Hello
Thought some here might find this information of interest.

Jennison


Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 10:19:32 +1000
From: Steve Pattison <[log in to unmask]>
	To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Fwd: e-learning comes to India's blind

From: Nadia Mattiazzo [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]

E-learning comes to India's Blind

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

(from A World of Science, Vol.1, No.3, April – June 2003)

The first e-learning centre for the blind in India opened its doors on 22
November at the National Council of Education Research and Training in New
Delhi, India.  The centre is the first in a series of institutions which
will ultimately bring distance learning to more than 2 million blind children.

Ten Braille terminals have been installed in the centre and connected to
the ten work-stations on the Local Area Network.   A ZOOM text software and
Braille printer complete the equipment.   The project officer, Mohamed
Miloudi, UNESCO expert in distance education, spent 22 and 23 November
training staff at the centre, technicians, educators and persons working
with visually impaired children how to use the SAID-SYSTEM and WebSAID
(which us Windows and Internet respectively).   The technologies were also
demonstrated to the representatives of each of India ’s states and to
various organizations, such as the National Institute for the Visually
Handicapped and Indian Association for Special Education and
Rehabilitation.   UNESCO New Delhi has contributed US$115,000 in project
costs to the Indian Government.

The Asia-Pacific region has by far the largest number of children with
special education needs worldwide.   Poverty, accident and malnutrition are
some of the causes.   Owing to the large numbers, the region has been slow
in providing quality education to all children and young persons with
special needs.

One in five Indians are school-age children.   And one in ten of these 200
million children has special needs.   It is estimated that there are more
than 2 million blind children in India.   It is thus crucial for the
country’s socio-economic development to introduce more efficient
educational and training methods.

One of the obstacles delaying introduction of Braille technology into India
until now has been the cost of the technology.   By designing a low-cost
technology that can be manufactured within India, Miloudi has overcome
that.   The new technology gives the blind access to computer software and
hardware developed especially for their needs, such as the tactile screen
which fixes onto the PC and uses the standard keyboard.   The system also
repeats aloud each letter typed on computers equipped with speakers.
Besides bringing knowledge to their fingertips, the new technology enables
the visually impaired to communicate via e-mail to correspondents around
the world.

The next step of the Indian project, launched in November 2001, will be to
set up an open virtual library containing the courses.   Existing
educational courses will be adapted and made accessible to the visually
impaired, in addition to new courses produced for the Indian market.   All
will be freely accessible on-line.

‘If all goes well, we should se a centre of this type in every Indian state
within a few years and a special terminal for the blind installed in every
cyber café across the country,’ says Miloudi.   ‘The idea is also to
replicate the Indian experience in other countries of Asia and the Pacific.’

Since 1996, UNESCO has implemented other projects using Braille
technologies in Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and, most recently, Qatar.
The Noor Institute project in Qatar is co-funded by AGFUND and the
Commercial Bank of Qatar and was inaugurated by UNESCO’s Director-General,
Ko ï chiro Matsuura, on 2 January 2002.

For further information, contact: [log in to unmask] or: [log in to unmask]

Nadia Mattiazzo
Victorian Advocacy & Information Officer
Blind Citizens Australia
(03) 9372 6400
[log in to unmask]

Regards Steve
mailto:[log in to unmask]
MSN Messenger:  [log in to unmask]

-----------------------
September online courses on accessible information technology:
Barrier-free Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/adaptit.htm
Advanced Barrier-free Web Design http://easi.cc/workshops/advwbsyl.htm
LD and Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/ld.htm
EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi
CCourses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
To sign off this list
send e-mail to [log in to unmask] saying
signoff easi