Report from the Head of Department
Over the years, Kenya Institute for the Blind (KIB) has offered services to learners with visual impairment focusing on:
- Competition with other service providers
- Non-National coverage of services
- Centralized services
- Bias on special schools
- Low technology usage
- Being one among others
- Supply-driven service
The lessons learnt from this focus among others were:
- Effective collaboration with other actors within the education of learners with visual impairment is paramount
- That the current centralized approach to providing services does not enable all its beneficiaries to access its services. New outreach-based approaches will be needed to reach all the beneficiaries.
- Braille in the country is not standardized, a situation which has led to a compromise in its quality. There is need for a policy and proper mechanisms to ensure uniform English Braille.
It is for this reason that the department of Policy, Outreach and coordination of Services was created to support the institute in its transformation into a national resource center for the service of learners and trainees with visual impairment where it will:
- Coordinate the provision of educational services for learners with visual impairment in Kenya
- Provide leadership in influencing key national policy issues for the benefit of learners and trainees with visual impairment
- Convene workshops, seminars and conferences on the education of learners with visual impairment
- Ensure KIB’s involvement and participation in events and forums relating to visual impairment
- Strengthen the Outreach service to provide better devolved services to KIB beneficiaries
The strategic focus of the department is
To increase the number of schools that are adequately prepared to provide quality education to learners with visual impairment across the country.
Thank you.