1st place winner: Celeste Augustine Age: 16  School/Institution: The Bishop Anstey High School Country: Trinidad & Tobago

Celeste Augustine Biography

Celeste Augustine Essay

"Connecting People with Disabilities: ICT Opportunities for All"

Do you know that on planet earth there are two worlds?  In an article entitled “Fleur’s Journey to Success” by Sandra Singh; Fleur said “When integrated early the (visually impaired) child learns the difference between the sighted world and his world, and the sighted world learns the difference between his world and the visually impaired world.”

It is disheartening to note the sense of disconnection that disabled persons feel with the rest of the world. A way of bridging the gap between these two worlds has been found with the advancements in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems. ICT has given the blind, deaf, physically and the learning disabled, easy access to information peers and places which leads to independence. 

In Fleur’s case, she was introduced into a ‘normal’ school system because she accessed information through books in Braille and wrote her examinations using a Braille typewriter. As Fleur progressed through school, her deteriorating eye sight made accessing information difficult.

 ICT has introduced a portable note taking device which would have eliminated Fleur’s problem. This tool puts the key to the World Wide Web in the hand of the visually impaired! Computers with large screens and large ball mouses allows easy access to the internet, multiple Word applications and digital book readers using either an adapted keyboard with Braille keys or a refreshable Braille display unit. 

The internet is awashed with the information necessary for student assignments and the Word applications ensure that examinations can be typed, formatted and easily transferred from student to teacher.

Can becoming part computer make you more human? According to Michael Chorost, it does! The telephone, one of his only connections to distant family and friends, instantly fell dead when he became deaf. It grew difficult to communicate with a world that doesn’t “speak” sign language. The gift of oral communication was given to him by ICT through an Assistive Listening Device (ALD).

ALDs like cochlear transplants are surgically placed into the ear to amplify sound, minimize background noise and prevent poor acoustics like echoes. Deaf people, like Micheal, are finally able to hear, understand and speak the common language of their hearing peers over the telephone, face to face or even through video conferencing over the internet. And furthermore they are able to watch television with them through the real-time captioning and live interpretation.

Physical impairment limits persons to an extent but the society limit the availability of opportunities much more than any impairment can!  For example, wheel chair users are denied access to many public areas, and even their own homes, since common environments are carpeted with staircases rather than ramps. An Environmental Control System (ECS) can improve home safety by using either switches, sensitive programmable key pads or voice controls to activate automated items.  With ECS technology, a wheelchair user can now control automatic entrance doors to accept visitors or hands free telephones for emergencies.

Dyslexic persons have eyes and hands yet they cannot read or write independently! Persons with Cerebral palsy have legs but cannot walk! How has ICT helped them to attend school?  Dyslexic persons use voice-activated computers instead of keyboards to input written work and Cerebral palsy victims use light weight laptop. They educate themselves and become employable as artists, musicians, software designers and data entry clerks.

AAn integral part of all of these lives is an ongoing battle for acceptance in society to overcome social, emotional and physical barriers to their independence. The advent of new and improved ICT systems has really become the oyster for these and many other disabled persons!

Bibliography

·         What do you know about people with disabilities? – Pete Sanders

·         Being in a wheel chair – Lois Keith

·         Living with deafness – Emma Haughton

·         A different way of seeing – Patricia Souder

·         www.whirlwindwheelchair.org

·         www.disabilityworld.org

·         www.hospitalnews.org

·         www.bbc.co.uk

·         www.trinidadexpress.com

·         www.guardian.co.tt

·         www.rehabtool.com

3rd place winner: Melanie- Anne Holder Age: 16 School/Institution: Queen’s College, Barbados Country: Barbados

"Connecting People with Disabilities: ICT Opportunities for All"

New information and communications technologies can improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, but only if such technologies are designed from the beginning so that everyone can use them.

Bill Clinton ( 42^nd American United States President) 

       Indubitably, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has had the most striking impact on billions of lives around the globe. However, while ICT continues to expand at a mind-boggling speed most persons with disabilities are denied the opportunity to use ICT to their advantage.  The lack of ICT devices which can be used by disabled persons, as well as the limited accessibility to these, discourages members of the disabled community from integrating into the educational, social and professional world.

          Nevertheless, ICT must be commended for initiating a means by which the standard of living for persons with disabilities may be improved. In today’s technologically advanced epoch these persons can be liberated from the shackles of social bondage by using ICT.

          For instance, a friend of mine, Halcyon, who is hearing-impaired uses a hearing aid which amplifies sounds in order to communicate and partake in normal activities. Additionally, the “Buddy Protector” is a pocket-sized gadget that is used by physically challenged people for security purposes. In a case of emergency, the disabled person simply has to press the safety clip in order for a siren and a blinking light to be activated. This would alert nearby persons to come to his rescue.

          Currently, the few persons with disabilities who are given the opportunity to use ICT are proving that they can exceed expectations in their various professional endeavours. Senator Kerry Ann Ifill of Barbados epitomizes greatness despite being visually impaired. The thirty-four year old competently performs her job as a Research Project Officer at the Barbados Council for the Disabled with the aid of a computer programme called Job Access With Speech (JAWS) for Windows. It reads what is on the computer screen aloud.

          On the other hand, more ICT programmes which are geared towards mentally disabled persons must be created. Can you imagine being trapped in a world in which numerous ICT devices surround you but you do not know how to manipulate them and you have difficulty reading and writing? Unfortunately, this situation is reality for some autistic persons, such as my younger brother, who currently does not attend school because of his temper tantrums that are probably caused because he cannot communicate effectively with others. Autism is a developmental disorder which hampers one’s social interaction and communication skills.

         Programmes, such as Sounds Into Syllables, which was recently created by sixteen year old Kayla Cornale of Canada, have the potential to significantly improve the communication skills of autistic children.  Other such programmes need to be created so that they may be utilised by mentally disabled persons to provide them with a way of expressing themselves to those around them. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) only 2-3% of disabled persons in poor countries attend school and this, in turn, would help some persons who are verbally challenged to improve their standard of living through education.

          It has been said that the only constant aspect of life is that change will occur. ICT is constantly proving this statement in relation to the disabled. It is changing its baby steps into giant strides, bridging the gap between people with disabilities and abled persons of society by changing the misconceptions of the public that disabled persons are limited in whatever paths they choose in life. Most importantly, ICT provides a means of evoking some of the most thrilling human emotions – the sense of pride, independence and accomplishment -  from people with disabilities who know that they are integrated with their neighbourhood.

Bibliography

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/hearingaid.asp

http://www.barbadosdisabled.org

http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://www.worldbank.org

http://edition.cnn.com/

http://nationnews.com

http://quotationspage.com

An interview with a spokesperson from the Barbados Council for the Disabled