Japan to Support Braille Facilities for the Vision Impaired Persons
2019/1/25
January 25th, 2019
The Government of Japan has extended a total sum of US$ 98,191 (approx. Rs. 16 million) for “The Project for Ensuring Access to Information of Vision Impaired Persons” through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). The grant contract was signed on 24th January 2019 at the Ambassador’s Residence in Colombo, between His Excellency Mr. Akira Sugiyama, Ambassador of Japan and Mr. Sugath Wasantha De Silva, Hony. President of Sri Lanka Council of Visually Handicapped Graduates.
This project aims to improve the access of vision impaired persons to printed and electronic information by providing braille printing machines and braille displays produced by a Japanese company. According to the National Census on Housing & Population in 2012, there are around a million persons with impaired vision in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Council of Visually Handicapped Graduates, the recipient of the grant, will print braille magazines monthly and distribute them to libraries countrywide. Braille display machines installed in its head office in Moratuwa will be available for the public to read contents on computers.
Commenting on the provision of this grant, Mr. De Silva stated that “Most of vision impaired persons do not have access to information. Sri Lanka ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on 8th February 2016 and Article 21 of this convention - “Freedom of expression and opinion and access to information” insists that persons with disabilities should have the right to obtain information in their preferred format. Vision impaired persons in Sri Lanka are deprived of this right. This project aims to ensure the right to information of vision impaired persons who prefer to access information in Braille medium. Although Braille was introduced as early as 1912 to this country, there are very few books in Braille and almost no current information is available in Braille. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the vision impaired community of Sri Lanka to the Government of Japan for funding this project.”
This project aims to improve the access of vision impaired persons to printed and electronic information by providing braille printing machines and braille displays produced by a Japanese company. According to the National Census on Housing & Population in 2012, there are around a million persons with impaired vision in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Council of Visually Handicapped Graduates, the recipient of the grant, will print braille magazines monthly and distribute them to libraries countrywide. Braille display machines installed in its head office in Moratuwa will be available for the public to read contents on computers.
Commenting on the provision of this grant, Mr. De Silva stated that “Most of vision impaired persons do not have access to information. Sri Lanka ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on 8th February 2016 and Article 21 of this convention - “Freedom of expression and opinion and access to information” insists that persons with disabilities should have the right to obtain information in their preferred format. Vision impaired persons in Sri Lanka are deprived of this right. This project aims to ensure the right to information of vision impaired persons who prefer to access information in Braille medium. Although Braille was introduced as early as 1912 to this country, there are very few books in Braille and almost no current information is available in Braille. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the vision impaired community of Sri Lanka to the Government of Japan for funding this project.”