By Audrey Lin | Project Manager
For us, the start of a new year is always a fresh opportunity to plan and reflect on our annual services.
This year, we set our sights on creating deeper impact. Inspired by TDTB's vision of "Being a supportive partner in helping the visually impaired achieve self-realization,” we've introduced a unique theme for each quarter.
Through these small but intentional changes, we hope to bring more clarity and structure to our programs, and, most importantly, to better meet the needs of the visually impaired community.
1. Bridge the Gap Between the Public and the Visually Impaired - Annual Volunteer Training
Each year, as we prepare our volunteer training program, we ask ourselves: how can we go beyond simply sharing knowledge, and help volunteers genuinely connect with the visually impaired community?
In recent years, we’ve continued to refine our training content to make it more interactive and engaging at every step.
Moving away from traditional approaches, we revamped the introduction session by encouraging volunteers to share their most joyful recent experiences to further enhance engagement throughout the training, and we gathered feedback using a user journey map at each step of the process.
The most unforgettable part for us was completing the journey map together. It helped us visualize each volunteer’s feedback at every touchpoint. As they shared their reflections, the room filled with laughter, stories, and meaningful connection.
In that moment, we all understood—this wasn’t the end of a training, but a bridge and the beginning of a renewed commitment to supporting the visually impaired.
2. Becoming the Leading Brand in Information Education for the Visually Impaired – Training the Next Generation of Visually Impaired
We still remember the early days when TDTB first began developing a program to select and train new visually impaired teachers. At the time, we were essentially learning by doing. Our team engaged in many discussions—covering qualifications, candidate readiness, training content, and the overall process—to ensure each training session became more structured and effective.
Over time, and with several rounds of refinement, our teacher training program has evolved into a comprehensive system that includes selection, training courses, internships, and an assessment mechanism.
The good news is that we’re now clearly seeing the growth and progress of our trainee teachers. They are steadily building their skills and beginning to embody the qualities of effective educators. Witnessing their transformation fills our team with pride and a strong sense of accomplishment.
We’ve always believed that visually impaired individuals who choose to become teachers and dedicate themselves to empowering others are truly remarkable. Looking ahead, TDTB will continue working hand-in-hand with these educators as we pursue our shared goal: to build a stronger, more inclusive future together.
3. Create a Comprehensive Learning Journey – TDTB’s Annual Planning
Over the past few years, TDTB has offered numerous practical courses, but we often received questions from students like, “What’s next? How can I continue to improve my skills?” In response, we decided to transform each learning experience into more than just a one-time event, aiming to create a more comprehensive journey for growth.
This year, our courses follow four seasonal themes to to provide greater focus and deeper learning experiences:
We hope this seasonal approach brings a more enjoyable and fulfilling learning experience to all our visually impaired friends!
4. Lean Service with Continuous Refinement - Lean Training Plan
Since October 2024, TDTB has been engaged in a lean service project aimed at enhancing the quality of our information education services. Although we’ve been committed to this field for over 20 years, we recognize that evolving times demand continual refinement to better meet the needs of the visually impaired. That’s why we joined a lean service training program organized by the Mingyi Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals unlock their full potential.
The program consists of two stages. In the first stage, we were guided to identify the core challenges within our services. The second stage will involve applying various service design tools to develop solutions, with an emphasis on creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
So far, we’ve completed only the first stage, but it has already been an eye-opening experience. We learned that identifying the real problem is not a simple task. It requires thorough preparation, including conducting interviews, crafting effective questions, and repeatedly verifying that the issues we’ve observed are truly the root causes.
At first, we thought service design would be relatively straightforward—but as we delved into the process, we realized it demands substantial time for deep reflection and meaningful engagement with our audience.
Next, we’ll proceed to the second stage of the program. We look forward to building a more seamless and enriching learning journey for the visually impaired community through our updated information education services.
5. Stepping Out of Darkness, Embracing a New Life – One on One Psychological Counseling
When we first met Hui, she had lost her vision due to diabetes and was undergoing regular dialysis. The severity of her condition took a toll on both her physical health and mental well-being, leaving her without the motivation to live.
In the beginning, Hui remained silent and refused to communicate with others. We understood that adapting to acquired blindness takes time, patience, and companionship, so we arranged one-on-one psychological counseling to help Hui confront the emotional barriers she faced.
Gradually, with the guidance of our psychologist, Hui began to open up. She started setting small goals for herself—making friends, learning to use an audiobook player, and building a steady daily routine.
Before one of the sessions ended, Hui said, “Although I’m still surrounded by darkness, each counseling session gives me strength.” Now, Hui is no longer afraid of being alone. She has found the courage to express her needs, and most importantly, her relationships with those around her have grown stronger.
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