MT Spells Hope for THEM!!!!!

Well looks like everyday off late I've been surprised by institutions which are tryin to reach out to people who are differently challenged. Today I came across an article in Bangalore Mirror and thought I should share the same with you folks...




A new career opportunity has presented itself for visually challenged people here. It is medical transcription. Chennamma Marihal, a graduate from Karnataka University in Dharwad, Mohit B P of Mudigere in Chikmagalur district and nine others are all set to make use of this opportunity, being provided by Software Paradigms Infotech (SPI) in Mysore. They will undergo three months intensive training at SPI’s Contour Road unit.

On successful completion of the training, they will join SPI as medical transcriptionists. They have already undergone 18 months of basic MT training as a part of their three-year diploma course in Computer Application from JSS Polytechnic for Physically Handicapped which is the only polytechnic in the country to offer training for medical transcription to the visually challenged.

V Madhukar, senior vice president of the institute, said, “It’s the first such initiative by the SPI and it is a sign of the synergy between the industry and educational institutes. Medical transcription is the ideal career for the visually challenged as they can work from home. We hope to provide more such avenues for the underprivileged.”

Medical transcription is considered as a tough job even for a normal person as the job requires the utmost accuracy. But Chennamma says “It’s an ideal job for all challenged people. After the initial training and with experience of one to two years, we can do it from home. It is very safe and secure for people like us.”

How it works
Trainees use a unique software called the JAWS screen reader which provides the user with access to information displayed on the screen via text-to-speech. “They are completely self-reliant and self-motivated. Though visually impaired, Mohit B P himself installed the JAWS software. They check spellings and correct grammatical errors with 80 to 90 per cent accuracy,” explained Radhakrishna, head of the training division of SPI. Both SPI and JSS polytechnic are providing all the needed support to these trainees.

P.S: Thanks to Nagaraja Dixit and Bangalore Mirror for covering this story.