World Braille Day 2024 raises awareness on importance of inclusion and diversity.
World Braille Day 2024, with the theme ‘Empowering Through Inclusion and Diversity’, was commemorated, this morning, at the seat of the Special Education Needs Authority (SENA), in Ebène.
The Vice-Prime Minister (VPM), Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun; the Chairperson of the SENA, Mrs Savitree Oogarah; the Director of the SENA, Mr Deewakarsingh Authelsingh; and other personalities attended the event to take cognisance of the substantial progress made by the SENA to facilitate the mainstreaming of primary and secondary visually impaired students, in 2023.
In her speech for the occasion, VPM Dookun-Luchoomun stressed on the critical role of Braille in aiding blind and visually impaired learners to communicate, learn and integrate into mainstream classrooms. The United Nations Development Programme has prepared and disseminated many documents in this endeavour, she indicated.
Highlighting the significance of embedding the principles of inclusion and diversity within the education system, Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun informed that inclusive education has made great strides in the country, with some 60 learners with visual impairments currently studying in mainstream schools. She, moreover, assured of the provision of the necessary support and training to the students as well as teachers, assistant teachers and carers, by the SENA and the SEN Unit of her Ministry.
Besides, the Education Minister recalled the remittance of BrailleNote tablets to around 12 SEN learners last year. On this score, she averred that more applications will be devised, installed and made accessible for use on these assistive technologies. The BrailleNote tablet is a useful pedagogical tool, advancing Braille literacy and in essence, enhancing the capacity of visually impaired individuals to learn, she remarked.
In addition, Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun pointed out that remedial classes are being provided, on Saturdays, to visually impaired and blind learners facing difficulties especially in Mathematics and Scientific subjects.
For his part, Mr Authelsingh explicated on a number of measures initiated to assist and incorporate students with visual impairments in mainstream schools notably, the adaptation of books in Braille by the Mauritius Institute of Education, the digitalisation of braille through assistive technologies such as the BrailleNote tablets, and SENA’s project of the downloadable Bookshare application consisting of audio books and, among other facilities, bridging the reading barriers.
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