Latest news with #Arpan
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Ankita Lokhande wants her brother Arpan to start his own cloud kitchen as a chef; says 'Papa would be really proud if you do it'
has been entertaining her fans with Laughter Chefs, the actress now also entertains her fans with her vlogs. Ankita recently took a trip to the Maldives with her family. Being her first trip with her mom and brother, her experience turned even more special. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She had her first snorkelling experience with her mom and also shared some wholesome moments with her family. While taking a stroll at the beach, Ankita shared an emotional moment with her brother. As they walked, she asked him about his specialisation in cooking, as her brother Arpan is a chef. He shared, "I usually cook continental food, majorly pasta and a variety of pizzas but everything is made from scratch, nothing packaged." Ankita asked him, "Don't you think that you should feed us as well someday?" Arpan shared that he was planning on starting a cloud kitchen. Ankita encouraged him, "You should try, itna swaad hai tere haath mein. You should give your best to the world. Papa used to eat so much whenever you cooked so Papa would be really proud of you if you do it. You should ponder over opening your own cloud kitchen." Ankita and Arpan then went for the brunch where she shared how Arpan had been giving suggestions to them on tasting the unique dishes on the menu. Ankita said, "Arpan is a great chef and he is blessed with the skills. Today for brunch he has been finding new dishes on the menu and suggesting we try it out. We are so happy that we got Indian food here. Look at those happy faces." Ankita's Maldivian vacation was truly special for her as she had some amazing moments with her family. She even hosted a movie night where she got them to screen DDLJ for them.
Mint
15-05-2025
- General
- Mint
How to make evacuation drills accessible for the disabled
All of last week, 31-year-old Amrit Khurana tried to tune into family conversations about the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. A non-verbal autistic person based in Noida, she could follow the discussions to a limited extent. 'She could not chip in but would ask limited questions. A lot of our family members are in the defence services, and we would talk about them. She would ask in short sentences about their whereabouts," says her mother Aarti. 'I was not sure how to explain all of this to her." Like the rest of the country, Noida underwent blackout simulations and evacuation drills. However, there was very little information about making these drills inclusive for people with disabilities or about having these difficult conversations around conflict. Aarti ran some searches online and came across a guide published by Siddhant Shah, disability access consultant and founder of Access For ALL, and Rohan Marathe, head of A11y at the same organisation, which aims to improve access through design and advocacy. Titled 'How Inclusive and Accessible is Your Evacuation Mock Drill', this succinct resource focuses on inclusive evacuation preparedness and drills for all the stakeholders, whether persons with disabilities, caregivers or corporate disability inclusion leaders. Available as a free download in PDF, audio guide and screen reader formats, this document is covers three aspects—creating an emergency go bag, evacuation plans and shelter-in-place—for persons with hearing, visual and motor impairment and with neurodiverse sensitivities. Efforts are underway to create a Braille version. 'When I read the guide, which was readily available on social media, it hit me hard. We should be making conversations and drills more inclusive for everyone," says Aarti. In the context of evacuation preparedness for those with neurodiverse sensitivities, Shah mentions that caregivers ought to have a visual story to explain emergencies. Under the section 'shelter-in-place', he suggests limited exposure to news or loud sounds to reduce anxiety and to keep routines as consistent as possible. Aarti decided to follow the guidelines and made visual cards for Amrit—a sort of a snakes-and-ladders game on paper. 'I drew the two countries and a conflict map, and created visual cues around what we plan to do in case of a blackout or in case we are not together during evacuation. It is difficult to gauge how much Amrit understands, but it is important to make this effort," says Aarti. While the two countries have announced a ceasefire, the resource continues to be significant in case of any eventuality, natural or manmade. Also read: Garba as therapy? Know why therapists are treating Parkinson's with Indian dance Arpan, a Vadodar-based school with which Access for All works, reached out to them on 7 May after the escalation in tensions. As it was vacation time, parents had gotten in touch with the school for help with the anxiety that children on the neurodivergent spectrum experienced due to siren noises. That got Shah thinking about ways to diminish the unease of both caregivers and children. 'I was also thinking of ways of guiding my mother, who suffers from a permanent partial visual impairment, through such drills. How do you create camaraderie among people to create an onus of assisting others in an emergency?" he says. 'The National Disaster Management Authority has guidelines in place, but those are more for floods, landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis." The latest addition of precautions and measures to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, is related to covid-19. 'One has to think of many things in a conflict scenario. How do people who are non-verbal ask for help? There are small but significant measures that can be taken," says Shah. For instance, an emergency go bag should contain a whistle, which can be worn around the neck. For senior citizens or people with motor impairment, assistive tools such as braces, cushions, catheter kits, spare wheelchair parts and flashlights with head straps should be part of the pack. The drill should be practiced using accessible exits and a wheelchair or walker should be stored near the bed and the door. For those with a hearing impairment, pack five sets of extra batteries for the hearing aid. For the visually impaired, put Braille/large-print labels on items, and the evacuation plan could include a tactile map of the house and building. The route could be practiced with a guide or family member using orientation markers like textured floor signs. In the shelter-in-place plan, identify safe, obstacle-free indoor space and pre-attach glow-in-the-dark tape to essential items. People can install emergency alert apps with visual notifications, create emergency cards explaining specific support needs, keep a phone with a speed dial to caregivers, and use talking emergency apps such as Seeing AI and Be My Eyes. This can smoothen the evacuation process for everyone in the neighbourhood or the workplace. Also read: Why strong social connections matter more than ever At Arpan, a school run by a not-for-profit trust, facilitators have translated the guide into Gujarati and shared it on a WhatsApp group with parents. The institution has students mostly from underprivileged backgrounds, aged 6 to 40, with disabilities such as Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and cognitive movement challenges. 'Most of the parents were not aware of how the constant news of conflict was impacting the students. They noticed minor sensory issues such as an increase in flapping of hands. Since it is vacation time, the students were confined to their homes, and were feeling triggered on seeing the flurry of updates," says Meera Rathore, principal, Arpan. 'We suggested weaning them off the screen and engaging them with visual stories. For the non-verbal students, we asked caregivers to speak short sentences of reassurance to give them comfort." Arpan communicated to parents the idea of creating a visual/pictorial emergency checklist, giving them comfort items such as fidget toys and stress balls, and doing breathing exercises to calm them. They were also asked to create an ID card explaining the disability, medication list and emergency contacts. 'Some of the parents have created this for the kids. For the rest, we are creating these ID cards," says Rathore. One of the suggestions is to practice an evacuation drill by creating a dotted line around the home or the school, or using picture-based maps, and practicing these step-by-step drills repeatedly. 'These are simple steps that can go a long way in case of any emergency situation," she says. Also read: Why autism in Indian women often goes unseen
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Haskell rehires faculty lost to federal layoffs
Kevin AbourezkICT LAWRENCE, Kansas — Student government leaders at Haskell Indian Nations University — beset after losing nearly 25 percent of its faculty and staff as a result of federal layoffs last month — announced Thursday that faculty members who were terminated will be returning to their positions as adjunct instructors. The federal layoffs of probationary employees affected eight faculty members, who were expected to resume teaching their classes this week, Haskell University Frank Arpan told students in a letter Monday. 'Haskell faculty that were terminated in the probationary layoffs will be returning to the classroom to finish the semester under the adjunct contract,' he said. SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. The Haskell Indian Nations University Student Government Association shared the news Thursday on its Facebook page, but noted that other employees affected by the Trump administration layoffs were not included. ''The university acknowledges the difficult circumstances faced by all affected staff and is continuing to explore solutions where possible,' the student government stated. The Haskell Foundation, which operates separately from the university's federal employment system, will manage the adjunct instructor contracts. 'Haskell recognizes the challenges that come with these changes and remains committed to supporting students, faculty and staff during this transition,' the student government stated. 'We appreciate the patience and resilience of the Haskell community as they navigate these adjustments together.' The foundation launched a fundraiser following the Friday, Feb. 14, layoffs of 28 faculty and staff members, or nearly a quarter of its employees. As of Thursday, the foundation had raised $140,000. The layoffs have led to numerous student and campus services being curtailed or closed, including the Student Success Center, which provides academic advising to students. Arpan told students that the success center would remain closed 'due to personnel adjustments caused by the recent layoffs.' 'All academic advising will now transition to Haskell Faculty,' he said. Arpan told students that the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation had 'graciously offered to partner with Haskell to provide temporary custodial support.' Haskell is operated by the Bureau of Indian Education, under the U.S. Department of Interior. It's one of many federal agencies impacted by the Trump administration's decision to lay off hundreds of thousands of probationary employees nationwide, including thousands in Indian Country. Inside the Coffin Sports Complex on Thursday evening, university administrators honored members of the Haskell women's basketball team, which won the 2025 Continental Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament held Feb. 27-March 2 at Haskell. 'It's really exciting,' said Coach Adam Strom, the team's head coach, who had been laid off but had remained coaching without pay. He was informed Thursday morning that he would be rehired. His son, Bryan Strom Jr., Quinault Indian Nation, a senior in environmental sciences at Haskell, said he was happy to see his dad get rehired, saying his father had felt 'empty' after losing his job. He said student morale has also improved since learning that faculty would be rehired. 'I think it's a good thing, a great thing actually for the overall students,' he said. 'I know a lot of people were getting worried and kind of been unmotivated to go to class. 'It's just a blessing.' Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Haskell ‘ain't going nowhere!'
Jourdan Bennett-BegayeICTWASHINGTON — Haskell Indian Nations University will remain open and existing faculty will step in to cover the vacancies left behind by widespread federal layoffs by the Trump administration, a school board member said on social media Tuesday evening. Brandon Yellowbird-Stevens, who represents the Midwest region on the Haskell Board of Regents, wrote on Facebook, 'Haskell is not closing, Pell grants are being distributed normally, and classes disrupted by the 35 layoffs will be backfilled by existing faculty. We ain't going nowhere!'Stevens, Oneida, went on to say that the board of regents, the school administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs officials, and tribal leaders are 'diligently working with congressional representation on exemptions for these employees and other options to fill the service voids.'SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE Wednesday, the board issued a press release on its new Facebook page, saying officials were monitoring issues surrounding the reduction in the workforce. Haskell is operated by the Bureau of Indian Education, under the U.S. Department of Interior. It's one of many federal agencies impacted by the Trump administration's order on Friday, Feb. 14, laying off hundreds of thousands of probationary employees nationwide, including thousands of in Indian Country. The historic Kansas university is one of two tribal colleges affected by the mass layoffs, along with the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. The layoffs, which targeted federal workers who had worked less than one or two years, came as a U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and Rep. Tracey Mann of Kansas worked on legislation that would remove Haskell from BIE oversight.'At this time, the Board has not received confirmation that Haskell Indian Nations University is exempt from these layoffs,' according to the statement released from by the board of regents.'We have been in contact with President [Francis] Arpan and Congressional offices, and we appreciate their efforts to mitigate any disruptions to Haskell's operations,' said Dalton Henry, president of the Haskell Board of Regents. 'We recognize that the Bureau of Indian Education, Senator Moran, and Representative Mann are working to reduce the impact of these changes, and we are grateful for their attention to this issue.'Henry continued, 'Indeed, Interior Secretary [Doug] Burgum recently indicated he would fulfill the Department's statutory, treaty, and trust obligations to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Haskell is just such an obligation.'Haskell President Arpan released a statement Saturday, Feb. 15, on Facebook informing the campus about the staff changes from the layoffs. 'While these adjustments present challenges, our priority remains the continued success of our students, faculty, and staff," Arpan wrote. "In the coming days, we will share more information on how departments will work together to ensure continuity.' Haskell and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute are the only two tribal colleges operated by the BIE. Approximately 20 employees were laid off on Valentine's Day from SIPI in Albuquerque, leaving about 80 employees to continue the operations of the school with approximately 200 students this trimester, sources told ICT. Both tribal colleges are part of a land-grant university system that dates back to 1862. Federal legislation in 1994 designated more than a dozen tribal colleges and universities land-grant institutions, and most tribal colleges and universities now operate with that BIE lost nearly 85 employees, an increase from the initial assessment of losses, sources told ICT Sunday. Among those laid off were approximately 30 from non-school positions in the BIE agency offices, excluding kindergarten through 12th grade does not have the number of additional Interior Department workers who took the 'Fork in the Road' deferred resignations offered by the Trump administration, as they are separate from the federal layoffs. Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
