Two blind students gain places at top university

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Two blind students gain places at top university
By WANNAPA KHAOPA
The Nation 2011-05-16

Pair win entry to Chula despite dependence on 'tiring' Braille texts

After a long and hard attempt, two blind secondary students have finally won places at one of the country's prestigious universities. But the "success" does not only mean happiness just yet, it also means many challenges lie ahead, waiting for them to rise to the occasion again.

You might know Damkerng Mungthanya, 18, from St Gabriel's College, and Nichakarn Kaveevorayan, 19, from St Francis Xavier Convent School from news reports after the central university admission results were announced early this month. They were among other "normal" students who passed the admission. The pair are set to become freshmen at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Education early next month.

Damkerng and Nichakarn told The Nation they had worked really hard to do well in their studies before achieving their goal, especially when compared to their friends who live without disabilities.

They said using their hands to note down Braille texts when they were in class made them very tired and they had to do that more slowly than others who just used pens. Both were often unable to follow what their teachers said.

While other students just needed to finish their homework after going back home, Damkerng and Nichakarn had to do more. Not only the homework, they also had to get their mothers to read the contents from their friends' notebooks to them to check any details they may have missed in class so they could include them in their own textbooks.

"We've worked twice as hard for years to get good academic results," Damkerng said.

Aside from studying in class, they also faced problems when taking many tests for the central university admission, in which they had the same time limits as other students.

"I could not answer all the questions in time. Reading Braille texts takes longer. It was tough for me when I read long passages and listened to conversations - a new conversation started while I was reading the question for the previous conversation," Nichakarn said.

She said that tests with pictures or geometry images were also difficult for the blind to imagine as some assistant staff could not explain them clearly.

To help other blind students who will take the tests from next year on, Damkerng called for provision of staff assistants who know technical terms or are skilled in subjects that blind students will take tests in.

Despite poor facilities for the disabled, such as inadequate Braille textbooks, an inconvenient travel environment and more difficulty studying, both said they would try hard to overcome the challenges they would face at university.

They are now trying to find existing Braille textbooks used by a blind alumnus who graduated from the faculty many years ago and repair a Braille printer, with help from faculty lecturers.

Both will have to compete again with other students without disabilities, and sit a test to be selected to study English as their main subject, as most students at the faculty want to study the subject.

They said they now felt excited and a little worried about making friends when they start the first semester at the new study place.

Many more universities in Thailand, such as Thammasat University (TU), Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) and Rajabhat universities have extended educational opportunities to the disabled to study together with "normal" students so they can learn to live together and help each other.

TU has its Disabled Student Services Centre that provides technological tools needed by students with different disabilities to enable them to study. TU last year recruited 20 disabled students to study in seven faculties.

SWU has the Disabled Support Service Centre, which also provides technological tools for students, translation service and consultants.

Suan Dusit Rajabhat University has recruited around 20 students annually for years and 70 per cent of them were deaf. The university had connections with deaf schools. With more deaf students, the university provided many facilities and staff for them, one of its public relations spokespeople Nattanit Sirisatjanuruk said.

However, Assist Prof Usanee Anuruthwong, a lecturer at SWU's Department of Special Education's Faculty of Education, said less than one per cent of university students nationwide had disabilities.

Professor Wirun Tangcharoen, president of SWU, said it had just established the National Research and Development Institute for Special Education, which would support disabled students and others with special needs at the university.

The institute would also link every university and relevant agencies across the country to provide them consultant services, its director Assoc Prof Daranee Saksiriphol said.