Supreme Court E-Committee Conducts Regional Digital Accessibility Training For Visually Challenged Court Staff

In a significant step towards enhancing digital accessibility within the Indian judicial system, the eCommittee, Supreme Court of India, initiated its Regional Digital Accessibility Training program for visually challenged court staff. The training took place at the Delhi Judicial Academy and welcomed participants from District and Taluk courts in the North Zone, encompassing Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab & Haryana, Allahabad, and Uttarakhand.Conducted in two batches, the training spanned from September 1st to 2nd, 2023 (Batch 1) and continued on September 4th to 5th, 2023 (Batch 2), to equip court staff with the necessary digital accessibility skills. This initiative is one of the core missions of the eCommittee led by Chief Justice of India, Dr. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, to make the digital infrastructure of the Indian judicial system more inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities.The two-day training adopted a hands-on approach, ensuring that each participant had access to a dedicated system provided by the Delhi Judicial Academy, equipped with accessibility software such as NVDA and Jaws. The training was facilitated by special educators from the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH) and the National Association for the Blind (NAB). These experts provided guidance on a wide range of assistive technologies, including accessible reading of court documents, note-taking in a digital work environment, creating digitally accessible formats, internet usage, and judgment searches through the eSCR portal, all accomplished using screen readers. Additionally, participants received training on smartphone-based assistive technologies and input in regional languages.Ms. R. Arulmozhiselvi, Member (HR) of the eCommittee, played an essential role in coordinating the program, with Dr. Aditi Choudhary, Director (Academics) / Chairperson (Officiating) of the Delhi Judicial Academy, providing crucial support. The training also benefited from the expertise of special educators Rajender Singh Negi from the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD) and Harendra Singh and Harpreet Dua from the National Association for the Blind (NAB).The program was inaugurated by Dr. Aditi Choudhary, Director (Academics) / Chairperson (Officiating) of the Delhi Judicial Academy and the scope and object of digitally accessible training was introduced by Ms. R. Arulmozhiselvi, Member (HR), e-Committee.Dr. Parvinder Singh Arora, Member (Project Management) of the eCommittee, delivered a special address, and Mr. Abhilash Malhotra, Joint Registrar (Judicial)/Central Project Coordinator (CPC) of the High Court of Delhi, extended a vote of thanks.The training included speeches by Senior Advocate SK Rungta and Advocate Rahul Bajaj, both of whom are visually challenged themselves. They shared their insights on the topic "Empowering through Technology – Reflections" to motivate the participating court staff.

Supreme Court E-Committee Conducts Regional Digital Accessibility Training For Visually Challenged Court Staff

Suraj Parmar

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