Issue No.5 - Faculty of Education - The University of Hong Kong

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12 Professional Sharing on Education for the Blind Professional Sharing: “A Holistic Approach to to the Education for the Blind: A Case from South Africa” By Joey Kit-ying Wong By Joey Kit-ying Wong Introduction Vision is a distance sense that provides us with information from outside our bodies. When vision is limited, it affects the individual in many significant ways, limiting mobility, access to printed materials and independent living. People with visual disabilities also face many social stigmas and barriers to full participation in mainstream society (Smith, 2004). Therefore the call for improving special education for the visually impaired has been rising dramatically in recent years and yet even with the effort made by Hong Kong government and other non-government organisations, making the ‘right difference’ is still not an easy accomplishment (Chan, 1998). In this paper, I will describe a special approach used by a school for the blind in South Africa, It is hoped that some useful conclusion can be drawn from it to help us improve the education service for students with visual impairments here in Hong Kong. Athlone School for the Blind The case in hand is the Athlone School for the Blind, which is located in Cape Town, South Africa. It is one of the oldest institutions in the republic of South Africa being set up in 1927 for black and coloured children with special needs. There are 350 children studying at the school, which caters for pre-primary learners to Grade 12, with 45 of them being intellectually disabled and 10 of them being wheelchair-bound. The school is dedicated to meeting the educational, training and therapeutic needs of all blind and visually impaired learners with the fundamental objective of creating an environment where every child, irrespective of their handicaps, can develop to their fullest potential. The school aims at providing a stimulating academic and educational environment to develop the intellect and skills of blind children and youths of South Africa. It also aims at ensuring that their blind and visually impaired learners have the appropriate skills, education and competencies to effectively participate in the broader social world. Characteristics of Athlone’s Approach Athlone is one of the few schools of its kind that offers matriculation classes. The school follows exactly the same syllabus as that for students without disability. They have tutorial classes taught by volunteer teachers. Blind students use Braille to read the examination papers and someone else scribes the answers for them. They get an extra 15 minutes per hour and answer exactly the same examination paper as other students. Their passing rate is 80%. Athlone is one of the participants of the South African Toy and Leisure Libraries Association which promotes the concept and practice of toy libraries in South Africa. Its Athlone Printers has been responsible for the production of students’ Braille books since 2002. It translates famous books and put them in the library for blind students to share with others. Lots of people have benefited from this program and enjoyed the happiness and knowledge from reading. Athlone also provides vocational training to the blind and partially blind students who often need to be taught with basic life skills like eating and toilet training. The students are taught skills such as upholstery-making, welding, domestic science and how to operate a call centre in the courses. Besides, mobility training is also included. Qualified teachers will regularly bring students to outings and let them try out their mobility skills. For the new comers of the school (e.g. person who becomes blind after suffering from illness), outings or skills-training like how to use a long cane are specially arranged for them to help them adapt to the new environment and conditions. In 1999, Athlone decided to create an income-producing market garden of 2 000 square metres which could not only teach learners new skills but also bring in funds for the school and create more of a link with the surrounding community by selling the produces. . It was hoped to teach learners new skills that they could use at home once they leave school. It could also help them with orientation and problem-solving skills and inspire them to develop their mobility. Training included designing the layout of the garden, irrigation, choosing the best time of the year to plant certain crops and the management of soil fertility. Educational Implications The holistic approach adopted by Athlone may have the following educational implications that are useful in Hong Kong context. Flexible time adjustment to the visually impaired CASE News 啟訊 Lokanadha (2000) points out that visually impaired children have poor academic achievements even if they use large-print books or Braille. Visual impairment is the main factor for their slower acqui- (continued on next page)
Volume 3, No. 1 第三期第一號 13 sition of information. These children have a slower reading rate and lack concreteness in instructional procedures. In Athlone, the school helps students overcome this by giving them tutorial classes to help them catch up with the learning schedule. Extra time and scribes are provided for them during examinations. As a result their pass rate is quite high. Such a policy can increase their academic competition with people without disability and hence may motivate them to learn and study harder. This policy can be considered for application to Hong Kong. Multi-faceted training for students According to Lokanadha (2000), how well individuals are able to cope with visual disability largely depends on how well they are able to move about. Whether a person withdraws from social environment or becomes independent depends greatly on mobility skills. In the case of the blind, the long cane is reliable, long lasting and somewhat unaffected by unfavourable weather and temperature conditions. Blind persons usually require extensive training in the proper use of the long cane (Lokanadha, 2000). The special training for the newly blind students is extremely useful in helping them adapt to the new life, build self-confidence and ensure that the skill is successfully acquired. The purpose of other trainings is not only to teach specific jobrelated tasks but also to give students a variety of working experiences. In doing so, students will be better prepared in making career decision as adults. It is society’s reaction to the blind persons that determines their social adjustment. Visually impaired children are not generally accepted by non-disabled persons because some of them experience difficulty in acquiring certain social skills. To deal with that, training will provide students with ample opportunities to develop generic work behaviours such as punctuality, grooming, following directions, and social skills, which will be carried over to other work or community environment. For blind students in Hong Kong, such skills are just as vital, and it is always better if the students can learn them earlier as they usually need more time to acquire those skills (Chan, 1998). Contribution to the society The idea of publishing Braille books and putting them in the library is not simply a contribution to the society in terms of resource-sharing. It provides a chance for people without disability to get in touch with and experience how people use Braille books when they are reading. ‘Is there any differences between the orders of grammar?’ ‘Are there any special tips or rules to follow when reading with Braille?’ ‘How fast can one read using Braille?’ Questions like these can be answered easily with real-life experience. Furthermore, it promotes civil education in the community. Empowering the visually impaired is no doubt our goal, but we also need a long-term civil education that would promote co-operation and mutual respect . The market garden is an innovating idea. The concept of producing products and selling them to the market is well worth considering. People with disability are often misunderstood to be people in need by others.In fact, they can contribute to the society as well. People have to understand that they are co-dependent. Although they may require assistance in some situations, they prefer to be reminded of their similarities rather then differences. Therefore, this programme allows them to show their ability to the others. Conclusion Although Athlone is in South Africa with many cultural and ethnic differences when compared with Hong Kong, we learn that practices such as having flexible management, providing various types of training and contributing to society can help visually impaired students learn better. Furthermore, we should set our goals not only in helping the students, but also to educate the whole society so that everyone can help them too. References Chan, D.W. (1998). Helping students with learning difficulties. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press. Ennio, V.M. (2005). A National Accessibility Portal for South Africa: Innovative application of ICT for disability in the developing world. In A. Pruski. and H. Knops. (Eds) Assistive technology: From vitality to reality. Netherlands: IOS Press. Gwalla-Ogisi. N., Reid, B.J. & Todd, J. S. (1990). Proposed alternative system of special education service delivery in the Republic of South Africa. International Journal of Special Education, 5,1A. Lokanadha, R.G. (2000). Education of children with special needs. India: Arora Offset Press. Smith, D.D. (2004). Introduction to special education: Teaching in an age of opportunity (5 th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education. Wong Kit Ying, Joey is a Final Year B.Ed (English Language) student of the University of Hong Kong. This paper is based on her interview with two ILOP Overseas Internship exchange students from South Africa.
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Issue No.5 - Faculty of Education - The University of Hong Kong

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