The program managers of international programs participated in the first ICEVI Africa conference in Nairobi, Kenya from 10-12th of October. With 415 participants from 30 countries, this conference was a great success.
Representatives of Visio international programs from Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa provided a total of 12 presentations and workshops during the conference. For example, Ugandan students Joy, Junaina, Kambale and Claire shared their experiences about leadership and the importance of representation of young people with visual impairments in the All We See Is Possibility program. And Robyn Fick, country coordinator of the South African Bona uBuntu program, talked about the “This is Me Initiative”, a project on empowering young people with albinism. The film “the Light in my Eyes” was also shown and the international module “Teaching Braille” was presented.
In a workshop prior to the conference, we discussed the use of the program management workbook with the country coordinators. This document tracks the progress of the international Visio programs in a standardized way.
The most important outcomes of this conference are expressed as follows by Martin Kieti, coordinator of this conference and board secretary of ICEVI Africa:
- The large number of participants and exhibitors demonstrates the importance of dialogue and exchange of information regarding the education of people with visual impairments in Africa.
- Digital literacy in education for students with visual impairments in Africa is high on the agenda.
- The attention low vision received during the conference. In addition to presentations and workshops, participants could have their eyes tested. Given the high number of visually impaired participants at the conference, this was a great addition.