FIJI, Jan 5: The United Blind Persons of Fiji will soon be conducting a survey to determine the number of people with visual disabilities in the country.

While a date has yet to be finalised, the institution's survey will also determine the number of those who have low vision and those who have completely lost their eyesight.

The survey is also geared at gathering interests from blind peoplewho would want to learn writing and or reading using braille.

"We're planning to get some more braille machines so we can teach braille to adults, or those visually impaired aged 18 years and above," United Blind Persons of Fiji project officer Ruci Senikula said in an interview yesterday.

"We will be conducting this course to those who lost their eyesight later in their life, probably through an accident etcetera," she said.

Ms Senikula said they would also determine the level of interest for braille courses before finer details are finalised.

She said at the moment, there were more than 300 members of the United Blind Persons of Fiji.

She said the institution looked after the interest of visually impaired adults because the Fiji Society for the Blind looked after children and students.

In Fiji, Ms Senikula said braille had been a most precious aid to its users in many ways.

"It made their going to college possible because it was the only method by which they could take notes of lectures.

"All their examination papers were copied for them in this system.

"They use braille as a spider uses its webs to catch thoughts that flit across their mind for speeches.

"This is a very useful machine and it is also very helpful in the long run for those that are visually impaired," Ms Senikula said.

"I learnt braille when I was in class three and since then, it has helped me in my primary, secondary and university days because I was able to access textbooks and study my notes and didn't need my colleagues to be reading it for me," she said.

"It has become a tool for independence for me before I knew how to use a computer with JAWS.

"And the fun part is we can read anytime, with or without the lights," she added.

And as the world commemorates Louis Braille's invention, Ms Senikula said blind people in Fiji would also remember the man who "by his mighty effort", enabled blind people to get access to reading materials by using their fingers to read raised dots on sheets of brailled papers.


Source: http://www.fijitimes.com