Hello, Harona.  I am very interested in learning Gambian languages...
However, I would probably have to learn them audibly, since I am blind, and
the software I use to access my computer really doesn't know how to deal with
Gambian languages, believe me, I have tried...  So I would have to learn by
listening and then sounding things out.  That is how I am learning the
Quran...
     Learning in this way takes a lot of patience both for me and whoever is
teaching me, because they have to repeat things many times so I can get the
sound in my head...
     I don't know howI could teach people English, since I am not in The
Gambia now, unless of course you are meaning maybe people here in America?
Sorry if I am wrong about this...  but I wouldn't know where to start with
that...  As far as how I could help Gambians, well, as you say access to
information, and being able to express oneself in their own language is
defnitely key...  I can definitely relate to not having access to information
since my blindness prevents me from say, just picking up a book and reading
it...  For me to get information, it either has to be read to me, or put into
Braille, or adapted in some way...
     When I was in The Gambia, I had wondered if a Braille code could be
developed for each of the langauges, but I am not sure how great the demand
would be for that...
     Anyway, maybe in some way I could take my experences with blindness and
adapting to that and then put those to good use here...
     But I definitely feel that Gambians, as well as anyone else, should be
able to express themselves freely in whatever way that they can...
     I am not sure if this helps or not...
Take care,
Ginny


P.S. I am glad you enjoyed my articles.  I went back and reviewed them the
other day, and I thought they sounded really stupid...  A friend of mine
thinks I should try to get them published in some blindness/disability
publications...  We will see...

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