On July 15th, Alan Foley, Joanna Masingila and Yufei Wu visited Kibos School for the Visually Impaired near Kisumu, Kenya. Sammy Luvonga, a Kenyatta University student who is blind and had started using iOS technology in June 2012 through the KU-SU project, was doing his teaching practice (student teaching) at Kibos. Peter Miheso, a teacher in the primary school at Kibos had participated in the June 2012 workshops with students with visual impairments at KU and arranged for the visit.
The primary school head teacher and other teachers were shown the equipment and then about 20 students worked with five iOS devices with keyboards to learn some of the capability. Three iPods and one iPad were donated to Kibos to use; the students and teachers were very enthusiastic and are hoping for more equipment to increase access for students to print and written communication. The group also watched Sammy teach a history lesson using his iPad mini with notes he had created outside of class and then listened to during the lesson using his earphones and navigating with his keyboard.
CaptionWalking across the Kibos campus
CaptionA test in the process of being prepared with a brailler
CaptionAlan and Sammy confer before working with students
CaptionSammy sharing his experience using iOS technology with some Kibos students
CaptionStudents exploring iOS devices
CaptionPeter Miheso assisting students
CaptionYufei assisting some students
CaptionA teacher assisting students
CaptionOne student assisting another student in using the touch screen with VoiceOver
CaptionSammy and Alan discussing what to introduce next to the Kibos students
CaptionSammy navigating his iPad mini with his keyboard using external speakers so the students can hear the screen reader
CaptionSammy teaching a history lesson using notes on his iPad mini that he hears on his earphones by navigating with his keyboard
CaptionSammy teaching a history lesson using notes on his iPad mini that he hears on his earphones by navigating with his keyboard
CaptionYufei videotaping Sammy teaching
CaptionSheep raised by the school for food
About Joanna Masingila
Joanna Masingila is Dean of the School of Education and Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education at Syracuse University. She was a Fulbright Scholar to Kenyatta University in 1998, and since that time Syracuse University and Kenyatta University have an institutional linkage.
