Innovative Practice 2020 on Inclusive Education and ICT
Free online training for sighted people to learn Unified English Braille Code
| Name of Innovative Practice: | UEB Online |
|---|---|
| Organisation: | Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children |
| Country of Implementation | Australia |
| Start Year | 2014 |
PROBLEMS TARGETED
Blind or visual impaired students have difficulty learning literacy or math if teachers, families, and support professionals do not understand Braille or how to modify print-based activities.
SOLUTION, INNOVATION, AND IMPACT
UEB Online, which was developed and tested with the support of blind RIDBC employees, allows anyone who is interested in using Braille as a means of accessing information and communication to learn Unified English Braille Code online, for free and at their own pace.
The learning platform is accessible for a broad range of needs – being available in visual access mode, high contrast mode, and non-visual access mode (for use with a screen reader) – and requires only an Internet connection and a computer to access.
UEB Online was first launched in 2014, offering two modules on Braille literacy. In 2019, RIDBC released an introductory mathematics module focused on primary school-level mathematics. A certificate is issued when all exercise-based lessons in a module have been completed.
The platform is used globally, with nearly 1,300 subscribers from 174 countries. Six per cent of UEB Online subscribers use the platform through its non-visual access mode.
The online tool allows anyone around the world to learn Unified English Braille Code for free.
FUNDING, OUTLOOK AND TRANSFERABILITY
The budget for 2019/2020 is $1,04 billion and the Department of Education allocates resources to state schools based on the level of reasonable adjustment needed to enable students with disability to access and participate.
Other Australian states have adopted elements of the policy; and the Department of Education believes that the policy could be easily replicated, since the policy itself and supportive materials are publicly available.
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