 |
| Photo by Nguyen to Duc Linh |
| Students at the Warming House
(Thien An) school in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The school serves 30
blind students, led by Principal Nguyen Quoc Phong. |
On a sunny day, a group including a professional social worker, two
assistants, and a fourth-year social work student from National Vietnam
University of Social Sciences and Humanities, paid a visit to the
Warming House (Thien An). The school is a spacious five-story house in
Tan Quy Ward, Tan Phu District, in Ho Chi Minh City.
We were warmly greeted by the school's headmaster, Nguyen Quoc Phong.
The room we met in on the ground floor looked much like a living room.
The area displayed awards, trophies, and medals that Principal Phong and
his students have achieved in Special Olympics sports competitions in
Vietnam and abroad. The medals and awards sparkle as they proudly show
the great pride felt not only by the principal but by all the students
as well. These awards are reminders of much hard work over the years.
We shared with Mr. Phong the purpose of our visit, and he was glad to
give us a tour of the school. The center we visited is new, built four
years ago. Cost of construction was solicited by Mr. Phong and his
friends and funded by national and international nongovernmental
organizations.
Next to a massage room was the book room, which displayed the
marvelous achievements of Mr. Phong and other professors. After many
years of research, these professors translated textbooks, the Bible, and
other legal and educational resources into Braille. Mr. Phong proudly
told us that the school is the pioneer in research software, converting
texts from Word format to Braille letters. With this software, teachers
can transfer books, course materials, and exam questions from Word into
Braille for blind students. Conversely, visually impaired students can
do their homework in Braille and then transfer it into Word format. This
vitally important improvement not only reduces the burden on teachers
but also promotes the integration of visually impaired people into
community and higher education. Principal Phong noted that visually
impaired students study at general education schools for sighted
students and receive equal treatment as do other students.
The mobility of the visually impaired students surprised us. When a
student entered the book room, a staff member informed him, “Professor
Phong is talking with visitors right now.” The student, who had just
returned from the university, turned and said, “Hello,” to us. We did
not realize he was visually impaired. Students run, use the stairs, and
find their way around their environment without tripping, as though
their eyes can see.
 |
| Photo by Nguyen to Duc Linh |
| Braille markings on handrails
(shown here) as well as distinct patterns on the first or last step of
each stairway help blind students navigate the staircases and identify
floor levels at the Warming House. |
Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh, one of the first visually impaired students to
graduate, came back as a teacher, following in the footsteps of her
headmaster. Ms. Oanh shared how all the equipment and furniture in the
school must be put back in its location after use so the next person can
find it. It helps their mobility and orientation. Students remember and
visualize the location of each piece of furniture, room, or corner in
the school like a map. In addition, on the first or last step of each
stairway, the surface of the step is designed so students know how to
handle the next step. The handrails of the stairs have clear symbols
marking which floor they are on.
We visited a classroom where students were doing homework. Two
students were working on math exercises, some writing essays, and others
engrossed in reading books about computer science. They worked so hard
and passionately, we did not hear a noise or giggle from anyone.
Watching a student focused on carving out letters on Braille paper, I
asked, “How long does it take to remember each letter simply by using
your fingertips?” He told me it took him two months to memorize the
letters and another month to put letters into words.
The next room was a large, spacious music room with various musical
instruments hanging on the walls. Mr. Phong demonstrated a new type of
piano the school purchased from Singapore, with sound settings such as
flute, a river flowing, sounds of vehicles, etc., to serve the needs of
school performances.
I chatted with an older student who was playing piano. He said his
hometown is far away, but people told him about the school and Mr.
Phong. Coming to Ho Chi Minh City and enrolling in the school, he can
continue to develop his artistic abilities.
The most impressive thing to me was the abundance of books at this
blind school. There are shelves of books in every room in the
school--living room, reading rooms, computer room, dining room, and
bedrooms. Professor Phong encourages a spirit of reading in all his
students. There are basic textbooks, advanced textbooks, reference
books, computer science books, Braille books on national laws and
policies related to disabilities, the entire Bible, and famous
novels--all in Braille. Visually impaired children find it difficult to
explore our beautiful world, so Mr. Phong wants them to “see” the world
through books, recorded tapes, and talking books.
As we walked into the computer lab, groups of students used computers
for homework. The room is modern, spacious and airy with 20 modern
computers available around the room. Principal Phong introduced us to a
visually impaired student who is in his second year at the College of
Mathematics and Information Technology. He was one of five students from
Thien An school enrolled in university. Like Kieu Oanh, this student’s
desire is to finish university and return to the school to help teach
with Principal Phong.
The school has a prayer room for the Christian students. Every
Saturday a local priest comes to celebrate prayer and offers a spiritual
message to these students.
In addition to being integrated into society, the school also teaches
everyday chores like washing clothes, cleaning house, washing dishes,
cleaning rooms and bedrooms, and mobility training with a cane on
Saturdays, if needed.
Before we left, Mr. Phong suggested that we sing a song together. You
can sense that love is not “somewhere out there,” but is budding right
here at this school, in this small room, where people are visually
impaired but not handicapped. The rose of Thien An school is scented
with the strong vitality of life.
This story of a visit to the Warming House, a school for 30 blind
students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is written by Nguyen to Duc
Linh. She is personal assistant to Grace Mishler, a program volunteer
working in Vietnam through the Church of the Brethren Global Mission and
Service. This article is edited with help from Betty Kelsey, a member
of Mishler’s Mission Support Team
Source:3/22/2012 Newsline
The
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Winter Orientation Unit 296 completed
training from Jan. 29-Feb. 17 in Gotha, Fla. Following are the
volunteers, their congregations or hometowns, and placement sites:
“Sign
up early for your spot at the Church of the Brethren missions
conference, Mission Alive 2012!” invites the church’s Global Mission and
Service office.
The
ballot has been announced for the 2012 Annual Conference of the Church
of the Brethren, to take place in St. Louis, Mo., on July 7-11. The
Nominating Committee of the Standing Committee of district delegates
developed a slate of candidates, and the Standing Committee then voted
to create the ballot that will be presented to the delegate body in
July.
