Rehabilitation for The Visually Impaired in Taiwan

Seasonal Greetings!

With your continual support in the year of 2017, TDTB had the chance to provide its services to visually impaired people (VIP) in Taiwan. Major activities/events in the TDTB during this year are listed as followed:

1. Computer Courses: From March to November 2017, TDTB managed and held 17 group courses. In these courses, we gave lectures on the NVDA screen reader, Microsoft Office, Windows 10 Operation System, Chinese typing, and Internet surfing. Over 150 visually impaired participants benefited from these courses.
2. Individual Training: Till November 2017, TDTB has delivered 698 hours of one-on-one courses to individuals who need our service. Contents in these tailor-made courses included screen reader NVDA, assistive devices, as well as smart phone applications for visually impaired people.
3. Information Education: In July 2017, we held a competition on Chinese Dictation Typing and Data Searching to inspire attentions on correct Chinese typing among visually impaired students. Champion of this competition was a five-grade visually impaired student who defeated all other challengers with outstanding results. This little champion was personally trained by the President of TDTB, and is capable of keying in over 50 correct Chinese characters per minute.
4. NVDA Screen Reader: In August 2017, TDTB hosted an one-day seminar, and invited teachers and parents of visually impaired students to discuss the application of the NVDA. TDTB has been making lots of efforts to promote the use of the NVDA, which empowers VIPs computer skill to access internet information.
5. Web Accessibility: From October 2017 to date, the TDTB dedicated itself into promoting web accessibility for visually impaired people. We have travelled to eight universities around Taiwan to deliver lectures on this issue. There is an event to be held in December 2017 to inspire more attention on accessibility among VIPs as well as ordinary people.
6. Vocational Training: From March to November 2017, we have equipped 10 visually impaired people with vocational skills, such as computer file management, the use of Microsoft Office software, internet surfing, NVDA, DAISY books, and etc. This nine-month vocational training is a project constantly held on an annual basis.
7. DAISY Books: Digital Accessible Information System, or DAISY, is a format of digital talking books for visually impaired people who wish to read. In 2017, TDTB has prepared 100 DAISY Players for visually impaired students in elementary and junior high schools. Students can download DAISY books from our online DAISY library, and listen to these books with the devices that we offered.
8. VIP Gathering: People suffering from visual problems are more willing to take advices and learn lessons from people in the same situation. In 2017, TDTB has invited five visually impaired speakers to share their life experiences on overcoming their visually disabilities. These gatherings were held from March to November 2017, and over 70 visually impaired people benefited from these lectures.