Authors : Proadpran Punyabukkana, Niphon Wansophark, Kannika Swanphotipan, Supatcha Hamrattanathorn and Atiwong Suchato
Abstract: The very first blind engineering student in Thailand started his college life at Chulalongkorn University in August 2016. The university had less than five months to prepare its facilities and classes suitable for the blind. In this study, we explain the procedure and outcome of such preparation. It includes the design of education facilities like classes, materials, labs, exams as well as other facilities that support his daily activities. The challenge lies in basic science labs and engineering, namely Physics, Chemistry and Engineering Drawing classes. In general, we provide teaching assistants for every laboratory classes. For most exams, we allow 1.5 extra times and provide a digital format of the exam to be used with a screen reader. For materials, we called student volunteers to help preparing the materials in a digital format, particularly the equations using an equation-editing software. For images, we employed a low-cost wire screen to produce tactile images. Finally, in the Engineering Drawing class, a combination of an innovative drawing board and the 3D-printed models are utilized. And for life on campus, a buddy system was set to help with his daily activities.
Proadpran Punyabukkana, Niphon Wansophark, Kannika Swanphotipan, Supatcha Hamrattanathorn and Atiwong Suchato, 2017. Educational Facilities for Blind Engineering Student in Thailand. The Social Sciences, 12: 595-599.