At the start, stroking each key with a finger at a time, later on with the use of two hands. At first looking at the keyboard, and eventually with the eyes glued to the pages of the typing exercises book. At first pounding ten characters a minute, gradually increasing the speed to over 100 words per minute.

Depending on one’s skills level, one can actually copy an entire booklet without glancing at a single typewriter key and yet attain more than 95 percent accuracy in under an hour or two.

Furthermore, on a specialized field, doing a medical transcription with an accuracy rating of 90 to 98 percent.

The fundamental skill, which is not a secret, is I believe called "Touch Typing". A skill, we the sighted individuals take for granted.

Pia May Resurreccion, one of six low vision student of Medical Transcription (a new course offering of the STI FLITE Project ATTRAC), and Deiterson Omas, a totally blind National Trainors’ Training Program (NTTP) on Computer Literacy for the Visually Impaired participant, remind us about this feeling of complacency.

If their demonstrations are not enough proof of the touch typing skill and competency, acquirable computer literacy, and highly admirable training discipline of the visually-impaired person, I do not know of any thing else better than these to help them land a job or put up their own business.

There could be more Pias and Deitersons, but the number of trainees are limited by the 10 customized PCs for use per batch at the ATRIEV Training Center at STI College Cubao.

PROJECT ATTRAC

For the past four years, the STI Foundation has been working with disadvantaged persons of our society through programs that challenge their creativity, self-expression and productivity, narrated Malou Espina, STI-FLITE executive director.

One of these programs is PROJECT ATTRAC, a program for the visually-impaired in partnership with Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration, and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV), a 10-year-old non-government organization pioneering in information technology training for the blind through the use of adaptive technology devices.

Since its conception in year 2000, PROJECT ATTRAC has produced socially responsible and technically competent blind and low vision persons. Their skills will facilitate their integration into educational, economic and other social institutions and processes, explained Espina.

She added that PROJECT ATTRAC continues with this winning streak via a new program called the National Trainors’ Training Program on Computer Literacy for the Visually Impaired, which caters to special education teachers from private and public schools.

The Program aims to provide comprehensive training techniques in teaching computer literacy to visually-impaired persons. The trainings are conducted by ATRIEV trainors Antonio D. Llanes, Jr., Carolina Catacutan, Sam and Jonathan Y. Palmero.

Last May 21, the first batch of NTTP graduates were recognized at simple commencement rites. It is comprised of 16 special education teachers, rehabilitation specialists, government employees, and individuals from throughout the Philippines.

At the graduation rites of this training program, one of the graduates conducted a skills demonstration on the use of screen reader software.

The course subjects are "Access Technology in Popular Applications" (feeder course, with focus on how screen readers and voice synthesizers work with popular applications), Windows operating system & Microsoft Word, MS Excel (2 days), MS Powerpoint, Internet and Email; and "Skills & Techniques in Teaching Computer Literacy to the Visually Impaired" (lesson planning, class decorum, platform skills; basic troubleshooting; setting up and managing a resource center; project proposals).

Espina reported that to date, Project ATTRAC has graduated more than 100 blind or visually impaired students, some of whom have now found profitable employment in mainstream companies.

Llanes said ATRIEV’s vision is to make information technology more accessible to visually impaired persons across the nation.

ATRIEVE offers two five-month long training courses – Access Technology in Popular Applications and Medical Transcription.

The first one aims to make high school graduates and seniors become computer literate through a crash course on basic usage and operation of MS Windows, MS Word and the Internet.

The Medical Transcription, which is a new one, is for college graduates or individuals with college-level education who wish to pursue a financially rewarding career in the fast-growing medical transcription industry. On-the-job training is provided in partnership with Total Transcription Solutions Inc., a company that specializes in medical transcription services.

—Edison D. ONG