In the educational field, the main objective of the project is to train a group of VIP (Visually Impaired People) students to become the teachers of the center.

Their training has started and will last until the end of 2001, when the project is expected to be concluded.

We are using what we call "sighted to blind' approach.

After completing Cycle 1, as part of their training, they are requested to teach what they have learned. For this we use the "one teacher/one student - blind to blind" approach.

The Center will be equipped for:

Reading and writing Vietnamese and English texts;
Printing Braille format of books or other materials in Vietnamese or English;
Producing Braille prints of music scripts;
studying;
Learning how to use the computer and/or performing specific tasks.

We made a choice of plurality of means and configurations: the computer created for the sighted with a screen reader for the blind, and devices created for the blind in order to use a computer. The project ambition is to create an environment in which the blind user can perform as many tasks as possible without memorizing commands or being assisted by a sighted person.

Education:

Two year course for a group of blind students who will become trainers and managers of the Computer Center. (sighted to blind approach)
Computer classes to be taught by the trainees. (blind to blind approach)

Education material to be created by the computer center:

Self-learning course for the blind, on CD-ROM, to learn how to use the computer for reading and writing.
Digital library for the blind, in Vietnamese

General

A Computer Center for the blind (where two languages are used) is rather a complicated system in which different kinds of software and hardware contribute to make the user interact with the computer.
The Center is organized into three main sections. The school, the digital library (self-study room), and the printing room.
By means of a peer-to-peer network we share the computer center resources and an Internet account.

Software

Our goal is to make the user able to perform tasks without worrying about the complexity of the system. This complexity is mainly generated by the fact that there is no Vietnamese version of Windows. In Vietnam, Windows uses the American code-page and a set of fonts to reconvert some keyboard keys and generate characters peculiar to the Vietnamese language.
Therefore we must use software that speaks Vietnamese and software that speaks English, but the two will conflict should they run at the same time.
The Vietnamese and the English vocal interfaces can be used in the same working session but only one at a time.

For the Vietnamese language we use two programs.

BRAILLE

is a vocal DOS package developed by a team of students at the University of HCM City under the guidance of Prof. Dinh Dien.
It consists of a set of exercises to learn the keyboard and practice typing, a calculator, a calendar, an editor and an English-Vietnamese Dictionary.
The dictionary is the digital version of the 65,000-word dictionary created by Prof. Dinh Dien.

NDC

is a vocal editor for the Windows environment created by SCITEC of HCM City. It implements the most common features of a Windows word processor and a POP3 e-mail facility.

For operating the computer and perform tasks in English we use JAWS.

Quoted from the Web Site

Disability Association(s): Blindness

Internet Location: http://www.bungsang.freeservers.com/index_blind.htm

Internet Resource Type: Web Site

Resource Type: Blind and Vision Impaired, Assistive Technology, Education

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