The access software pre-loaded on the Dolphin Pen includes magnification, speech and Braille applications. The pen is available commercially for about £100, but Sightsavers has negotiated with Dolphin to create a cheaper, cut-down version of the pen for use in Africa.
One of the most important aspects of the partnership between KUB and Computer Aid is a drive to increase donations of laptops for use by blind teachers. Because of a commitment by the Kenyan government of guaranteed employment for anyone who completes a teaching degree, education has become one of the few careers open to blind people in a country that does little else to support them. However, for blind teachers to keep pace with their sighted colleagues, they often have to pay for a sighted assistant out of their own meagre wages. Also, simple activities such as marking students' work and getting access to the latest textbooks in Braille is enormously costly. However, a lot of these problems can be circumvented if the teacher has their own laptop pre-loaded with accessibility software. Devices such as the Dolphin Pen are great for some situations, but cannot address all the information-intensive needs of a teacher.
Readers can contact Computer Aid if their business has any laptops available for donation.
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