Supporting learners with visual disability to achieve their dreams

Symon Munyiri is a trainer at Machakos Technical Institute for the Blind (MTIB).

At the institution, he teaches Mathematics and Business Studies all while being completely blind.

The amiable tutor was born with low vision and went through schooling with disproportionate difficulty.

“The textbooks I used in school were not written in large prints for people with eye problems. It was hard to read the standard print size, and sometimes, you had to ask the teacher to read aloud,” he recalls.

“To date my body is covered in bruises from bumping into objects and falling,” he adds.

In 2003 while he was just about to sit for the consequential Form Four exams, his vision deteriorated considerably and in 2007, everything went black as tar. “It was difficult because I was doing three sciences. The examination council provided large prints and I was also given an aid to guide me. I passed and got an opportunity to join Kenyatta University where I did a Bachelors degree in special needs mathematics and business studies,” he says.

Eventually, he graduated and became an instructor to learners with visual impairment and those in other categories. Even though he faced numerous difficulties in his school years, Symon can count himself fortunate that he achieved this education milestone.

Most learners with visual impairment do not.

It is not easy to quantify the actual burden of learners with visual impairment in Kenya. But Symon says that the majority of the learners he teaches come from the low economic class where befitting educational opportunities are inadequate.

Intellectual property barrier

The teacher says that the barrier of intellectual property rights inhibits the reproduction of reading materials into Braille format. In addition to that, the process is expensive. “To convert a book into braille format, you need to get consent from a publisher, which is not easy and production is very expensive,” he says

For instance, a Form One mathematics book which costs Sh650 if converted into braille form will produce five volumes each costing ksh1500 so that will be Sh7,500 in total for just a single book. He says the cost is driven up by the steep price of a braille embosser(printing machine) and braille printing papers that have to be imported.

It is for these reasons the teacher is emphasising on the adoption of digital technology for learners, which is more convenient and less costly. “You can simply scan a book and get software that will read the contents aloud to you. In case a learner needs tactile learning they can use other means,” he adds.

To lessen some of these difficulties the Ministry of Education through a partnership with the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) and Kenya Institute for the Blind will over the next five years screen 50,000 learners to identify those with print disabilities.

During this period, over 5,000 learners with print disabilities will be equipped with personal digital devices; accessible content and training to enable them to participate in learning and recreational activities more meaningfully.

“During the same five years, the ministry shall convert 3000 local titles into an accessible format and train 300 teachers to support learners on the use of digital technologies,” said Dr. Beatrice Muganda Inyangala, Principal Secretary, and State Department for Higher Education and Research.

At the higher educational level, the newly established virtual Open University of Kenya will be an ideal hub for inclusive education.

“The University has already opened its virtual doors and is welcoming students to access quality education. It will cater to students who are abled differently,” she says.

She was making her remarks during the opening ceremony of the African conference for the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI), a non-profit network association of individuals and organisations championing equal access to education for learners with visual impairment.

Neglected eye condition

Low vision whose outcome is permanent reduced vision was highlighted as a major neglected eye condition in the country. Current viable interventions, such eyeglasses, medicines, and surgery unable to reverse it.

Low vision is a vision problem that makes it hard to do everyday activities such as reading, driving, recognising people’s faces, and telling colours apart. It can’t be fixed with glasses, contact lenses, or other standard treatments, such as medicine or surgery, National Institutes of Health. “Low vision significantly impacts a person’s vision activities of daily living and quality of lif. Iit is among the top 10 causes of disability. It is also associated with lack of independence, depression, long-term care placement, and increased risk of death,” said Dr Manilal Dodhia, chairman, of Lions SightFirst Hospital.

“We are urging scientists to develop new treatment approaches with the goal of making life better for persons with low vision with remaining sight,” he added.

Even though the Ministry of Education provides enhanced capitation grants for learners with special needs to enable schools to procure learning resources and digital devices Symon is not sure how the new mode of financing will affect tertiary institutions whose learners have special needs.

The Marrakesh Treaty adopted in 2013 which Kenya is a signatory sought to facilitate access to published works by people with low vision or blindness.

The treaty, includes contracting parties to apply exceptions to their copyright laws to permit the creation of accessible formal copies of published works without copyright barriers.

Kenya was the first country in Africa to adopt the treaty and implement the National Copyright Law But ratification has not guaranteed the availability of books for people with disabilities.

Some of the locally available digital literacy materials are supplied by eKitabu a pioneer company in the development of digital materials and training of teachers and individuals with visual impairment.

“We work with various publishers and government institutions to adapt teaching materials into accessible formats, such as audio or video for those who are either deaf or blind,” says Iganitus Kweyu, project manager of eKitabu.

Adding her voice to the discussion Hellen Asamo, Minister of State for Disability Affairs from Uganda said that the pool of courses for learners  with visual disabilities should be expanded.

“Most of the people with visual disability are teachers. It is like this is the best profession they can give us,” she said in ending.