TOKYO, japan- US computer giant IBM has named Chieko Asakawa as the first blind engineer – as well as the first Japanese female – to receive the company’s highest technical honour.

Asakawa, 50, was named this week as one of eight Japanese to win the title of IMB Fellow for her achievements in making the Internet widely accessible for  visually impaired people.

It is the company’s most prestigious honour for an engineer, a title given  to only 218 technicians in the company’s more than century-long history.

“Asakawa’s crucial contributions in the area of accessibility technology  have enabled IBM to become a worldwide leader in the field,” the US-based  company said in a statement.

“She has helped to establish awareness, both within and outside IBM, while  leading the creation of technologies that have changed the way disabled  individuals communicate and interact.” -AFP