has invited online applications via the Seva Sindhu portal for 14 social security schemes.   NFB Karnataka is also running a special enrolment drive for visually impaired applicants.   The schemes include: First, the Adhara Scheme gives up to one lakh rupees for small income-generating activities, half subsidy and half bank loan, for BPL applicants with 40 per cent disability.   Second, visually disabled students with 60 per cent disability, in SSLC or above, may receive a Braille kit with a smartphone, Braille watch and talking calculator. No income limit; Karnataka residence required.   Third, they may receive a free talking laptop once, given 60 per cent disability and ten years' Karnataka residence.   Fourth, mothers with blindness get a childcare allowance of 2,000 rupees monthly per child, for up to two children under five. No income limit; three years' residence.   Fifth, the Prize Money Scheme rewards students with disabilities scoring 50 per cent, from 3,000 rupees for SSLC to 10,000 rupees for post-graduation.   Sixth, the Sadane Scheme supports sportspersons with disabilities at national and international events, subject to conditions.   Seventh, the Sadhana Salakarane Scheme provides assistive devices. Visually impaired applicants should choose 'Other' and request a talking smartphone, as no further device can be claimed for three years.   Eighth, the Medical Relief Fund gives up to one lakh rupees for corrective surgery, subject to conditions.   Ninth, an unemployment allowance of 1,000 rupees monthly goes to unemployed SSLC-passed persons registered two years with the Employment Exchange, excluding 1,400-rupee pension recipients.   Details of schemes 10 to 14 were not provided in the source.   Check Seva Sindhu and the department for latest requirements. Source: Information circulated by NFB Karnataka News 4 Exempted FASTags: Longer Validity for Divyangjan From 2 October 2026, exempted FASTags for Divyangjan no longer need annual renewal. Tags for 70 to 100 per cent disability are valid five years; for 40 to under 70 per cent, three years. This covers specially designed vehicles and those registered as 'Divyangjan', subject to eligibility under the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008. Source: Press Information Bureau, Delhi, 1 October 2026 News 5 Uttarakhand Begins Mapping of Children with Autism and Learning Disabilities In Dehradun, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale inaugurated the first state-level mapping of children with autism and Specific Learning Disability under the Uttarakhand State Divyang Child Campaign, at ITI Doon Sanskriti School, Jhajra. He said India has over 2.68 crore persons with disabilities, with around 950 crore rupees allocated. Source: Press Information Bureau, Dehradun, 1 October 2026 News 6 Japan: Fukuoka Helps Employers Build Inclusive Workplaces Japan raised its private-sector disability employment quota from 2.5 to 2.7 per cent in July. Fukuoka now sends HR staff to model employers, followed by advice from support organisations. Trial Benefits offers applicants a two-week work trial before interviews, reducing mismatches. As of June 2025, under half of Fukuoka's covered companies met the target. Source: The Japan Times (Nishinippon Shimbun), 28 September 2026 News 7 Canada: October Declared Disability Employment Awareness Month in Saskatchewan Saskatchewan, Canada, has proclaimed October Disability Employment Awareness Month with SARC, investing over 10 million Canadian dollars in 2026-27 in programmes helping persons with disabilities secure and keep jobs. Source: Government of Saskatchewan news release, 1 October 2026 News 8 How Accessible Are Bengaluru's Parks? A South Bengaluru resident's request to keep parks open 5 am to 10 pm has renewed accessibility questions. A 2023 Pacta study of 32 parks found an average accessibility score of 36.47 out of 100: 25 had no toilets, 31 no maps, and only three stayed open all day. Activist Anita Narayan Iyer said accessibility must begin at parking, with inclusive play equipment in every park. Source: The Times of India, Bengaluru, 4 October 2026 News 9 Mitti Cafe Dismissals: Workers Allege Mistreatment, Management Cites Misconduct In New Delhi, employees with disabilities at Mitti Cafe allege unfair dismissal and mistreatment. Mitti confirmed six terminations, citing alleged misappropriation of funds, drinking on duty and repeated misconduct; founder Alina Alam said letters cited performance to protect workers' prospects. The employees deny this, saying no inquiry was held. Mitti, which runs 72 cafes, will inquire into abuse allegations given a formal complaint or credible evidence. Source: The Times of India, New Delhi, 2 October 2026 News 10 Chennai: Accident Survivors Wait Years for Disability Assessment In Chennai, 2,085 medical board reports for accident compensation were pending at four government hospitals as of 23 September, some from 2017. Hospitals say claimants often don't appear. Advocate V S Suresh says repeated visits burden people coping with disability and lost income, suggesting online address updates and call letters. Source: The Times of India, Chennai, 1 October 2026 News 11 Odisha Sets Deadline and Penalty for Banishree Scholarship Delays Finally, Odisha gives institutions 45 days to process Banishree scholarship applications for students with disabilities. Pending files then go to the District Social Security Officer, fined 500 rupees per application daily beyond another 45 days. The scheme covers all 21 RPwD Act disabilities, paying 400 to 700 rupees monthly by education level. Source: The Times of India, Bhubaneswar, 2 October 2026