Qian Zhiliang is an Professor at the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University. His research areas include Special Education, Early Childhood Education (preschool-primary transition), and Family Education. He has served as the chief editor and author of several books, including "Curriculum and Learning in Schools for the Blind" and "Consultation and Education for Children with Special Needs"
He serves as the Secretary-General of the Youth Division of the China Education Society and holds academic positions as Executive Director of the Family Education Branch, Standing Director of the Education Theory Branch, and Secretary-General of the Expert Committee on Child Safety and Growth under the China Education Society. He is also an Executive Director of the Beijing Family Education Society and a member of the National Family Education Expert Group.
Therefore, we would like to consult him regarding the current status of blind child education and matters related to Braille production.
1. The visually impaired are divided into two groups: the blind and the visually weak. The blind have no visual perception, while the visually weak possess limited visual information and weaker discernment abilities compared to the sighted. Therefore, when designing, it is essential to define the target group and make adaptive adjustments.
2. The content that the blind study is the same with their sighted peers. Their materials also align with those used in mainstream schools, except that visual text and graphics are transformed into touchable information. During the crucial high school entrance and college entrance examinations in China, visually impaired students are granted an extended time of 50% for answering.
3. Except for economically developed and highly urbanized areas, many blind schools in other regions lack adequate facilities. Major cities boast more accessible infrastructure, public transportation, and urban designs friendly to the visually impaired. As a result, most blind individuals opt to live in urban centers.
4. In the realm of blind education, certain biases against special education practitioners still persist within Chinese society, which exacerbates the challenges in developing special education programs.
5. Individuals with visual weakness find it challenging to read regular-sized books, often needing magnifying glasses for assistance.
Professor Qian highlights that the focus of blind education lies in "transformation". Special education practitioners have been exploring how to diversify visual information into tactile, auditory, and olfactory cues.
Professor Qian presents some of his teaching accomplishments from over three decades of research. Some of his ingenious ideas have left us deeply impressed.
Blind Cube: Transforming Rubik's Cube Color Information into Tactile Shapes such as Circles and Triangle
Touchable Chinese National Flag
Communication Boards for People with Speech Impairments
Temperature Gauge: Dynamic Temperature Changes Reflected by Zipper Position Variation
Large Font and High Contrast Educational Tools for Visually Impaired Children
Tactile Poker Cards Designed for the Blind
However, in the process of teaching scientific knowledge, certain concepts remain challenging to transform. Changes in color during experiments, dynamic visual information, and more, make it more difficult for visually impaired individuals to overcome cognitive difficulties caused by visual impairment.
Therefore, addressing the content that is difficult to transform requires multi-faceted presentation. Innovative ideas are still needed even with existing methods of transformation, which is highly enlightening for us.
In partnership with the EYE Double Charity Organization, we orchestrated the event titled "Accessible Art: Chasing the Light." This event encompassed three components: "Accessible Body Workshop: Under the Skin" "Accessible Short Film: Come On, Go to School" and "Accessible Conversation" bringing together both visually impaired and sighted individuals.
We immersed ourselves in a realm devoid of visual cues. With closed eyes, we employed our bodies to perceive the connections between people. In this space, labels such as "disabilities" or biases dissolved, as everyone gracefully danced together, communicated through physical interactions, and fostered friendships.
During the initial part of the event, we collectively delved into the world of the visually impaired within complete darkness. It became evident that the commonalities between the visually impaired and us, ordinary individuals, far eclipsed the differences.
Our team members joined visually impaired children and their parents in viewing the short documentary "Come On, Go to School" This documentary spotlighted the endeavors of Chinese visually impaired families striving for high-quality education for their children, shedding light on the challenges they confront. It marks the first documentary in China to address the subject of inclusive education for visually impaired children. Throughout the screening, we had the film's director, Wancheng Zhang, provide live auditory descriptions of the movie.
Following the film screening, we engaged in direct discussions with several directors and parents of visually impaired children. This interaction yielded valuable insights, as summarized below:
Regarding Audio Description:
Audio description, in simple terms, entails verbalizing what a sighted person perceives visually. It empowers visually impaired individuals to transcend visual barriers and partake in experiences they may not otherwise access, such as movies, museum exhibitions, natural landscapes, images, and more.
Regarding the Braille Picture Books We Aim to Create:
Presently, there is a scarcity of Braille picture books in the market, despite the substantial reading needs of visually impaired children. Additionally, visually impaired children often necessitate parental guidance during reading. Consequently, some parents seek these books to provide recommendations on assisting their children with reading.
Our quest led us to several local bookstores, where we sought out children's beloved picture books to gain insights into their storytelling and illustration techniques.
Our objective was to glean inspiration from their triumphs and apply these lessons to the enhancement of our own educational picture books. Here, we present our noteworthy findings:
1. Age-Stratified Reading Levels:
（1）Picture books tailored for children aged 0-3 exhibited minimal text, lacked intricate narrative components, yet dazzled with vibrant colors and captivating illustrations. These books were designed to introduce young children to their surroundings and acquaint them with the world. Given the brief attention span of very young readers, these picture books frequently employed dialogues to foster engagement. Typically, they contained 1-3 sentences per page and spanned fewer than 30 pages.
（2）For children aged 3-6, picture books gradually introduced more textual content, infused stronger narrative elements, and vividly portrayed characters' emotions and interactions. These books aspired to nurture children's cognitive and emotional development while instilling positive values. As children in this age bracket possessed extended attention spans, these books featured more extensive text per page and often exceeded 30 pages, with fewer instances of dialogue.
2、Inspirations for Design:
（1）Innovative Flap Pages and Mechanical Designs: During our perusal of various picture books, we were repeatedly captivated by inventive and distinct flap page designs. These designs astutely manipulated spatial dynamics and reading sequences, seamlessly weaving together the fabric of the story.
（2）Scented Printing: Our exploration also led us to picture books that incorporated scents into their pages through specialized scented inks. These books emitted distinct fragrances pertinent to the story, providing us valuable insights into the incorporation of scents into braille books.
3. Parental Guidance and Reading Feedback:
Within some picture books, we encountered sections positioned at the outset or conclusion, aptly titled "A Message to Parents." These sections offered parents guidance on how to engage their children while reading the book, thereby enriching the interactive parent-child reading experience. They also facilitated children's comprehension of the emotional and moral values embedded within the story. Furthermore, certain books included sections for reading feedback, enabling children to revisit the book's content and internalize the conveyed emotions. We firmly believe that these features contribute significantly to enhancing reading efficiency.
We have crafted an interactive picture book tailored for visually impaired children aged 4 to 5. This book integrates multiple sensory dimensions, encompassing touch, smell, hearing, and sight, to acquaint children with the realm of biology and instill an environmental conservation ethos.
1. We have translated the comic content into Braille, enabling visually impaired individuals to read it by touching the Braille.
2. For the sense of touch, we employ various materials beyond Braille to emulate authentic object textures, enriching children's comprehension.
3. For the sense of smell, we utilize safe and non-toxic special materials that emit distinct scents upon rub. For example, when you rub the pattern of plum blossoms in the picture book, this special material will release the fragrance of plum blossoms.
4. For hearing, we have recorded audio description(Click to hear more) that children can access by scanning QR codes using their smartphones.
5. For sight, we employ high-contrast colors and ample font sizes, catering to those with limited vision.
5. Moreover, this book fosters interaction with children. For instance, flipping open a garbage pile unveils concealed flowers, introducing an element of enjoyment that captivates children's interest.
"Podcasts have opened a novel pathway for this community, primarily relying on auditory senses, enabling them to access knowledge with greater ease, especially in comprehending the intricacies of synthetic biology. This not only extends an opportunity for their equal participation within the scientific community but also broadens the horizons their careers and technological advancements. Furthermore, this initiative exemplifies society's dedication to inclusivity and diversity, playing a significant role in popularizing science education.
Grasping the abstract concepts and molecular models inherent to synthetic biology can be an arduous task, and the visually impaired community may require tailored teaching approaches for a more profound understanding. Effective interaction and communication might also pose challenges, necessitating the adoption of suitable assistive technologies to surmount these communication barriers.
To summarize, podcasts, employing their auditory-centric approach, have eased the process of knowledge acquisition for this community, affording them a pathway to equitable engagement in the scientific community, and catalyzing their career development and technological progress. Concurrently, this endeavor underscores society's dedication to inclusivity and diversity, thus significantly contributing to the advancement of science education.
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