KUCHING: Information and communication technology (ICT) can be used to overcome the barriers faced by visually-impaired and the blind, says chairman of Sarawak Society for the Blind (SSB) Kuching Division, Ying Ten Ping.
He said SSB aims to provide social and vocational training to equip such people with skills that make them independent.
“It has been shown that people who are blind or visually impaired can do almost any job – lawyer, artist, accountant, secretary, customer service representative, food service worker, financial analyst, teacher, computer programmer and more.
“SSB wants to provide social and vocational training to equip them with skills to make them socially and economically independent and prepared for the challenges and realities of life,” Ying said at the closing of a computer course for the blind yesterday.
The ICT programme was conducted in Kuching where there was a high concentration of the blind.
“We hope to expand our programme to central and northern Sarawak where we have branches in Sibu and Miri. We are looking for partnerships with other NGOs to sponsor the hardware and software for setting up the facilities,” Ying said.
Also present was Malaysian Foundation for the Blind (MFB) chief executive officer Silatul Rahim Dahman as chief facilitator for the computer course.
During the closing ceremony, course participants were presented with certificates.