Inadequate and inaccessible literature is the biggest problem for visually impaired children

The biggest challenge and obstacle in the education of visually impaired children is inadequate and inaccessible literature. The situation is further complicated by the fact that in the Montenegrin education system there is no textbook for children's literacy in Braille.

This is what the executive director of the Association of the Blind of Montenegro told "Vijesta". Goran MacanOvic.

He explained that the condition of persons with partial or total visual impairment would have improved significantly if the Parliament of Montenegro had ratified the Bill on Ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or have other difficulties in using printed materials.

The government adopted that proposal in 2021, and it enables the exchange of adapted literature for blind and partially sighted people between countries, as well as the production of such content in the signatory state.

In the information of the Government, which was adopted almost three years ago, it is stated that millions of books are published in the world every year, and that one to seven percent are available for 285 million blind and visually impaired people.

ZUNS: Textbooks complementary to the literature of the Resource Center

The Institute for Textbooks and Teaching Aids (ZUNS) told "Vijesta" that they signed an agreement with the Resource Center on acquiring the right to prepare, print and adapt textbooks and other teaching aids for children with visual impairments in Braille and accessible format.

"...As well as several other annexes to the same contract, the subject of which is the acquisition of the right to prepare, adapt and print in Braille for 107 editions of books by the Institute for Textbooks and Teaching Aids for Primary and High School. Also, ZUNS signed an agreement with the Organization of the Blind for Podgorica, Danilovgrad and Kolašin on the acquisition of the right to prepare, adapt and print in Braille and accessible format textbooks and other teaching aids for children with visual impairments from 24/4/2023. With this contract, ZUNS transferred the rights to the Resource Center for eight titles for elementary school", explained ZUNS.

They pointed out that all the textbooks they produce are "completely complementary to the one produced by the Resource Center for Children and Youth".

They added that in 2011, that publishing house also published a Manual for working with children with visual impairments, signed by the authors. Zorica Tončić i Danka Vuletić.

"The Manual discusses the consequences of visual impairments on the education of visually impaired children, as well as ways to overcome these consequences in the educational system of Montenegro. Ways and models of possible activities and concrete procedures in providing support to visually impaired children for their successful education and better social treatment are proposed. Since there is no training for teachers to work with children with visual impairments, the manual offers a description of the problem, a way to overcome it and a specific training program", explained ZUNS.

There is no primer

Macanović told "Vijesta" that in 2013 the Association of the Blind implemented a project they called "Primer for the literacy of visually impaired children in Braille".

"We made a proposal on how children should be educated in Braille. We have created an entire textbook and manual for its use. We then handed it over to the Institute for Textbooks and Teaching Aids. Our proposal received a positive opinion from ZUNS and that's where the process stopped. Furthermore, ZUNS should have processed that textbook, as well as issue it," said Macanović.

He said that the textbook could not be adequately edited, because Braille is not standardized in Montenegro. According to him, the standardization process is still ongoing.

"Braille standardization implies official adoption by the competent institutions in the system. The Association of the Blind proposed the standardization of the letter, and the process was initiated by the Resource Center. The Association of the Blind even had a member in the commission who worked on that document, and it was brought almost to the final text. Then there were personnel changes and the process stopped. Standardization implies the adoption of a document that will determine exactly which Braille characters are used for which symbols, numbers, punctuation marks..." said Macanović.

He emphasizes that in Montenegro "the standard from ancient times, the former SFRY, is used all the time".

"Children with visual impairment, both partial and complete, do not have adequate literature. What exists in the system is that, according to my information, ZUNS provides textbooks in electronic (pdf) format for certain subjects at the request of parents and schools. The textbooks obtained in this way are not fully accessible because that document is, in fact, a preparation for printing the textbooks. It is often not created according to the standards that allow a screen reader, the software used by visually impaired people, to read that document," concludes Macanović.