David Blunkett and the Sightsavers Dolphin Pen enhances education opportunities in Kenya
20th Nov, 2008
Currently in Kenya, fewer than 10% of blind and 20% of Low Vision children have access to education, fewer still visually impaired children progress to secondary school and college.
Monday 17th November 2008, was therefore an extra special day for visually impaired students at Nairobi's Kenyatta University. As laptops and Sightsavers Dolphin Pen's were donated by Rob Macaire (the British High Commissioner in Kenya) on behalf of the DFID (Department for International Development) and Sightsavers International.
The donation coincided with a fact finding mission by David Blunkett MP, the former UK cabinet minister, who's visiting Kenya with Sightsavers International.
Mr. Blunkett, who has been blind since birth, was given an overview of the Sightsavers Dolphin Pen during the presentation. He was shown how the Sightsavers Dolphin Pen is a life changing assistive technology mobile solution that magnifies and reads aloud what is on a computer screen.
The Sightsavers Dolphin Pen enables visually impaired students to embrace their educational studies, by helping them to access essential educational resources and improving their future employment prospects.
Johnson Riungu (24), a third year student reading history and religious studies at Kenyatta University, explains:
"Without the Dolphin Pen I wouldn't use the computer at all. I used to submit my assignments in Braille, but it would take one month to translate my work into text which could be marked by the teachers. Now I can submit my papers and receive my marks at the same time as my classmates - it's inspiring to feel like a part of the same class and to be able to track my progress.
The Dolphin Pen has given me my liberty...in the future I hope to be able to teach teenagers how to use this technology."
Learn more about the SightSavers Dolphin Pen
Discover how the Sightsavers Dolphin Pen is making a difference in Africa
