The availability and access to books in Braille for the blind and visibly impaired in the Solomon Islands.

Last week I read of the programme facilitated by Save the Children Australia and locally called Library for Alls which will provide children from across the Solomon Islands the chance to read stories in the nation’s first digital book collection available on any android device for free.

It has been said that many of the stories within the collection have been written by Solomon Islanders, reflecting a sense of place and identity familiar to the children that will read the books.

For most of the authors, this was also their first experience putting pen to paper to create a children’s book, making it a significant opportunity to share their knowledge and stories.

Rebecca McDonald Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Library For All said: “The purpose of the program is to improve literacy outcomes for children in the Solomons Islands through stories that reflect their own experiences and identities.

“The idea is for the books to compliment the abundance of ‘window’ books that exist in the world – books that give a glimpse into the lives of others – and enrich a child’s reading experience by seeing their own lives and identities ‘mirrored’ on the pages they read.”

Last week I also read about the work being done at the National Archives of Solomon Islands (NASI) digitizing the country’s analogue records in its repository.

The British High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands, His Excellency Brian Jones paid a visit to NASI last Tuesday to see the work for himself.

His Excellency reportedly said during his visit that the work NASI was doing was vital and added, quote.

“Especially to students to learn from the history and understand how all of that process took place. That is really vital if you look at everything, from individual learning all the way to the progression of state, and what is the future of the constitution, you have to know what has started from the beginning,” he said.

“My initial inspiration was the piece in the newspaper recently about digitising the records. And how you independently acquired the equipment to do this, and the hard work that was going on to protect these records,” the High Commissioner said.

End of quote.

With the focus very much on digitalization I wonder how many children will be able to access a device with the android features to obtain the stories that have been digitized for them.?I guess I simply don’t have enough information about the widespread ownership and usage of the necessary devices throughout the whole country and especially in the remote and very isolated parts, or indeed whether power is available to charge and operate the items such as tablets or smart phones.

What I can say, however, is I welcome the work of Save the Children Australia and the workers of Library for Alls in the Solomon Islands.?I hope to be assured of the extensive access and children’s learning experiences brought about by technological advances that have heralded digitilisation.

I have a major concern on the other hand for books in Braille available to the more than 6000 local people that are blind or suffer from visual impairment to the extent that a book in Braille is their only means of reading and learning.

Are such books obtainable for free use by the blind or visible handicapped and, if so, where are they available?

I mention 6000 blind or visibly handicapped but the numbers might very well be more in 2021.

Dr. John Hue of the National Referral Hospital (NRH) in Honiara.

It was revealed by the then Medical Superintendent of the National Referral Hospital (NRH), Dr, John Hue during the day celebrated as World Sight Day in 2018 that there was then estimated 6,000 Solomon Islanders blind or visually impaired, making up 1 percent of the country’s population.

At that time Dr Hue went on to add, “For some people this may all change with a pair of glasses.”

It was when Dr Hue made such a remark, I felt moved to try and obtain some free spectacles and ultimately with the kind assistance of Lions Club in New Zealand 6000 pairs of eye glasses were donated and shipped to Honiara by my partner charity, ‘Take My Hands’ in Auckland, and handed over to the Honiara Regional Eye Centre where they were gifted to the needy.

.Dr Hue on that World Sight Day spoke more about blindness in the Solomon Islands and I recorded his words from a subsequent article in one of the local papers.?This is what he said, quote.

“On a global scale Hue said 36 million people are blind with 217 million have moderate or severe distance vision impairment with 55 percent of moderate or severely vision impaired people are women.

Within the figure, Dr. Hue said Solomon Islands are among the 89 percent who are visually impaired people living in low and middle income countries.

He said more than 75 percent of all blindness and visual impairment is avoidable.

“All it might need is a pair of glasses or a cataract surgery to restore vision and thus independence and an improved quality of life, but this is only detected if eye care services are available and sough after,” Dr Hue said.”

End of quote.

He also referred to the Regional Eye Centre which was then celebrating World Sight Day under the theme:

“Universal Eye Health” in-line with the WHO’s Action Plan 2014 -2019

I believe the Regional Eye Centre is a fine institution and does exceptionally good work in preventing blindness across the whole of the Solomon Islands.

An eye examination being carried out on a child at the Regional Referral Eye Centre in Honiara.,

In June 2019, the Chief Executive of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Dr Astrid Bonfield, CBE, came to Honiara and met with leading eye health experts to thank them for their work.

At that time it was revealed in the Pacific, four out of every five people who are blind don’t need to be

It was explained,

In the Pacific, four out of five people who are blind don’t need to be. It was explained, and I quote.?

Many people across the region who are blind – or are at risk of blindness – are so because they don’t have access to affordable eye care. Since 2014, The Trust has been working with the Ministry of Health, The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ and The Fred Hollows Foundation to help bring affordable, quality eye care to people in Solomon Islands, including those who live in the most remote of communities, who have – or are at risk of – diabetic retinopathy and trachoma.

Diabetic retinopathy, also referred to as diabetes eye disease, is a complication of diabetes and is the fastest growing cause of blindness globally. It occurs when poor control of blood sugar levels, high blood pressure and high lipid levels in the blood damage the blood vessels in the retina. If left untreated, it can lead to irreversible blindness. Over half of all people with diabetes are unaware they have the condition, and by the time their vision deteriorates is it often too late for treatment. Regular screening, early treatment, and careful health management can reduce the risk of vision loss by 95% and is crucial to ensuring people with diabetes do not go blind when their sight could be saved.

Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. It is easily spread from person to person and is most commonly found in poor, rural communities with limited access to clean water and sanitation. Repeated infection causes scar tissue to develop in the eyelid, and if left untreated the eyelashes eventually turn inward, scraping the surface of the eye. With every blink, people slowly and painfully lose their sight. Much of the population in Solomon Islands is geographically isolated from health care services.

The Trust, together with its partner The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, has worked with the Ministry of Health in Solomon Islands to secure permanent changes to the health system by integrating screening and quality treatment for diabetic retinopathy into the care provided to people with diabetes. By making long-term improvements to the public health system, the Trust’s aim has been to protect the sight of all those who have diabetes in Solomon Islands, as well as those at risk of developing the disease in the future. Thanks to the commitment and leadership of the Ministry of Health, with support from the Trust’s funding, over 7,700 people with diabetes in Solomon Islands have been screened for diabetic retinopathy and 1,020 people have now received treatment to prevent them from going blind.

The Trust with its partners has sought to raise awareness of diabetes eye disease across Solomon Islands and build capacity by training 227 primary health carers and 19 community health workers to help refer patients for screening. In addition, over SBD 1 million in diabetic retinopathy equipment has been donated by the Trust and outreach teams have visited communities over 50 times since 2014, resulting in almost 3,000 people being screened to see if they had diabetic eye disease.

In the fight against trachoma, working with The Fred Hollows Foundation, the Trust has helped to administer vital antibiotics to over 87% of the population – approximately 500,000 people - to prevent the spread of infection. Solomon Islands now has a Trachoma Master Grader, Mr. Oliver Sokana, thanks to training provided by the Trust’s programme. Four ophthalmic nurses have also been certified as either Trachoma Grader Trainers or Recorders – meaning there is now a much more accurate picture of the rates of trachoma across Solomon Islands. Such is the progress achieved across the country’s 300 inhabited islands, a recent trachoma ‘ancillary survey’ confirmed that Solomon Islands now does not need any further mass distributions of antibiotics to prevent future infection. The next step is to begin preparing the necessary information to become validated by the World Health Organization as entirely trachoma-free.

Speaking about the work in Solomon Islands, Dr Astrid Bonfield said: “Solomon Islands has achieved significant progress over the past five year to bring quality eye care to all of its people, regardless of where they live. The efforts of the Ministry of Health and our partners in fighting trachoma and providing eye health care in even some of the most remote and outer areas of Solomon Islands the most physically is truly remarkable and is ensuring people are protected against entirely avoidable forms of blindness each and every day.

“I am very grateful for the Ministry of Health’s engagement in and leadership of the Trust’s programme. When Commonwealth Heads of Government met in London last year, they agreed that they would take action towards achieving access to quality eye care for all...by both tackling trachoma and establishing local services which provide quality eye care for all people with diabetes is a fantastic response by Solomon Islands to that commitment - and one in which the Trust is very proud to have played a part. I am encouraged from all I’ve seen here that the country’s commitment to ensuring people receive quality eye care will continue long into the future.”

The Trust was established in 2012 to create a lasting legacy in honour of Her Majesty the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. The work undertaken in Solomon Islands since 2014 to prevent people from losing their sight to diabetes and trachoma now and in the future forms a core part of the Trust’s legacy.

End of quote.

Source : Queen’s Jubilee Trust.

?I feel confident the Regional Eye Centre in Honiara is continuing to work in accordance with the Queen’s Jubilee Trust Legacy but I have digressed somewhat from my present main concerns – being Braille books accessible for the blind and the visually impaired.

Are such books attainable in the Solomon Islands and if so could there be some information made available?

If the response is there are no Braille books then could they be obtained outside the country with assistance from the British High Commission, the Australian High Commission or from the New Zealand High Commission?

In Australia, I do know the Australian Braille Authority is a subcommittee of the Round Table on Information Access for People with a Print Disability Inc. and perhaps a place where enquiries might be made.

In the United States and Canada, there are a number of different sources of free Braille books available in (the United States and Canada). In addition, there are numerous libraries and other sources through teachers of students with visual impairments or related organizations.

The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults seems to be the main point of contact for advice.

With more than 1 percent of the Solomon Islands population (in 2021) blind or visibly handicapped, I would please request all?that might read this letter to find out the availability and access of Braille books, ideally available free, for the benefit of those persons with disability that?digitalized recordings might not help with entertainment but more importantly with learning.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

www.solomonislandsinfocus.com

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