ATRIEV PIONEERS IN TEACHING THE BLIND THE USE OF ANDROID GADGETS
ATRIEV envisions that with the use of technology, more persons with disabilities will gain access to relevant information making them more competitive in school and later on, at work.ATRIEV Pioneers In Teaching The Blind The Use of Android Gadgets
ATRIEV, in partnership with the Abilis foundation of Finland, conducted another pioneering training program for the blind in the Philippines. With the use of a screen reader program, blind students, trainers and parent/teachers were taught how to use Android gadgets.
The Android training is another brainchild of ATRIEV Executive Director, Tony Llanes, who wanted to transfer his skills at using finger gestures in accessing touch screen gadgets like the Android tablets, mobile phones and the like. “the challenge was in trying to device a step-by-step curriculum describing and associating the finger gestures with the commands.” Llanes said.
Llanes teamed up with Erick Marco Ramos, also blind and ATRIEV trainer of the English Language and Blog Writing courses, to put together the curriculum for blind students and the Trainers’ Training curriculum for sighted special education teachers or parents of blind children. Then, Bobby Baja, ATRIEV’s totally blind Training Coordinator, further refined the training curriculum to include children with special needs.
For year 2014, through funds from Abilis foundation, ATRIEV trained a total of 39 visually impaired college and high school students, 11 visually impaired trainers and 25 special education teachers and parents of blind children. 16 blind training participants immediately purchased their own Android gadget right after the training.
For 2015, ATRIEV will continue to train more blind and visually impaired persons in the use of Android gadgets especially in reading textbooks and other materials. ATRIEV will also train more special education teachers in partnership with the Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO).
ABILIS Foundation is a development fund that supports the activities of Persons with disabilities in the Global South. The Foundation was established by Finnish Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The ABILIS Board is composed of PWDs who have wide experience and interest in development cooperation. The major funder for ABILIS is the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.