‘Computer Eyes’ for the blind launched in Quezon City

IBM Philippines launched the other day the 6th National Computer Camp for Blind Students at its state-of-the-art facility in Cyberpark Eastwood in Libis, Quezon City.

Commission on Information Communication Technology (CICT) chairman Ramon Sales joined IBM employees in welcoming the participants from various parts of the country.

The computer literacy program for the disabled is being held in cooperation with Resources for the Blind Inc., the Department of Education (DepEd), and Overbrook-Nippon Network on Technology and Freedom.

The event is the second computer education program for the disabled held this year.

Earlier this month, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Councilor Bernadette Herrera Dy also opened a facility for the disabled in Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon.

"Computer Eyes" is an annual summer computer workshop for young blind students. This year, 20 participants will learn how to use the computer to create documents, tables and their own web pages using a text-to-speech synthesizer.

Students will be using JAWS (Job Access With Speech), a text-to-speech screen reader application developed by Freedom Scientific. The software interprets what is displayed on the computer monitor into synthesized speech, replacing the functions of the mouse through keyboard commands.

Skilled instructors, some of whom are visually-impaired, will give instructions during the two-week workshop.

"Since its inception in 2001, some 120 students have benefited from this access technology," said Andrea Escalona, country marketing manager of IBM Philippines.

"This endeavor supports our central commitment to education. Through the use of information technology, we hope to help people improve the quality of their lives. We are keen on solving education’s toughest problems with solutions that draw on advanced information technologies and the best minds that IBM can apply," Escalona said.