Ministry of Social Affairs Will Create a Braille Literacy Center that is Adaptive to Technological Development

BANDUNG (March 18, 2021) - The Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs, Tri Rismaharini visited the Abiyoso Braille Literacy Center in Cimahi. Risma will create a Literacy Center that is adaptive to technological developments through educational shows.

The Abiyoso Braille Literacy Center in Cimahi is a national reference center and a laboratory for developing national braille. Therefore, the center needs to develop new innovations that can be accessed by persons with visual impairments in accordance with technological developments.

Risma tries to answer the challenge of decreasing users of braille books. After the Abiyoso Cimahi Literacy Center created the Talk Book innovation, namely transcribing text into audio media, Risma directed the Center to develop this innovation by translating textbooks into audio visuals.

"What we need to do now is to make people with sensory-blind disabilities survive in the midst of rapid technological developments. Such as making books on agriculture, animal husbandry, simple applied technology and others which are transcribed into shows (audio visuals)," explained Risma.

The important point is how the Abiyoso Cimahi Literacy Center has a media that can be shared with all children and all people with visual and sensory disabilities so that they can learn through this media (impressions).

In addition, Risma also conveyed her idea for the Abiyoso Cimahi Literacy Center to work together with universities to create a software that can read scanned text and images.

"So use software that when a person with a visually impaired sensor receives a letter or paper containing written text or images, it is scanned, then the scanned results can be transcribed into audio media," explained Risma.

In addition, Risma conveyed other ideas to create software that can be a guide for people with visual impairments in their activities, such as walking in public spaces.

"This innovation makes them independent. They are easy to carry out activities, one of which is walking in public spaces," continued Risma.

Risma also hopes that all people with visual impairments in all corners of Indonesia can get equal access to various information and knowledge spaces. Risma also hopes that this concept can generate interest and attention for people with visual impairments to participate in various kinds of lessons.

The visit was also attended by the Director General of Social Rehabilitation Harry Hikmat, Head of the Education, Training and Social Counseling Agency Syahabuddin, Secretary of the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation Idit Supriadi Priatna, Director of Social Rehabilitation for Persons with Disabilities Eva Rahmi Kasim, Director of the Bandung Social Welfare Polytechnic (Poltekesos), Head of the Wyata Guna Disability Center Bandung Sudarsono and the Secretariat team of the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation.