[bksvol-discuss] Re: OT: Anindya Bhattacharyya, aka Bapin
- From: "Gerald Hovas" <GeraldHovas@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:57:45 -0500
Cindy,
Interesting. He's not the first deaf-blind person to make the news from HKNC,
though. Bob and Michelle Smithdas were on either 20/20 or 60 Minutes a long
time ago, plus various articles in magazines. If I remember correctly, Bob has
his Ph.D. and Michelle has her Master's. They're probably the best educated
deaf-blind couple in the world and probably the best known. Although I
wouldn't be surprised to hear that they've retired now.
BTW, I met my wife at HKNC while working on a computer project up there back in
the late 80's. Karen was working in their Daily Living Skills department at
the time. Bapin wasn't there back then, but I remember McNulty.
I had an interesting encounter with Bob and Michelle on the elevator, too. I
talked to Michelle whyile we were on it. She asked if I was there for the
seminar being given for the small group of rehab professionals who had come for
the week. When she found out that I was up there from MS State to work on
their database for Deaf-Blind people, she put two and two together and realized
that I was the one who was dating Karen, and she got the funniest look on her
face. BTW, both Michelle and Bob could talk, but you had to fingerspell in
their hand in order to talk to them. Although I believe Michelle preferred
tactile signing to tactile fingerspelling.
Gerald
-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Cindy
Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 8:58 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: OT: Anindya Bhattacharyya, aka Bapin
Here is the transcript of the segment from CBS news
this evening. There was a photo of Bapin, and, of
course, on tv several visuals. My husband called me in
to see if I "knew" him from bookshare, but the name
was't familiar.
Cindy
The Blind-Deaf Tech Wiz
One Man Is Inventing Technology To Lead An Independent
Life
NEW YORK, June 17, 2006
Anindya Bhattacharyya helps one of his students. (CBS)
(CBS) Technology changes all of our lives every day,
but, as CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller
reports, it's hard to think of anyone who stands to
gain more from technological innovation than those who
have lost their hearing and sight.
People like Anindya Bhattacharyya, who is both blind
and deaf. He has a mission: to live as independently
as possible and to change the lives of hundreds of
thousands of people like himself throughout the world.
It's what brought Bapin, as he's better known, to the
Helen Keller National Center in Long Island, New York.
"I didn't know I was going to be a techie in the tech
world," Bapin says in sign language.
He is more than that, he is a tech wiz. He not only
teaches students, but he has helped technology
companies develop new gadgets that allow the blind and
deaf to navigate the seeing, hearing world.
"I like to empower them to be successful in whatever
they attempt," he told Miller through an interpreter.
"I feel that it's a good thing that I do."
It's a long way from the dirt poor village of his
native India, where he was born deaf 35 years ago.
Bapin came to America after a troubled child-hood and
fell in love with the field of high tech.
His contribution has been in research and development.
Bapin's done field tests on the Braille modified lap
top phone, used by the blind-deaf to talk to the rest
of the world via a speaking operator.
He's also helped develop the Tactile Talking Tablet
which allows people like him to explore street grids
of cities they plan to visit.
Then there's the SBC Ãââ or screen Braille
communicator Ãââ which the deaf-blind can use to do
their shopping, order meals in restaurants or
communicate with an air-line cabin crew. Bapin himself
travels the world using the same equipment.
And there's the portable Global Satellite Positioning
System. It helps Bapin navigate while his interpreter,
Jane Hecker-Cain, drives.
The device is so good, it allows Bapin to help more
than someone who can see.
"The sighted person depends on me," Bapin says.
"He found my husband's place of employment,"
Hecker-Cain says. "I told him the address which we
just passed, and he just named the name of the company
Ãââ that's pretty cool."
Joe McNulty is the director of the Hellen Keller
National Center and Bapin's boss.
"Bapin is clearly one of the brightest deaf-blind
people I have ever met," he says. And McNulty thinks
Bapin is a role model for the students he instructs.
"We have people working for major companies now where
they are handling a client or a customer's account
through the Internet, and the person has no idea they
are communicating with an employee who happens to be
deaf-blind," he says.
Ironically, Bapin says he would have never found his
calling if he hadn't been blinded at the age of nine
by a jealous kid who threw ashes in his eyes. He tells
Miller that becoming blind was a blessing in disguise.
Bapin plans to spend the rest of his life passing on
his knowledge and enthusiasm to his students Ãââ a
case, quite literally, of the blind leading the blind.
ÃÂMMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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