The Improving Reading Scores of children with Blindness and Low Vision in Early Primary Education project is designed to give visually impaired students in Grades 1 to 3 access to age- and level-appropriate textbooks and reading materials in schools in the Philippines. The project also provided schools with access to technological equipment including magnifying software , braille translator software, braille embosser machines, braille display to read text tactually that is typically displayed on a computer monitor, audio player and portable digital magnifiers. Training for teachers and parents of children with visually impairment showed them how to use the materials to improve reading at school and at home.
The project aims to improve access to these resources for students with a range of vision impairments. Historically, the production of reading materials for visually impaired students has taken place in Manila on a small scale. Due to the distribution and logistical challenges that come with working in a nation with made up of more than 7,000 islands, braille in order to read. Certain low vision students would benefit more from large print resources than braille.
The main purpose of the project is to improve the reading proficiency of children with visual impairment by making reading resources accessible to them.
The project aims to accomplish this by;
• providing technology and training to school teachers in order to provide critical learning materials to students with visual impairment. The technology includes a desktop computer, braille translator software and embosser, an electronic braille display, magnifying software to enlarge text, portable digital audio players, and digital magnifiers;
• providing reading enhancement materials in accessible formats for children with visual impairment to increase access to a greater variety of reading materials and help the target population read at grade level;
• providing training and mentoring to teachers handling children with visual impairment for additional strategies and techniques;
• improving family engagement in the children’s reading through home visits and workshops to help them understand how to teach the children at home.