Cost Effective Frame Work for implementing Elementary Education for Visually Impaired

Abstract

Under developed countries like Pakistan do not offer sufficient educational resources for special children. There is lesser number of schools for special children with only primary education utilizing traditional methods for Braille communication. People are deprived of getting into schools due to distant areas, minimum transport facilities and expensive fees. Traditional systems are difficult to use and time-consuming. In contrast, modern systems utilize electronic methods for user-friendly and easier communication but are expensive. This paper implements a cost-effective Braille framework using hardware prototype with specifically designed software application running on teacher’s server/PC. Student enters Braille characters, which are converted into English and displayed on software application. The software application maintains and updates an automatic database for each student. Data can be accessed by teacher on server/PC. Entered Braille Characters can be printed via printer/embosser. Data can also be heard on headphones, interfaced with each Braille prototype. The over-all cost of our system remains affordable and also gives young children an opportunity to cope with technical advancements. The system was tested in "National Special Education Complex" in Karachi, Pakistan on 30 blind students from Class 1 to 5. Their performance is evaluated on the basis of score, speed and occurrence of errors. The results show significant improvements using our system over traditional systems.