Information technology has never been an outdated topic in today's era. It is present in most human’s daily activities and serves as an effective tool in both learning and working. More importantly, information technology holds a very special significance for the development and social integration of the visually impaired. Recognizing the benefits and urgent need for IT skills within the visually impaired community, at the beginning of May, the Sao Mai Center for the Blind (SMCB), with the support from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), collaborated with the Thua Thien Hue Blind Association to successfully implement the first IT training in the capacity-building training series of the project “Advancing disability-inclusive development through catalysing digital inclusion for persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific”.
Participants in the Training
There were fifteen young staff from different districts of Thua Thien Hue province who registered to participate in the IT training. They are young visually impaired individuals working at association units in different districts. They are eager to learn and enhance their IT skills. Moreover, they aspire to use information technology to maximize productivity of their work as well as contribute to the development of their community.
Training Contents
The training mainly focused on the IT skills that are frequently applied in learning and working. Understanding their students' needs, teachers Nguyen Viet Thuong and Hoang Tuan Hai, along with the trainees, delved deeply into key topics such as NVDA with standard Gmail interface, working with Microsoft Word and exploring Google applications.
The highlight of the training was the introduction and application of AI in work and study. Teacher Nguyen Viet Thuong noted, "The students were very excited about learning on AI because they had never heard of or used AI tools before." During the class, he also emphasized to the students not to overuse AI but to use it as a powerful supportive tool for their work.
At the end of the five-day training course, the Association’s Executive Committee had a brief discussion with teachers Viet Thuong and Tuan Hai to draw lessons and build plans for upcoming training courses.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
"Among the participants, there is still a significant gap in IT skills," shared teacher Viet Thuong. However, thanks to the dedication of the two teachers, this knowledge gap was significantly narrowed. Additionally, with many-year experience in teaching and working with the visually impaired, the two teachers made the lessons more interesting and engaging for the students.
In the upcoming training course, the two teachers hope to organize a small competition for the students. This will be an opportunity for the students to review and practice what they have learned as well as a chance to connect with each other.
Photo of the Chairman of the Hue Blind Association speaking at the training course in Hue
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