To help the visually impaired access the “light” of knowledge, a group of 5 students from class K22SVK – Faculty of Physics, University of Education (University of Danang) researched the scientific topic “Manufacturing a Braille printer used to convert textbooks and documents for teaching visually impaired students”.
As the lecturer guiding the group of topics, Dr. Le Thanh Huy, lecturer at the University of Education (University of Danang), said that in Vietnam up to now, the number of research topics on means of supporting the visually impaired in general and means of converting documents in education for the visually impaired in particular is still very small.
Although there have been studies on the manufacture of Braille printers, the use of 3D printing technology to manufacture machines has not been fully exploited. Previous studies have also not solved the problem of converting textbooks and learning materials for visually impaired students.
The approach of the group of students of class K22SVK - Faculty of Physics is a combination of technical, educational and applied factors to create a technological product with practical meaning, supporting visually impaired students in the learning process.
Sharing about the topic, Ngo Thanh Truc, Head of the research team, said that currently the whole country has renewed all textbooks from grade 1 to grade 12, but visually impaired students only have textbooks in grades 1, 2 and 6.
In other grades, students do not have textbooks or any learning materials. Therefore, Truc's group set three main goals when implementing the project. One is to design, manufacture and develop a Braille printer with low cost and many new features compared to current Braille printers.
Second is to convert and provide textbooks and learning materials for visually impaired students in special schools and integrated schools. Third is to meet the learning needs of students and improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning in special schools or integrated schools.
Through the survey, the device received positive feedback on a number of criteria such as: Mobility, ease of use with simple, convenient operations, and pleasant sound during operation.
The research group consists of 5 students from the University of Education (University of Danang)
The printer’s design is also considered easy to clean, convenient to repair and maintain when there is an error. Most teachers see the machine as having the potential to be widely used in specialized schools because of its low price (from 5 million VND or more).
“However, the survey also pointed out some limitations of the device that need to be improved. Overall, the braille printer evaluated by the research team was not operating stably, this problem was resolved by the team after the survey.
The printing speed of the machine is rated at a normal level, requiring an increase in printing speed to meet the needs of educational institutions. The machine also needs to be improved to ensure accuracy as stated in circulars and regulations and Braille symbols need to be added to increase applicability," Thanh Truc added.
So far, the group has succeeded in manufacturing a Braille printer used to convert teaching materials for visually impaired students. The Braille printer technology that the research group has achieved accurate results during the experimental process.
In addition, the team analyzed the factors affecting the results of printing learning materials for blind students using Braille printers, including the needle tip and the pressure of the needle. This study also showed that the Braille printers manufactured can meet the needs of blind students in specialized schools and educational development support centers.
The Braille printer product used to convert textbooks and teaching materials for visually impaired students won the Third Prize of the Danang University Student Scientific Research Award for the 2023-2024 school year; the Third Prize of the School-level Student Scientific Research Conference for the 2023-2024 school year; and the First Prize of the Physics Faculty Student Scientific Research Conference for the 2023-2024 school year.
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