15 years later, since the establishment of inABLE, over 15,000 students have benefited from the digital skills training, and most have grown to use these skills in their day-to-day lives as students, employees, employers, or socially. Over the years, the growing concern had been how to scale the Computer-Labs-for-the-Blind Program and complement notetaking via braille in classes allowing room for individual growth students. In most cases, Kenyan schools still use a lot of printed material for learning which in many ways exclude visually impaired students. 

To answer this question, inABLE partnered with Google to scale the Computer-Labs-for-the-Blind Program, where Google donated 480 Chromebooks to the program, which have now been shipped across the partner schools for the Blind and the Kan’garu Digital Hub across Four Counties. These Chromebooks were gifted to Grade 4, 5, and 6 students and their teachers. The purpose of this project is to bring technology in the classroom and will go a long way in improving digital ICT skills and knowledge transfer. 

The Chromebooks were distributed as follows; 

• Thika Primary School for the Blind Kiambu County: 146 Chromebooks – 102 Students
• St. Lucy Primary School for the Blind Meru County:  69 Chromebooks – 40 Students
• St. Oda Primary School for the Blind Siaya County: 94 Chromebooks – 65 Students 
• Likoni Primary School for the Blind Mombasa County:81 Chromebooks – 52 Students 
• Kan’garu Digital Hub Kiambu County: 82 Chromebooks – 70 students

This project has been carried out since December 2022 beginning with Procurement, Teacher Training Bootcamp, Distribution of Chromebooks, and Implementation, which is currently ongoing, and it includes; training both the teachers and students and practical lessons in the classrooms. After the 6-month training, the students are expected to independently take notes in classrooms, read, and also research via Text, Audio, and Videos on YouTube. 

inABLE is planning a two-week boot camp in December for 259 students and 60 teachers in Grades 4,5,6 students across the different inABLE stations.  The main objective of the bootcamp is to train learners and teachers so that they can be independent by January 2024 to allow us to focus more on equipping them with the resources. The final phase 2 will focus more on project-based training for upper classes and high schoolers. 

Kan’garu Digital Hub 

Thanks to Google, the newly refurbished Kan’garu Digital Hub (formerly known as Our Reding Spaces) is now home to approximately 1,500 students and about 180 teachers from six neighbouring schools. From just hosting about 15 students previously, the new fully equipped digital library can now host up to 100 students at once”.  

Hezbon Karianjahi, Librarian, inABLE

SIAYA 

Learners at St. Oda have been waiting eagerly for a time when they will be able to use laptops in class. For most of them, this has been a 6-year wait. The Teachers equally expressed their happiness and were grateful for the potential this project brings.”  

Shadrack Otieno, Lead Computer Instructor, St. Oda Primary School

I have been in this school for the last 28 years and this is best thing that has ever happened to the blind learners as it brings out equity in terms of creating a platform of where a blind learner can fairly access resources as the sighted”.  

Mr. Nicholas Nyadenge, Teacher, St. Oda Primary School

Apart from bringing an ease to access of learning resources and planning of lessons for teachers, the school admin has also been relieved from the high cost of purchasing braille papers which was consuming almost fifty percent of the institutions budget”. 

Sr. Esther Midge, Headteacher, St. Oda Primary School

THIKA 

It’s a great privilege that schools for the blind in kenya get the opportunity to integrate technology into their classroom through the support from inABLE organization”. 

Margaret Njoki, Headteacher, Thika Primary School for the Blind

Having around 101 pupils and 19 teachers receive these Chromebooks was so exciting, and to witness the promise of how they will utilize them to the best of their abilities, technology will definitely make a huge difference in our training moving forward”. 

Carol Ngondi, Lead Computer Instructor, Thika Primary School For The Blind

MERU 

The Pupils and teachers led by the school principal were elated to be beneficiaries of this noble project and thanked inABLE and Google for remembering them. They promised to use and look well after the gadgets in order to benefit academically and technologically”. 

Douglas Omweba, Lead Computer Instructor, St. Lucy School For The Blind

“I am so happy to receive the new machines as they’ll go a long way in strongly supplementing government intervention of ICT infusion in education. I am sure our teachers and pupils will make good use of the Chromebooks in class and beyond and lead to good results in their assessments”.  

Sr. Judith Khavwengezi, St. Lucy Primary School For The Blind

LIKONI 

The team led by efficient teachers are grateful for this Chromebooks and continue to commit their support of the program making to ensure more learners attend the computer lesson. We are currently on track to ensure that the implementation of the Google project goes on well with the understanding of the project for both teachers and learners”. 

Eunice Kilungu, Lead Computer Instructor, Likoni Primary School For The Blind

Touch, hear and send is the mode of the day here at Likoni, Mombasa. All smiles reign the classrooms and staffroom. No more bulk papers or the slate & stylus. We just Touch, hear and Send. Chromebooks have touched us more than words can say from Teachers and learners”. 

Elizabeth Ngare, HSc, Principal, Likoni School For The Visually Impaired.

Written by: inABLE PR Officer Esther Mwangi