SHILLONG: The Office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, under the Social Welfare Department, Government of Meghalaya, in collaboration with the Secretariat Administration Department (SAD) and Bengaluru-based Trestle Labs Pvt. Ltd., on Tuesday organised a sensitisation programme titled “Assistive Technology and Digital Accessibility for Government Employees.”
Themed “Promoting an Inclusive Workplace for Employees with Visual Impairment,” the event aimed to advance accessibility and inclusion in the public sector.
Adviser to the Government of Meghalaya on Social Welfare, Paul Lyngdoh, addressed the gathering, emphasizing the importance of creating an inclusive work environment and leveraging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to make government services and workplaces more accessible to persons with disabilities.
Congratulating the organisers, Lyngdoh noted that the initiative would help the State Government build a more inclusive ecosystem through the use of assistive technology and digital accessibility.
He commended the efforts of the Office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, SAD, and Trestle Labs.
Lyngdoh further highlighted the need to change perceptions towards persons with visual impairment, stating, “Eyesight alone does not determine a person’s vision or potential.”
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He encouraged government employees to adopt a more inclusive and empathetic approach, while urging employees with disabilities to recognise their abilities and potential to contribute meaningfully to society.
Secretary of the Secretariat Administration Department, Swapnil Tembe, IAS, detailed the department’s initiatives to make the Secretariat more accessible, including the construction of ramps, improved restroom facilities, and other accessibility features. He invited suggestions for further improvements to ensure greater convenience for persons with disabilities in government offices.
Rishabh Shakhapur, Business Development Executive at Kibo by Trestle Labs, introduced Kibo as an accessibility solution that enables people with blindness, low vision, or language barriers to access content independently. The technology supports the conversion of printed or digital documents into audio, translation into 18 languages, and more than 60 OCR (Optical Character Recognition) languages.
With government support, Kibo will allow employees to access official documents independently, enhancing efficiency and workplace inclusion.
A visually impaired government employee attending the programme expressed optimism, stating that the introduction of Kibo would help visually impaired staff perform their duties more efficiently and enable all persons with visual impairment to access documents independently.
On the occasion, Paul Lyngdoh officially handed over the Kibo assistive technology device to the Secretariat Administration Department for use in government offices.
The programme was attended by Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Lyngkor Kynjing, MCS; Director of Social Welfare, Saloni Verma, IAS; officials from various departments; invited guests; and other participants.
(4FrontMedia news)
