EAST WIND
Official Newsletter of the World Blind
Union-Asia Pacific
No. 14
Please visit the World Blind Union-Asia Pacific website!
Contents of this issue:
Greetings from the Editorial Team
5-7
May 2014, Golden Tulip Sovereign Hotel, Bangkok
Greetings from the Editorial Team
This
issue of East Wind contains news from around the World Blind Union Asia-Pacific
(WBUAP) Region in particular news from the WBUAP Board and Policy Council and
information on the forthcoming WBUAP Mid-Term General Assembly. In addition, we
have made some recommendations to improve communication tools in the region. Do
let us know what you feel about our ideas.
We
like to hear from you. Feel free to contact anyone of us to share
your comments and feedback. Our contact information can be found at the
end of this publication.
Happy reading.
Editorial Team
******
Dear All,
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FROM THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
Greetings to you from your
Board and Policy Council (BPC), and we hope this issue finds you in good health
and high spirits.
Here is some information we
want to share with you, and some requests for which we are asking for your
co-operation:
One of the main highlights
of the Mid-Term Regional Assembly is the presentation of Country Reports.
Realising this, your BPC will make more time available for questions and
answers. Please start preparing your reports but make them brief and informative
on your achievements, successes and challenges. Send your reports in electronic
format to the Secretary General at least 60 days before the Assembly for
circulation.
As members were informed
last year, your BPC is revising the Constitution of the WBUAP and will be
presenting it at the MRGA. We are inviting you to join in the exercise by
submitting your amendments and suggestions to reach the Secretary General by
the end of July. We will collate your amendments into one document to be
circulated 45 days before the Assembly. You can access the Constitution on the WBUAP
website.
In an effort to raise some
funds for WBUAP to carry out more activities, Dr. Kevin Murfitt, Treasurer and
Chair of the Committee on Resource Generation, will be organising a Silent
Auction during the Gala Dinner at the MRGA. He is requesting all delegates and
members to bring along items of cultural significance (useful or decorative)
and donate them to WBUAP. Someone at the auction table will record your bid,
and the highest bidder will get the item at the cut-off time. Do help to make
this event a success. If you have ideas to help WBUAP get more funds, do please
pass them on to us.
It will be very much appreciated if
you will kindly update the information of your delegates and have it sent to
the Secretary General without delay. The details needed are: Names of
delegates, designation, organisations they belong to, address, phone numbers
and emails.
All proposals and
resolutions to be tabled at the MRGA should reach the Secretary General at
least 60 days before the MRGA. We appeal to you to send them to us before
mid-September.
Please help to circulate
this information to as many persons as possible, and encourage them to attend
the MRGA - our great event of the year.
Thank
you.
With
best wishes,
(Ivan
Ho Tuck Choy),
Secretary
General,
World Blind Union-Asia
Pacific
******
Hello Everyone,
Your Board and Policy
Council met in Bangkok from 3 - 4 May 2014, and among some of the matters
discussed and decisions made were the following:
1.
The Mid-Term Regional General Assembly:
As advised in the May
Circular, the Hong Kong Blind Union is the host and the Assembly will run from
21 - 24 November 2014 at the Cyberport 3 convention site. The Youth and Women's
Fora will take place on the afternoon of 21 November, and the Welcome Reception
in the evening. The business sessions of the mid-term regional assembly (MRGA)
will begin on 22 November, to be followed by the various informative and useful
workshops, and, of course, the Gala Dinner. Remember, Hong Kong is a very busy
port, so do not miss the boat! Register immediately by visiting the website
www.wbuapga 2014.org or email to enquiry@wbuapga2014.org
The organisers are also
looking to sponsor 30 youths with innovative ideas for projects; so do not miss
the opportunity. Please read the
article on the WBUAP Mid Term General Assembly for more information.
For those who are preparing
their country reports, please go to http://wbuap.org/index/archives/749 to access the template.
2.
Seeing is Believing (SIB) Project:
The Committee on Employment
and Economic Empowerment (CEEE), headed by Mr. Andrew Daly, made an application
through the Royal Society for the Blind for $180,000 from the Seeing is
Believing Fund of Standard Chartered Bank. They were only successful in
securing a $60,000 grant for a pilot project to run an Equipment Loan Scheme.
After some hard decisions, Malaysia was chosen to run the pilot project. If
this should prove successful, StanChart has indicated it could consider giving
another $120,000 to start similar projects in Thailand and Vietnam.
Arising from this Project,
the National Council for the Blind, Malaysia (NCBM) running the SIB Project,
organised a Job Preparedness Workshop from 24 - 26 June 2014. It was conducted
by Mr. Brian Dibbins, an employment consultant of RSB with long experience in
this field. Due to budgetary constraints, NCBM was only able to invite some
participants from the ASEAN countries.
3.
Support for NVDA:
The Committee on ICT and
Assistive Technologies, under the Chair of Mr. Neil Jarvis, expressed its
appreciation to the staff of RSB and Dr. Frances Gentle for having written the
training matterial on the Non-Visual Desktop Application (NVDA) as a superb
example of a quality training resource. CICTAT hoped this resource material
could be translated into other languages so that more blind people in this
region will have access to ICT.
NVDA is free and
open-source screen reading software developed by NV-'access, a not-for-profit
organisation run by Mr. Michael Curran and Mr. James Teh of Australia. NVDA is endorsed by WBU which, at its
8th General Assembly in 2012, collected over $40,000 and donated to NV-'access
to make PowerPoint accessible using this software. This task has been completed
and it is working very satisfactorily. To further support the work of
NV-'access, the Nippon Foundation is this year sponsoring the employment of an
administrator to allow the two software developers to concentrate on their
research work. Also, the Thailand Association of the Blind at their April
National Convention, donated $22,000 to NV-eaccess to support its effort in
continuing to make this software free and open-source.
Is your organisation
promoting the use of NVDA or are you still spending huge sums of money to
purchase expensive screen-reader software? For more information, read the
article on this subject appearing elsewhere in the East Wind or contact Mr.
Andrew Daly at adaly@rsb.org.au concerning the resource material.
4.
Membership Matters:
As a result of several visits to Beijing
and Macau by Mr. Chong Chan-Yau, the President of HKBU, The Macau organisation
of the Blind has been admitted into WBU with one delegate. This was made
possible when the China Association of the Blind (CAB), under the leadership of
Mr. Li Weihong, its President, agreed to give up another of its remaining six
votes. The other four votes were previously given to Hong Kong and Taiwan.
We welcome Mr. Albert
Cheong, President, and members of the Macau People with Visually Impaired Right
Promotion Association (MPVIPA) into the fold of WBU and WBUAP. Let us get to
know more about your organisation, and let us work together for the progress of
the blind and partially sighted in the region.
In the meantime, Dr. Kevin
Murfitt has reported that Tonga and Vanuatu have applied to WBU for membership,
Kiribati is being encouraged to follow suit, and Samoa is being helped to
re-activate their membership. Mr. Kua Cheng Hock, a former president of WBUAP,
is also helping to sort out the membership fee of Brunei. Attempts are being
made to visit North Korea to encourage the blind people there to form an
organisation.
5. Sharing Joy with Neighbouring Countries:
The Thailand Association of
the Blind (TAB) has been very active in the region this year. In January they
hosted the 1st Thailand International English Reading Competition at the
side-lines of their 19th National Reading Competition. The participating
countries were Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, and TAB sponsored each contingent
of 4 contestants and an escort, including their airfares.
In April, TAB again
organised the 2nd ASEAN Community Blind Forum for the youths to exchange ideas.
They sponsored 15 participants from 6 countries - Laos, Vietnam, Philippines,
Singapore and Malaysia to the event.
TAB also organised a music
festival in early January and they received 105 applications. Due to the
political unrest in the country, TAB was only able to accept 10 bands, but they
hoped to increase the participation next year. It is the vision of Mr. Torpong
Selanon, President of TAB, that the music festival should eventually encourage
blind singers and musicians to turn their hobbies into enterprises.
6.
Will This Dream Ever Come True:
A Brainstorming Workshop
was organised by the Editorial Board to review the present communication tools
used by the Region, particularly with the WBUAP Website which was set up with
the financial assistance from Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).
The Workshop was held in Kuala Lumpur from 3 - 4 March 2014 and was funded by
the DANIDA Project. Some of the recommendations put forward were:
a) That the WBUAP Website
be re-designed to provide clear text-based information accessible by blind and
partially sighted users, with complementary graphic contents for sighted users.
To this end, the tabs to include new features, such as: About Us, Our Stories,
Activities and Programmes in the Region, Tourism and Travel in the Region,
Funding Applications, Individual Scholarships, Writing Proposals, etc.
b) Introduce a mobile
version of the WBUAP Website that can be accessed via mobile devices, such as
smart phones which are becoming more common these days.
c) Set up an Internet Radio
channel to be integrated into the WBUAP Website as a communication tool across
the Region. Information can be streamed live or pre-recorded from each country
via the Internet for free or via a paid server on a rotation basis. Information
can be uploaded onto the Internet Radio with country-specific contents in local
languages using free software. Each country will be encouraged to take turns to
produce informative and relevant programmes according to guidelines to be drawn
up.
It is hoped that with the
introduction of the Internet Radio station, every country will have the
opportunity to showcase their services, tell their success stories, conduct
interviews with leaders and promising youths, promote their cultures and music.
If this dream can be realised, it will open doors to many possibilities -
training on broadcasting, interest in journalism, music promotion and audio
description of interesting tourist spots in each other's country. Of course,
there are great hurdles to overcome, but we must be brave to dream big to move
forward. What are your thoughts on this Internet Radio proposition?
7.
A New DANIDA Project:
Phase two of the three-year
Project which was begun in 2011 with Laos and Mongolia had ended in December
2013. With some money left over for minor activities, known as the No-Cost
Extension Fund, a meeting was convened in Bangkok from 21 - 23 February to
draft an application of about $3 million for the third phase of the Capacity
Building of Organisations of the Blind and Partially Sighted in the Developing
Countries of the WBUAP Region. As recommended by WBUAP, Myanmar will be
included as the third country apart from Mongolia and Laos. Present at the
meeting were representatives from Myanmar, Mongolia, Laos, Denmark and WBUAP.
The application requires a
huge volume of documentation which must go through the Disabled People's
Organisation in Denmark (which the Danish Association of the Blind is a
member), and be assessed by external consultants. If everything goes according
to plan, the application will then go to DANIDA and the result should be known
around September 2014.
Prepared
by:
(Ivan
Ho Tuck Choy),
Secretary
General, WBUAP.
******
The Organizing Committee of the WBUAP Mid-Term Regional General
Assembly 2014 is inviting vision impaired young people in the Asia Pacific region to attend
and submit innovative proposals
for presentation at the Youth Forum.
The Forum will
be held on 21 November 2014 to mark the beginning of the General Assembly. We
are pleased to invite Ms Sabriye Tenberken,
founder
of a Training Centre for blind people in Tibet and
Braille Without Borders to share with us her
extraordinary personal experience. Moreover, there will be
presentations of outstanding projects proposed by vision impaired young people
and a roundtable discussion to brainstorm recommendations to WBUAP and
governments in the region for promoting equal opportunity and the building of
an inclusive society.
This is a great opportunity for young people with vision impairment in
the region to exchange opinions and share their innovative ideas and dreams. It
also serves as a platform to link up the projects with the resources required
as potential funders will be invited to attend the event. Writers of 30
outstanding proposals will be sponsored to participate in the General Assembly.
Deadline for submission is 31 July 2014.
For
further information or enquiries, please feel free to contact Ms. Ashley Wong
at enquiry@wbuapga2014.org or visit http://www.wbuapga2014.org/en_news_details.php?id=6
******
Bangkok has built up its profile in
hosting international meetings for the blind for the second time in two years.
In November 2012, it successfully hosted the 8th General Assembly of the World
Blind Union and the International Council for Education of People with Visual
Impairment Conference (WBU-ICEVI 2012), attracting more than 1,000 delegates
hosted by Thailand Association of the Blind led by senator Monthian Buntan.
During 5-7 May, 2014, it contributed
again to the meeting of the World Blind Union Asia-Pacific by hosting the 12th
World Blind Union Asia-Pacific massage seminar. Held under the theme gMedical
Massage for the Blindh, the aim of the seminar was to promote massage among the
blind as a sustainable profession for therapy and treatment, to promote
traditional Thai massage internationally and exchange knowledge about massage
among the blind from Asia-Pacific countries as a part of a contribution to
better quality of life for the blind.
Hosted by the Foundation for the
Employment Promotion of the Blind and co-hosted by Thailand Association of the Blind, the
event was attended by around 300 vision impaired persons involved in massage
from Asia-Pacific countries like China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mongolia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. This was the first time that
participants from India attended this seminar. The seminar comprised of the
dissemination of academic knowledge exchanges and research in massage therapy,
massage business models and treatment of physical disease by massage, and
exhibitions on massage.
To give the seminar a touch of real
life, massage demonstrations by massage therapists from Thailand, China, Japan,
Korea and Taiwan in the treatment of specific areas of the body, such as
shoulder, joint, neck, arm, spine were on offer as a means to widen knowledge
base about massage among interested participants.
One key element that made this seminar
a real success was a troupe of volunteers from a number of volunteer
organizations in Thailand. They helped the blind delegates throughout the
seminar. The volunteers assisted
delegates from Bangkok International Airport and Don Muang airport, and around
the accommodation and seminar venue. They accompanied the blind to site visits
and around the venue. A manual on how to work efficiently with the blind was
produced and published for the volunteers to study so that they could assist
the delegates effectively.
Mr. Pecharat Techavachara, President
of the Foundation for the Employment Promotion of the Blind and Chairman of the
Local Organizing Committee of the 12th WBUAP Massage Seminar, said that, apart
from the spirit of volunteers in Thailand, this seminar became possible because
of the full support from relevant government agencies. They were the National
Office for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of
Social Development and Human Security, the Department for Development of Thai
Traditional and Alternative Medicine under the Ministry of Public Health and
the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).
Thailand was a core and key body in
establishing the World Blind Union Asia-Pacific (WBUAP) under the World Blind
Union, whose mission is to raise the awareness on the capabilities of the blind
and to advance their well-being. Thailand was the host of the first General
Assembly of the World Blind Union Asia-Pacific in 2001 where the constitution
of the organization was drafted. It is also a country famed internationally for
traditional Thai massage, which is found in spa treatment services offered by
leading hotels in all major cities. Massage is also a common profession of the
blind in Thailand who need to take the test on technical know-how and practical
exercises to be certified for the job by the Ministry of Public Health.
******
Following the first Thailand
International Blind Music Festival held in 2012, Thailand Association of the
Blind held the second Thailand International Blind Music Festival under the
theme gBreathing in the Darkh. The event was held between 14-15 December 2013
and 14 February 2014. During 14-15 December 2013, the event was held in the
Santichaiprakarn Park in Bangkok whereas the event on 14 February 2014 was held
in Chiang Mai province, located in the northern part of the country. Various
blind musicians and singers participated in the event, both from Thailand and
abroad. The international bands taking part were: Sebastiao Antunes from
Portugal; Fortissimo from Indonesia; Phalung Chai from Lao and AYDD Show from
Cambodia. Besides, there were Thai
musicians and singers such as the Ionion, CMBLIND BAND (a band from Chiang Mai
School for the Blind), Lampang Blind Music and 555. At the festival, apart from
the concert, there were also booths demonstrating various activities of blind
people such as coffee-making, Thai blind massage and fortune telling. The event
drew attention from the general public. We are looking forward to holding the 3rd
Thailand International Blind Music Festival which will show to the public that
we can create friendships without borders through music.
******
Between 17-19 January 2014, the
Thailand Association of the Blind together with the Ratchasuda College, Mahidol
University held the 19th National Braille Reading and Writing
Contest, the first International Braille Reading and Writing Contest
and the sixth Marathon Braille Reading Contest at the campus of Ratchasuda
College, Mahidol University. The event started with the 19th
National Braille Reading and Writing Contest on 17 January 2014. There were 200
contestants from around the country, both students and blind adults. There were individual reading contests,
team reading and writing contests. The winners of every contest received a
plaque from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The aim of this contest was to
encourage blind people to continually practice reading and writing Braille.
The first International Braille
Reading and Writing Contest was held on 18 January 2014. In this first year, there
were 25 contestants from four countries; namely, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam
and Thailand. There were individual reading and writing contests for those
under 25 years and those who are above 25 years old. Contestants from all four
countries performed excellently and were able to win in either the reading or
writing contests.
The marathon Braille reading contest
took place following the international Braille reading and writing contest in
the afternoon of 18 January. The
winner of this yearfs marathon Braille reading contest was a young lady called
Arphorn Chanthila who was able to read Braille for 38 hours!
******
WBUAP
Editorial Board
As part of the capacity building of organisations
of the blind and vision impaired (BVI) in developing countries of the World
Blind Union Asia-Pacific (WBUAP) Region project, the WBUAP Editorial Board (EB)
met on 3 and 4 March 2014 at the offices of the National Council for the Blind,
Malaysia to review the current methods of communication used by the WBUAP and
to suggest better ways in which information about the WBUAPfs activities and
other blindness-related material can be shared across the region. This
brainstorming meeting was financially supported by the Danish Association of
the Blind (DAB), and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), to
whom the EB express deep gratitude. At the meeting, the WBUAP Secretary General
and the members of the EB reviewed the regionfs current communication tools and
developed recommendations to improve the sharing of information for BVI people,
agencies for the blind and other stakeholders interested in the work of the WBUAP.
The following recommendations were
made, which are summarised below.
The EB believes that the WBUAP website is a
key communication tool, but recommends that its content be updated and its
structure changed so that it will appeal more widely to BVI people in the
Asia-Pacific region, blindness sector organisations, donors, other sponsors and
stakeholders and national and regional government representatives. In order to
attract users to the website, its content needs to be relevant and timely,
promoting current events and information, and highlighting the work of the
WBUAP and its members. The EB proposed that the website be redesigned so that
content can be more easily found, and to ensure that it complies with WCAG2
guidelines for web accessibility.
Ideas proposed for new links and content
included:
·
About
us;
·
Our
stories;
·
Programs
and activities happening in the region;
·
Tourism
and travel in the region;
·
Funding
Applications, submissions, individual scholarships, writing proposals and other
opportunities;
·
Support
services and Toolkits;
·
Links
to the websites of member organisations to form regional directory;
·
Technology
campaigns, services and projects;
·
Employment-incorporating
the WBUAP employment portal
·
WBU-
updates;
·
Publications;
·
Donate
button;
·
Radio
Listen button;
·
Social Media sharing buttons.
The EB recommends that these positions be
created in order to source relevant information for the website and other WBUAP
publications, and to manage the websitefs content and structure.
The EB recommends that a Country Information
Liaison Officer (CILO) be appointed in each WBUAP member country, on a
voluntary basis, or with some financial support to reimburse them for the costs
of carrying out their role.
In relation to the WBUAP website, it is
recommended that each CILO be responsible for collecting relevant information
from their country to be uploaded on to the WBUAP website, and to translate and
distribute information from the website in to the language of their country so
it can be made available to more users.
It is proposed that the CILO acts as a link
between their country and the WBUAP, giving feedback regarding the website
content.
The EB recommends the appointment of a WBUAP
Editor who would be responsible for maintaining and promoting the WBUAP
website, and uploading content sourced by the CILOs, as well as reporting to
the WBUAP Board and Policy Council regarding the website. The WBUAP recommends that some payment
be offered to the holder of this position.
Although the EB recommended that the regionfs
website become its main communication medium, it was proposed that East Wind
remain, with its format changing to a smaller newsletter which would be
redesigned as a publication to promote the work of the WBUAP, and as a
marketing and sponsorship tool for its activities. The EB recommended that East
Wind be published three times each year, and be compiled by the WBUAP Editor,
in collaboration with the EB. Its content would comprise a snapshot of current
WBUAP website content, and highlight the most interesting developments and
projects. East Wind would be designed to appeal to an audience outside the
blindness sector, including donors, governments and NGOs. The newsletter would
also be promoted to health and development workers, who can disseminate its
contents to BVI people in remote communities, or who have no access to the
website or material in other formats.
The EB has recommended a radio stream to
provide audio programs from the WBUAP website. It is proposed that the CILOs
coordinate the preparation of programs from their countryfs website content,
which can be broadcast over the radio stream in their own language. Each
countryfs radio programs can also be made available by the CILO in formats such
as CD, or local radio broadcast for BVI people without access to the
internet.
The EB has submitted these recommendations
for approval by the WBUAP Board and Policy Council and to the WBUAP
Capacity-Building project donors.
In proposing these changes, we hope that the communication mediums in
the WBUAP region becomes more relevant to BVIs and other stakeholders. We also
hope that, while trying to use the WBUAP website as our main communication
tool, BVIs and others without internet access will also be able to stay
informed about WBUAP activities. The EB will report back to readers of East
Wind with further developments to this project.
******
The Royal Society for the Blind (RSB)
on behalf of the World Blind Union Asia-Pacific Committee on Employment,
Economic and Empowerment (WBUAP CEEE) has secured funding for a landmark scheme
that will change the lives for the people of Malaysia who are blind or vision
impaired and struggling with employment.
The WBUAP CEEE was successful in
receiving a grant from the Seeing is Believing Innovation fund for their
Malaysian Adaptive Equipment Loan Scheme proposal after identifying a need for
people who are blind or vision impaired in the Asia Pacific region the chance
to access equipment that will help them in obtaining and retaining employment.
gBy developing an adaptive technology
loan pool, people who are blind or vision impaired will be provided with the
opportunity to learn skills and then demonstrate that ability to future
employers, ultimately benefiting them not only in a financial, but also a
social sense,h says RSB Executive Director and WBUAP CEEE chairman, Andrew
Daly.
gWe identified that people who are
blind or vision impaired in many Asia Pacific countries are prevented from
employment due to the cost of accessing specialist adaptive technology like
electronic magnifiers, Braille PDAfs and computer-screen magnification,h
explains Andrew of the project that will be first rolled out in Malaysia.
By enabling people to become gjob
readyh and exposing them to equipment training and loans and then subsequent
work experience and trials, chances for securing meaningful and sustainable
employment are greatly increased, adds Andrew.
gWe have seen the benefits of such a
system here at the RSB through RSB Employment Services who work closely with
the RSB Adaptive Technology Centre to assist people who are blind or vision
impaired in all manners of gaining and retaining employment.h
The landmark project aims to begin
rollout in the latter half of 2014 in Malaysia and based on a successful
outcome, a rollout in other areas of the Asia Pacific region where countries
are struggling to place people who are blind or vision impaired in employment
will also be targeted.
******
Continuing its vision to
help people who are blind or vision impaired in the WBUAP Region find
sustainable employment, the Royal Society for the Blind (RSB) on behalf of the
World Blind Union-Asia Pacific Committee on Employment & Economic
Empowerment (CEEE), ON 24 - 26 June, sent an employment consultant to Malaysia
to conduct a job-readiness program.
Brian Dibbins conducted an
intensive three-day workshop for employment personnel in Malaysia & from
some ASEAN countries to equip them with the necessary skills they would need to
help increase the rate of employment for their clients.
"The aim of my
trip," says Brian "is to make sure that the participants in the
Job-Readiness Program are prepared and confident to be able to conduct similar
workshops for their blind and vision-impaired clients". "This unique
program," he went on to say "was designed and adapted from the
practices that the RSB Employment Services use to place BVI's in meaningful and
sustainable employment."
"We covered techniques
for effectively delivering a program for job search to small groups, as well as
various placement activities such as skills assessment, identifying appropriate
support services and developing action plans that will lead to
employment."
The invaluable hands-on
training program was run in conjunction with the Malaysian Adaptive Equipment
Loan Scheme project, recently secured by the RSB on behalf of the WBUAP CEEE
from the Seeing is Believing Innovation fund.
"It was exciting to be
able to be a part of this project and to share my experience as an employment
consultant to assist in this program," says Brian who has been an
employment consultant at the RSB for seven years. "It was great to be able
to package up and share all that RSB Employment Services do when placing
clients in employment and to be able to share that with professionals who may
not have all of that knowledge and experience."
The Committee on Employment
in the National Council for the Blind, Malaysia (NCBM), which is administering
the pilot Adaptive Equipment Loan Scheme in collaboration with WBUAP CEEE,
expresses its deep gratitude to the Management of RSB for agreeing to send
Brian Dibbins to conduct the Workshop. They also express their sincere thanks
to Brian for imparting his valuable knowledge on the subject, and for his
assurance that he will continue to give his assistance when called upon to do
so.
******
Recognising the need for a training
program to assist people in the use of a new screen-reading program, Royal
Society for the Blind (RSB) Adaptive Technology staff worked with the International Council for the Education
of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) to develop an industry-endorsed
training program.
NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a
screen-reading program that reads text on a computer screen out loud, enabling
people who are blind or vision impaired to use a computer. The open-source
software can also convert text to Braille and unlike many other screen readers
on the market, is free, allowing more people to have access to the
life-changing technology.
NVDA is an impressive development in
the realms of adaptive technology and is incredibly popular in developing
countries, more so than in Australia where the screen-reader of choice is
overwhelmingly JAWS. However, it doesnft come without its challenges, specifically
in terms of users requiring sufficient training to be able to confidently use
the program.
But who trains the trainers that pass
on this knowledge and train computer users who are blind or vision impaired
living in developing countries? Thatfs where the RSB Adaptive Technology
Service stepped in.
gFrances Gentle who is the Pacific
Chairperson at the International Council for the Education of People with Visual Impairment identified that NVDA could be distributed throughout
Australia and Asia, however, there needed to be a program to teach the program
to the teachers,h explains RSB Low Vision Centre Coordinator, Andrew Davies.
gFrom there, RSB Adaptive Technology staff developed the NVDA training
program that has become available to organisations in the Asia Pacific region,
which will ultimately help people who are blind or vision impaired use the
program to its full extent, delivering them the best outcomes to help them
connect with the world around them.h
******
Chief Editor
Wong Yoon Loong
National Council for the Blind
Malaysia
94B Jalan Tun Sambanthan
Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
E-mail: wongyl@pd.jaring.my
Dr. Issavara Sirirungruang
Ratchasuda College, Mahidol
University
111 Moo 6, Phuttamonthon 4 Road,
Salaya, Nakhon Pathom 73170,
Thailand.
E-mail: isvrss@gmail.com, issavara.sir@mahidol.ac.th
Helen Freris
c/o International Social Service
Australia
Level 2
313/315 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Email: hfreris@tpg.com.au
Diana Swanson
The Royal Society for the Blind
(RSB) of South Australia
Knapman House
230 Pirie Street
Adelaide, South Australia 5000
E-mail: dswanson@rsb.org.au