Access to inclusive education for the equitable employment of youth with visual impairments

Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KBTA): Provides assistive devices and digital curriculum content for users of digital Braille. Between 2018 and 2023, equipped 3,000 learners in six countries with assistive technologies.

Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KBTA) is a charitable trust based in Nairobi, Kenya, and operating in six countries in eastern Africa. Its work is centred on providing assistive devices to pupils and students that are using digital Braille; the provision of user training, including teachers and school technicians; and the supply of digital curriculum content and maintenance support. Between 2018 and 2023, KBTA has worked in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa and has equipped some 3,000 learners with assistive technologies.

Problems Targeted

Visually impaired African youth face tremendous barriers to quality education and employment, particularly access to digital literacy and skills.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

KBTA provides an ‘end-to-end’ programme for learners with visual impairments through access to digital literacy and enhancing employment skills for job opportunities. The model uses affordable, multi-functional digital Braille assistive devices that enable access to quality education. Visually impaired learners actively participate in the classrooms, with the teachers able to engage with them. The pupils are provided with the Orbit Reader 20, a device that serves as a book- reader, note-taker, and communication tool. This device eliminates the use of paper and transcribers, saves time for both teachers and students, and is cost effective. KTBA offers comprehensive services, including user training for teachers and maintenance/repair training for school-based technicians, as well as tools, spare parts, and digital curriculum content. The trust also provides other Braille-enabled devices and training for access to STEM subjects, coding, and digital skills, enabling high school students to transition to higher education and thus have opportunities for wider career choices. To date, KTBA has reached over 1,000 teachers/school technicians and some 3,000 visually impaired learners from 250 schools and 12 tertiary institutions, all of which report improved educational outcomes while reaching higher education.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

KBTA’s funding strategy combines social enterprise growth and ongoing fundraising to support the development of its programmes. The ‘Diff-Ability alliance’ of inclusive companies further supports employability initiatives. Furthermore, KBTA incubates African-inclusive tech start-ups focusing on human centred user testing and co-creation. This ensures sustainability and promotes inclusion by all participants, including governments. (Awardee 2024)

Pictures

KBTA uses affordable, multi-functional assistive devices to provide access to digital literacy.

KBTA uses affordable, multi-functional assistive devices to provide access to digital literacy.

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