In Taiwan, blindness accounts for more than 90% of the total visually impaired population, and most of the visually impaired people who come to the rehabilitation center for training are in their 30s and 50s, the working age group. The loss of sight is accompanied by the loss of 20 abilities, which is a blow to the future life and self-confidence. With the help of the Society, the blind can regain their faith, receive professional blind education and practice over and over again to restore their lost mind, body and spirit.
To help people with congenital blindness, intermediate blindness (e.g., blindness caused by diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma, or other factors), and to provide life reconstruction and vocational training programs, so that the blind can learn to take care of their own lives, as well as to enter the workplace.
1. Orientation and Mobility Training: Professional Orientation and Mobility Trainers will teach the visually impaired to determine their own location in the environment according to various environmental clues, such as the sound of vehicles, the direction or source of human voices, and special smells, such as the aroma of bread, the smell of gasoline, and the smell of medicines, etc., and to learn to use the white cane independently or to use the professional guide dog to get to their desired destinations under the principle of safety and speed.
2. Daily Life Skills Training / Independent Living: This is a part of the social adaptation training, which mainly focuses on training the visually impaired to use other senses instead of vision to recognize and identify ways to take care of themselves independently, safely and practically in their daily life, thus reducing their dependence on their family members.
3. Assistive Technology and Information Skills (ATIS)/Computer for the Blind (CBB) courses: To organize computer for the blind to develop computer-related skills, to enhance the visually impaired's ability to process data and to use the Internet to absorb information and knowledge.
4. Literacy Training / Braille Texts: Through braille instruction, visually impaired friends are able to read in braille books, absorb information and knowledge, and record information using braille plates or braille machines.
5. Social and psychological assessment and treatment: Provide services of group courses or individual psychological counseling.
6. Skill/physical and recreational activities: In order to provide socialization for the visually impaired and to meet friends, social activities such as karaoke classes, balloon modeling classes, cooking classes, yoga classes, etc. were organized to make life more colorful and diversified from different types of activities.
In recent years, we have cooperated with the New Taipei City Labor Bureau to provide vocational training for a total of 1,600 hours over a period of nine months.
1. Level C Massage Training Class: 15 to 65 years old with physical and mental handicap handbook or ICF b210 visual dysfunction, and not a social administration unit of teaching students, education unit of school students, medical unit of inpatient, day hospitals, community rehabilitation centers and other related status. Cases will only be opened after further assessment of vocational ability and pre-employment adaptation for massage.
2. Level B Massage Refresher Course: Those who are certified as Level C Massage Technician with Visual Impairment Handbook, and those who are qualified to take the Level B Massage Technician Examination.
In recent years, the New Taipei City Government has been actively setting up massage inns in public spaces such as hospitals, train stations and sports centers, and has even built the 24th flagship visually impaired massage store in a prime storefront on the Circle Line. All counties and municipalities are also actively promoting the visually impaired massage program to help more visually impaired people to become independent.
1. Northern Headquarters
Address: No. 384, Zhongzheng Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Tel: (02)-29985588 Fax: (02)-29963306
2. Central Service Center
Address: 17F, No. 83, Sec. 4, Wenxin Road, Beitun District, Taichung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel: (04) 2293-5882 Fax: (04) 2293-5812
3. Southern Service Center
Address: 4F-3, No. 198, Boai 2nd Road, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel: (07) 556-1563 Fax: (07) 556-9547
Remarks: The Taiwan Rehabilitation Institute for the Blind is one of the few rehabilitation organizations for the blind that provides meal accommodation during vocational training courses.
The New Taipei City Department of Labor said that the average employment rate of the physically and mentally handicapped after completion of vocational training is more than 70%, and the Department of Labor will keep abreast of the needs of the industry and changes in the market, and will actively develop all types of job openings, with the opening of various types of vocational training classes to help the physically handicapped to enter the job market immediately after vocational training and to shorten the period of employment, and will also help the physically handicapped to stabilize their employment with sufficient income to take care of their families, by combining the resources of the Job Redesign. They will also be able to earn enough income to take care of their families.
For more information, please contact the Taiwan Institute for the Blind or Sunyu Academy.
Source:
Taiwan Institute for the Blind
Image Source:
Love of Stuff
