BRUNEI-MUARA

Tuesday, June 8, 2010
THE Special Education Unit (SEU) of the Ministry of Education has begun an initiative to produce reading materials which are easily accessible, especially for visually impaired students through its Accessible Books Collaboration (ABC) Project.

“The ABC project is an innovative initiative that seeks to produce accessible forms of existing reading materials especially for Brunei students with a ‘print disability’ including, but not limited to, visually challenged students, studying in mainstream schools,” said Noralizulrainee Ali Yusop, Education Officer at the SEU. Norali is visually impaired.

Launched in January this year, which coincided with World Braille Day, the project is hoped to improve the literacy rate of such students by meeting their reading needs through the provision of alternative format of similar reading materials used in schools that best suit their needs and preferences.

“Our goal is to ensure that information in its various formats are to be made accessible to children with a print disability particularly to those who are blind and visually impaired,” he said.

These alternative formats will mainly take the form of e-books (digital text only), digital accessible information system books (DAISY: digital text & speech), audio books (speech only), large print and also Braille in English grade 1 and 2. Other accessible formats that are not mentioned will also be considered upon request and subject to the availability of required resources.

In an interview, Norali said that to date, the conventional and the most preferred form of reading materials used at school, at home and at work are still in the form of printed text format.

“Though this may serve to meet the needs of regular sighted students and individuals, it has, however, increasingly become a major hurdle for those people with a print or a visual disability from fully enjoying its benefits,” he said.

“Often they require others to read it for them which sometimes pose as an unwanted burden to sighted peers,” he added.

Norali said that as a result, these students have become limited in terms of enjoying an active learning experience in classroom activities.

“Due to the lack of accessible formats, there is a concern that pre-school children, including those in their first three years could be affected because they may not be able to fully develop their reading skills as they move up the academic ladder,” he said.

Publishers, teachers or parents who wish to make their reading materials available in either Braille, DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System), audio or in large printed text must first submit an electronic copy of the same text or book to Project ABC.

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