Visual Impairment – How to use Technology and the World around you to be your best
September 23, 2021: How to use technology and the world around you to be your best presented to Initiative for National Growth Africa on their Robotics Capacity Building for Visually Impaired Young Adults Program in Ikoyi Lagos, Nigeria.
According to the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, approximately 26.3 million people in the African Region have a form of visual impairment. Of these, 20.4 million have low vision and 5.9 million are estimated to be blind. It is estimated that 15.3% of the world’s blind population reside in Africa.
In Nigeria, It Is estimated that 4.25 million adults aged > or = 40 years have moderate to severe visual impairment or blindness.
The Initiative for National Growth Africa is a Nigerian NGO with the focus on sustaining the social and economic rights of people with disabilities and provide capacity training for their caregivers. Persons with visual impairments are one of the specialized groups whom the Initiative assists.
The Initiative for National Growth Africa believes that technology is a powerful tool to help those with visual impairments to be productive. But how can this be harnessed to assist those with visual impairments? And what technological tools are available to assist young adults in Nigeria and for that matter Africa?
In their quest to find answers to these questions, they organized a seminar on their Robotics Capacity Building for Visually Impaired Young Adults Program and Paul Sachs was invited to speak to visually impaired young adults and their teachers about how to use technology.
In his presentation he emphasized that just because someone has a visual impairment does not mean they are impaired. He also noted that technology does not always mean computer-assisted technology. There are many ways to learn and many adaptive technologies that focus on how we set up our living and working spaces to maximize learning. The presentation led to many questions from the group about managing and overcoming impairments.
A follow-up presentation is planned later in Fall 2021 about handling emotional challenges of visual impairments.
Visual impairment across the world is devastating. ReidSachs LLC believes in a person-first philosophy – someone is a person with a disability, not a disabled person. ReidSachs LLC is always available to collaborate and assist on any project or programs geared towards addressing visual or other disabilities in the workplace or the home. Send us an email and let’s discuss how we can be part of your program.