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“Ek sal my skoolloopbaan oordoen net sodat ek die Apex weer kan gebruik” – Benjamin Pedro, Matriculant at Athlone School for the Blind
The Braillenote Apex was first introduced into South African schools in the Western Cape in 2013, through the eBraille Project of the WCED Directorate: Specialised Education. This braille computer completely changes the way blind students are able to access and create content. Upon launching the project, Minister Donald Grant stated that the eBraille Project would “revolutionise the quality of teaching and learning for visually impaired learners”, and it has certainly made an impact thus far. In 2014, for the first time in history, several blind learners wrote the National Senior Certificate 2014 using the Braillenote Apex.
Braille Examinations: Then and Now
Matric candidates that require braille traditionally receive a hardcopy braille exam paper and then type their answers in braille on a device that functions like a ‘braille typewriter’ such as the Perkins brailler. Candidates who used the Apex this year received the exam paper in hardcopy braille as usual but typed their answers in braille on the Apex. Since the Braillenote Apex is like a computer with built-in storage, this could create a risk of cheating, however, the Apex has a simple reset function which removes all data stored on the device, ensuring that no ‘crib notes’ can be hidden. After the exam session, candidate’s answer papers are then printed out in regular sighted text allowing any sighted marker to read the paper, never knowing that the paper was written in braille!
The Apex of His Schooling
Benjamin Pedro (18) was one of the first learners who passed his matric exams using the Braillenote Apex. Pedro attended Athlone School for the Blind in the Western Cape, where he was trained on the Braillenote Apex by eBraille Junior Project Manager, Kyle Williams. Although he only had access to an Apex for a few months, he describes the significant change the device made to his final year of schooling, allowing him to keep up with his sighted peers. Using the Apex, he wrote the following statement in Afrikaans about his experience, using the Apex:
“Die Apex het my lewe baie verander. Die rede hoekom ek so sê is omdat ek nie meer hoef baie swaar boeke rond te dra nie en dat ek nou by kan bly met alle dinge wat die juffrou in die klas met die ander kinders doen want ek kan nou my handboeke ook op die Apex laai en dit lees. Ek Kan ook die informasie wat die juffrou in die klas praat opneem sodat ek weer daarna kan gaan luister by die huis om dit beter te verstaan. Die Apex maak ook nie so baie geraas soos die Perkins brailler nie. Ek is bly dat hulle die Apex ontwerp het want dit gaan almal se lewens vir hulle baie makliker maak veral die braille studente.”
Home Language Braille
One of the key features of the Apex is the ability for learners to read and write braille in any of our South African languages. Pedro was therefore able to write his experience in his home language of Afrikaans. In English, Pedro’s statement loosely translates to
“The Apex really changed my life. The reason I say this is that I don’t have to carry heavy books around anymore and I can keep up with all the things that the teacher does with the other learners because I can load my textbooks on the Apex and read. I can also record the information the teacher tells us and revise later at home for better understanding. The Apex also doesn’t make as much noise as the Perkins brailler. I’m happy that they have introduced the Apex because it will make everyone’s lives easier, especially the braille student’s.”
Pedro explains that he has developed an interest in assistive technology, and hopes to work in this field. Edit Microsystems congratulate Benjamin Pedro on passing all his subjects, and wish him all the best for his future.
