Highlights of VOSAP Activities and Impact (Apr – Jun 2021)
1. COVID-19 Relief efforts to support 10,000+ poor Persons with Disabilities in 6 states of India
2. 28 interns, 5 research projects in disability (CSR, Advt, ADA, Assistive Tech, Govt programs)
3. 700 visually impaired people were helped with surgical interventions
4. Meetings with Mayor, Chief Innovation Officer of San Jose, VOSAP Digital tools presented
5. VOSAP is now Certifying Organization for “President’s Volunteer
Dear friends,
Trust you all are safe, doing well. During terrible 2nd wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India, we saw few of our great volunteers like Zakir Sipai loose their lives and have left a hole in our hearts – May God bestow them eternal peace. Now things are much better but lot needs to be done to support Specially Abled People in this tough economic times.
COVID-19 Relief Efforts With great support of donors like Shri B. U. Patel (Tarsadia Foundation) and amazing efforts of volunteers during this pandemic, visiting door to door, taking enormous risk, we could put smile on many faces by giving Grocery, mask, sanitizer etc. items to supplement their needs, empower them in a family as Person with Disability. We have received funds to support 10,000+ persons with disabilities with help of our partner NGO BPA and volunteers in Ahmedabad, Nagda (MP), Belgavi (Karnataka), Banaras (UP), Hyderabad (Telangana) and Haridwar (Uttarakhand). We already have helped thousands of poor SAP and every week, hundreds of them are being helped. Where possible, we have also combined free vaccination by govt. along with VOSAP grocery kit distribution to increase vaccination in rural parts like Nagda, MP.
We are especially encouraged to see VOSAP volunteers with disabilities going out and helping poor SAP. Please visit our website, projects and you can see them in action with Photos, video etc.
VOSAP donor Shri Manubhai Shah is very thoughtful of Divyangjan as well so he offered 50 Oxygen concentrators and 20,000 vaccines (out of huge shipment that AIF is sending to India) for Specially Abled People. VOSAP is working with BPA, SNEH, APH and other selected NGO to receive this help.
VOSAP Research Initiatives for Data Driven Advocacy:
a. VRI 2021: 28 talented and compassionate interns (out of 54 who applied) are working on 5 research projects related to disability. We request you all to take 5-10 minutes and fill out the survey. There are 11 survey links for these 5 projects on VOSAP website under VOSAP Collegiate –> Research Internship 2021 (https://www.voiceofsap.org/
VOSAP believes in Data driven Advocacy and these 5 very important projects will help enormously to get insights with secondary data and survey/interview inputs from hundreds of respondents.
List of Disability Research Projects:
1. Trends in Assistive Technologies
2. Federal and State Programs for Persons with Disabilities
3. Reasons for very poor Employment of Persons with Disabilities
4. Representation of PwD in Advertisements
5. Representation of Disability/PwD in CSR projects
b. VOSAP research with Data Sciences department, UC Berkeley: We completed very interesting research project on vaccination against Rubella virus which is responsible for birth of 110,000 children with severe disabilities even after almost 50 years of invention of the vaccine. 10+ data dashboards are now available on our website to understand country specific adoption, current levels of vaccination, budget, costs, population of women under child bearing age that is still not vaccinated, posing continued risk to give birth to child with disabilities.
Another batch of students of UC Berkeley completed project to find non-compliance to ADA law as relates to Digital Accessibility, Physical Accessibility and Employment Discrimination. Students of Data Sciences looked at PACER data (Public Access to Court Electronic Data on every lawsuit). While compliance is improving but still huge unemployment exists and so as barriers, non-accessibility in the US with average 10 lawsuits per day just for digital accessibility. Priscila Carcamo, VOSAP volunteer and Data Science expert of UC Berkeley managed both these projects.
VOSAP and UC Berkeley, Data Sciences department started working since June 2020 to carry our research projects in disability. This was made possible because of VOSAP volunteer Pooja Doctor, who started volunteering as high school student in India and then joined UC Bekeley Data Sciences department.
c. VOSAP Ignite: VOSAP is now certifying organization for issue of “President’s Volunteer Service Award“, a prestigious honor where VOSAP volunteers can receive medal, certificate and letter from White House, signed by the US President, acknowledging the social contribution. Inspired by talented high school volunteers of VOSAP, this fall, we will start enrolling for VOSAP Ignite program (year long) specifically for high school students to volunteer with VOSAP and get eligible to receive PVSA. Sara Karnik, 9th grade student is VOSAP’s 1st PVSA recipient with 100 hours of work, Gold medal!
3. Other key activities in last 3 months:
a. VOSAP partner BPA enabled 700 people with visual impairment, primarily in the rural Gujarat and even out of state patients get free surgical intervention to get the vision. We have plans to enable another 1,000 people this year with Assistive Devices (now anyone can apply online!) and surgical interventions.
b. VOSAP founder spoke with Mayor of San Jose, CA Mr Sam Liccardo about VOSAP digital tools as how it can help citizens with disabilities in city of San Jose. He liked the idea and the follow up meeting happened with Chief Innovation Officer of city of San Jose – Mr Jordan Sun to present 2 digital tools (for accessibility and inclusion), how it can provide useful information on accessibility, how inclusion right from school, we can achieve with VOSAP Art Gallery platform etc. Very encouraging to gain support for VOSAP digital tools. We are working on follow up steps now.
c. VOSAP team also had 30 mins zoom call in April with Nithya Raman, Councilwoman of Los Angeles city with her team as how VOSAP can help city of Los Angeles with its tools, vision, thought leadership specifically 40% homeless who happen to be Persons with Disabilities.
d. VOSAP mission presented to SalesForce ERG, Johnson and Johnson team, ADP and other organizations. Sparsh Shah, our brand ambassador is talking about Voice of SAP in several platforms that he is invited as motivational speaker. He is amazing, God gifted Specially Abled Youth who is inspiring millions of people in large companies, virtual platforms and presenting VOSAP mission that is focusing on “Ability” of disabled people, whom we call Specially Abled People!
–> Everyone can do something in creating better world for Specially Abled People, the process making the world inclusive for ALL the people. Please join us as volunteer, donor, supporter, thought leader – in ways you believe you can make your impact with VOSAP as a platform!
–> If you are inspired to help Specially Abled People, please join as volunteer, learn, follow us on Instagram (vosap.official), facebook (voiceofsap) and Linkedin (voiceofsap).
Donate generously to VOSAP and change life of SAP!
Visit our website (www.voiceofsap.org) or contact our volunteers for more details.
Please take care, stay safe and keep embracing Inclusion of SAP, more so now than ever before!
Please Download VOSAP mobile app (iOS, Android) and start volunteering!
