| WBU-AP (Over 26 years old) Fine Work "How I Make the Best Use of Braille and Audio Devices to Enrich My Daily Life" Myanmar Daw Roi Saing (30/female) |
Braille and audio devices have given me much help and support as a blind woman. I am keenly aware that without Braille, a blind person like me would suffer from such conditions as being excluded from the community, being treated as low and useless, and despised as the scum of society. With Braille as a most true and valuable friend, a blind person will be able to lead a normal life again. When I was a child, I lived in a small village very far away from town and I was with my parents. I had no wealth and so I could not benefit from the rich treasure of education. Fortunately, one day my parents decided to show me how to operate the radio so that I would have some company. In addition, they gave me the duty of looking after the house while they spent the day at work. Sometimes I would go for a walk in the village. When the children(who were of my age group) saw me coming, they would put obstacles in my way with the hope that I would trip over and fall. They had a lot of fun doing this to me. My limbs were weak due to the lack of walking and exercise. So it was very easy for some of the children to drag me around and they would push me onto the ground. It was very enjoyable and entertaining for them to see me crying. Back at home, I was glad to have my radio as a companion. It provided me with songs, music, news and general knowledge. When I was with my radio, I felt contented and I was greatly encouraged by what I heard. Gradually, I began to realise the importance and necessity of education. I felt as if a flower had started blooming in my life. In June 1982, I was thrilled as I arrived at the school for the blind. At first I found great difficulty in learning Braille. However, I knew the value of Braille and so I worked hard at it with love and great effort. Finally, I managed to equip myself with the skill after a few months of hard labour. Truly, Braille is like a guide that takes me through the past, the present and the future. Braille is more valuable than anything else in the world because it enables blind people like me to benefit from education. In fact, 22nd December 2002 was the proudest moment of my life because that was the day of my graduation from tertiary education. Since then, those who used to look down on me and make fun of my blindness have now become my very good friends. They treat me with love and respect and they even come to me for consultation and advice. This wonderful change has been able to take place because of Braille which brought knowledge and education into my life. Besides the radio, I am now also using other audio devices such as the cassette-recorder, the MP 3 and CD player, the computer and talking watch to enrich my life. By learning songs from my CD's and MP 3's and gathering knowledge from the radio, I have been able to develop my mentalstrength and I now find much meaning in living. With the computer, I can now write letters easily because the Dectalk software programme can help me in correcting my spelling errors. And I am so happy that I am able to save my correspondence safely and properly in the computer. Indeed, the computer is an equipment of great advantage and of special service to a blind person like me. The talking watch is another valuable piece of equipment because I rely on it totally as the only means for telling me the time. Whenever I press the button of the watch, it reminds me of the famous saying, "time and tide waits for no man". My talking watch makes me aware that time is very important and valuable and should not be taken for granted; therefore, I have to be on time or punctual for work so that no precious minute is wasted away. Braille and audio devices are really like our good friends because they help to fill up the blanks in our lives. They enable us to manage our daily activities successfully and effectively. With their support as our benefactors, we are able to proclaim to the world that we are winners in spite of our blindness. |
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