Resource and Information Services

Mai Mahiu Road, Nairobi WestNairobi

+254 (0) 20 600 5712

kblind@keib.or.ke

Resource and Information Services Department is a key result area of the Kenya Institute for the Blind.

The functions of this department include:-

Supply of educational materials and assistive devices for learners with visual impairment
Repair and Maintenance of Braille machines
Offer Library and cyber café services to learners and persons with visual impairment

Generally, the department ensures that education, communication, survival skills and other challenges faced by the persons with visual impairment are enabled successfully through the provision of resources and materials in accessible formats.

This department has the following sections:-

a) LIBRARY FOR PERSONS WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
b) CYBER CAFÉ FOR PERSONS WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
c) REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF BRAILLE MACHINE
d) SUPPLY OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

LIBRARY FOR PERSONS WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

Ministry of Education officer, Director of Secondary and Tertiary Education, admires Braille books from the KIB Library.

The KIB librarian attends to the guests who toured the KIB library

Visitors peruse through Braille books stocked in the KIB Library

The KIB officer shows some of the audio books stocked at the KIB Library

K.I.B runs a national Braille library. It is the only one of its kind in the country.

This facility offers services to primary, secondary, tertiary level institutions and the general public Braille readers.

It has in stock about 5000 different titles in Braille, audio and large print formats. The titles cover all levels of educational and various disciplines. Most of these books are produced at the Institute’s Braille Press.

Other titles are donated from well-wishers from all over the world. We work in collaboration with Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) in order to ensure that our books reach as many clients as possible.

The following are the requirements for one to be a bonafide member of our library:-

A dully filled and signed KIB library form. (download or fill online)
A subscription fee of Kshs.100 renewable annually. (payment can be done online)
2 passport size photographs
A copy of national identification or school/ institution’s identification card.

Lending and borrowing can be done through a visit to the institute or through the post office.

Download our library catalogue from the Downloads Section of this website

CYBER CAFÉ FOR PERSONS WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

The ICT officer demonstrates to the guests the use of adapted technology (JAWS screen reader)

Guests keenly follow demonstrations on the use of adapted ICT as demonstrated by a Visually Impaired KIB ICT Officer at the cyber café.

KIB embraces technology for the purpose of the ease of doing business. The Institute operations are majorly computerized. The Institute’s ICT officers offer consultative and repair and maintenance services to the needs of the organization. The Institute owns a website which is maintained up-to-date with current events. The officers under this section also ensure technological conformity to the special needs environment with special emphasis on persons with visual impairment.

Demonstration of Adapted ICT at the KIB cyber café.

quests follow the demonstration on the use of pearl camera at KIB cyber café

The Institute recently inaugurated a cyber café, the only one of its kind that caters for persons with visual impairment. The cyber has computers fitted with screen reader software that supports voice backup for such users. Regular users are also welcome to browse at competitive commercial rates. The VIs enjoys highly subsidized special annual rates for this service. Come and be part of this exciting initiative. The cyber café is dedicated to give specialized internet browsing for users with visual impairment. The cyber is well stocked with the latest technology to ensure accessibility by Visually Impaired Persons. The VI users pay an annual subscription fee of ksh. 1000, and no other levies are charged for browsing. Extra services such as printing, photocopying etc are charged separately. You may as well pay as you use as per the institute’s rates.

CYBER CAFÉ FOR PERSONS WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

students clean a Braille machine during a class session at KIB

KIB technician assists a participant during Braille Machine repair and maintenance workshop at KIB

students learn how to clean and repair braillers at KIB

participants during a Braille repair and maintenance workshop at KIB

Braille repair and maintenance sessions at KIB.

Braille machine repair and maintenance services are offered at the institute at an affordable fee. Our Technician is among the few in the country who have a Brailler Repair and Maintenance certificate from Perkins. We also offer Training of Brailler Repair and Maintenance as well as the production of tactile illustrations to the transcribers who train in our institution or who are already in schools. We intend to extend our services by working with other partners to establish a Brailler machine assembling unit.

SUPPLY OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

Assistive devices for use by persons with visual impairment.

Variety of assistive resources and devices that are available at KIB

As a National Resource Centre, the department aims at doing research to establish the available assistive devices and other resources for the persons with visual impairment. So far we have acquired various resources which include:- Braillers, slates and stylus, white canes, Taylor Mathematical Slate among others, which we provide for sale. This department ensures that education, communication, survival skills and other challenges facing PWVI are alleviated through the provision of resources and other assistive devices.

ICT SECTION

The section is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the Institute’s automation processes are smoothly ensured. The section offers technical support to ensure up-to-date compliance.