Education for the blind at CJARC
Education for the blind is at the heart of CJARC's activities. This essential mission is coordinated by the Training and Integration Unit. It encompasses both academic and vocational training, with the aim of promoting the inclusion of visually impaired people.
Schooling for the visually impaired
In its role as educator, CJARC offers training at primary level, giving blind people a solid foundation for their future. In addition, CJARC supports the integration of visually impaired people into secondary schools and universities, opening up new opportunities for education and personal development.
Education for the blind at primary level: The Louis Braille School
CJARC has an integrated bilingual nursery and elementary school, the École Primaire Bilingue Intégrée Louis Braille (EPBILB). Founded in 2003 by order no. 5103/2003 of the French Ministry of Education, the EPBILB has been catering for blind children, children with special needs and so-called normal children since 2004, from nursery school (early childhood) to CM2.
Located on the site of CJARC headquarters, the school has 8 classrooms, most of which were built using temporary materials. Every year, some 200 children attend the school, including 33 visually impaired children, all taught by 12 qualified teachers. EPBILB works in close collaboration with a hostel which takes in both primary and secondary school pupils.
Psychological and educational support and follow-up
The school is equipped with a support team, headed by a social worker. The team is responsible for the children's psychological and educational follow-up. It also oversees their rehabilitation, re-education, educational orientation and medical follow-up. Each visually-impaired child who joins the Louis Braille school receives a personalized interview, after which he or she is directed either towards learning Braille, or directly towards elementary school.
As far as medical care is concerned, the school infirmary remains ineffective due to a lack of financial and material resources. This is why a collaboration has been established with health structures to guarantee adequate medical follow-up for all students.
The school is equipped with a support team, headed by a social worker. The team is responsible for the children's psychological and educational follow-up. It also oversees their rehabilitation, re-education, educational orientation and medical follow-up. Each visually-impaired child who joins the Louis Braille school receives a personalized interview, after which he or she is directed either towards learning Braille, or directly towards elementary school.
As far as medical care is concerned, the school infirmary remains ineffective due to a lack of financial and material resources. This is why a collaboration has been established with health structures to guarantee adequate medical follow-up for all students.
Integration of the visually impaired into secondary and higher education
CJARC's mission is to help blind and visually impaired young people integrate into the world of education. The aim is to help these young people find a school adapted to their needs, or to integrate the one of their choice. To achieve this, CJARC works closely with several high schools and colleges in Cameroon, in particular with the support of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Secondary Education. Thanks to these partnerships, visually impaired and blind pupils and students are regularly admitted to establishments such as the Lycée bilingue d'Ekounou in Yaoundé.
CJARC also offers a transcription service, which plays an essential role in the educational integration of blind students. This service acts as an interface between blind students and sighted teachers. It enables documents and assessment tests (sequences, exams such as CEP, BEPC, BAC) to be converted from black to Braille for visually impaired pupils, and from Braille to black for sighted pupils. In addition, this team is often called upon to transcribe tests for entrance examinations to leading national schools such as ENAM, ESSTIC and many others.
The monitoring students' educational integration and visually impaired students is not limited to Yaoundé. It extends throughout the country, thanks to the CJARC branches. In addition, blind students benefit from a financial and technical support, which enables them to pursue their studies under the best possible conditions.
Vocational training for blind people
Vocational training is an essential pillar of CJARC's work. It aims to promote the autonomy, social integration and economic reintegration of blind and partially-sighted people. We offer several types of training.
Craft training
Craftsmanship was one of the first training courses set up at CJARC. It involves learning to weave chairs, make baskets and other objets d'art.
This activity plays a fundamental role in the personal development and empowerment of blind people. It also includes an introduction to pig breeding.
Poultry farming training
At the Centre de Production Avicole de Ahala, the visually impaired are trained to raise broiler chickens.
They learn how to welcome chicks, administer treatments, prepare feeders and waterers, and manage nutritional needs.
Available for several years, this training has helped to rehabilitate many visually impaired people.
Braille training
CJARC offers training in Braille reading and writing. This literacy is essential for inclusion in school and at work.
It is aimed at both blind and sighted people wishing to master Braille.
It enables better communication and autonomy in daily life.
Computer training
Blind people have access to computer training. Thanks to computers equipped with adapted software (screen readers, voice synthesis...), they learn office automation, web browsing and messaging.
However, this activity faces difficulties such as the high cost of software and the obsolescence of hardware, sometimes slowing down training.
Training the trainers
CJARC also trains teachers and other specialized staff.
In 2013, a session supervised by Sophie LEBON, occupational therapist (DCC), strengthened the skills of educators on:
Anatomy of the eye
The most common visual pathologies
Teaching methods for visually impaired children
Discover our page histoire du cjarc to understand our mission and commitment to disabled people in Cameroon.
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