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Aug 28, 2016 News
Collaboration between the Guyana Society for the Blind and the Ministry of Education’s Unit for the Blind could serve to help enhance the abilities of blind and visually impaired individuals seeking to advance themselves academically.
This disclosure was made by Ms. Ingrid Peters who claimed that she has been observing the candidates who write the Blind Society-facilitated Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination annually.
Peters claims to have introduced the notion of integrating the blind into the mainstream education system since in the early 1980s. She was trained at the Santa Cruz School for the Blind in Trinidad. In fact Peters had spent a great deal of her younger days in Trinidad and understands all too well the importance of special needs education.
“When I came back here there was no such thing as blind people going to the normal school like everyone else and even before that there was no blind person writing CSEC, but I helped to make that a reality,” said Peters as she asserted that even before the Blind Society had attempted such a feat it was already done.
While Peters is not opposed to the work being done by the Blind Society, she is convinced that the Blind Unit, which has been in existence for many years, could add a needed dimension to what the Society is doing. And she is convinced that that would make them even more prepared for the world of tertiary education and the world of work, independent of support.
Peters was an educator for 36 years before she retired in 2014. She has since been offering her service on a part time basis at the Blind Unit. Peters is very proficient in teaching music and Braille.
Coordinator of the Blind Society, Ganesh Singh, had disclosed that currently the Blind Society is only able to prepare students in the subject areas of Social Studies, English, Principles of Business, Office Administration, Human and Social Biology and Religious Education. These examinations are done electronically.
He, however, noted that while the Society would like to offer students Mathematics as well, this is limited by the fact that Braille is not offered at the Society. According to him, while the local Ministry of Education and at the Caribbean level, efforts are being made to introduce CXC Maths for the blind, a challenge to this is the use of Braille.
“Very few persons in Guyana have skills in Braille, and that is why we try to do this programme electronically,” Singh explained recently.
“What I would like them to do is to collaborate with the Unit for the Blind…this is important so that we can learn from each other,” said Peters. The top CSEC performer produced by the Blind Society this year, Malieka Crawford, was one of Peters’ former students.
According to Peters, the process of preparing the blind for examinations such as CSEC should not be a short process, since they are not afforded a school setting.
She explained that in Trinidad where she was trained, students were only integrated when they were found to be 75 per cent or 85 per cent independent.
Being independent back in the day meant that students were well equipped to use their Braille machine. However, today because of technological advances there are laptops and other devices that can aid the learning of the visually impaired. Once students are able to utilise the various learning mechanisms well they can then be deemed independent, Peters said.
“What is happening here in Guyana is that children are placed in the classrooms and they are being ‘spoon fed’…” lamented Peters, who is adamant that this should not be the case.
“There should be more individual attention to ensure that children are learning…especially at the younger level.” This, according to Peters will ensure that students are well prepared for proper integration in the education system.
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