Zamir Dhale Speaks at illuminATe Initiative Launch, Emphasizes Assistive Technology’s Impact on Deafblind Community
Mr. Zamir Dhale was honored to attend the official launch of the illuminATe initiative, an event dedicated to showcasing the most promising solutions for enabling education and interventions for children with speech and hearing impairments, as well as those with neurodiversity. Bajaj Finserv, in partnership with the AssisTech Foundation (ATF), has partnered to provide access to Assistive Technology (AT) for over 3,000 children with disabilities, ensuring they receive the education and appropriate interventions they need.
To mark the beginning of this collaboration, a kickoff event was held on August 12th, 2024, at Four Points by Sheraton in Viman Nagar, Pune. Mr. Dhale’s expertise, insights, and collaboration have added immense value to this initiative. He was honored to share his experience of how Assistive Technology has empowered his life and his vision for revolutionizing the lives of persons with deafblindness through AT. Additionally, the audience was eager to hear about his work with the Society for the Empowerment of the Deaf-Blind (SEDB) and their goals for the future.
The event also featured demonstrations by four pioneering startups, each offering groundbreaking products that are poised to significantly impact the lives of children with disabilities.
After the speakers delivered their presentations via PowerPoint and showcased their work through well-crafted videos, Ms. Chahat, an AT researcher, invited Mr. Dhale to share a few words about his life experiences in obtaining technologies such as Braille devices and how they are helping deafblind children and adults in India. He spoke about the challenges faced by the deafblind community in accessing technologies, such as the inability to effectively use video calls due to a lack of readable content and emotional connection.
Mr. Dhale expressed his gratitude to ATF and Bajaj Finserv for their support in achieving and successfully accessing these technologies. He firmly believes that technology will be the key to reaching solutions for all persons with disabilities.