SHAFAQNA- Chairman of the Terengganu branch of Persatuan Orang-orang Cacat Penglihatan Islam Malaysia (Pertis) Mohd Fauzi Mansor said for a start, the association had received a sponsorship of 11 units of e-Braille Quran worth RM165,000 from the Terengganu Islamic Affairs and Malay Customs Council (Maidam).
“Using the e-Braille Quran is much easier because it is very practical and can be carried anywhere due to its small size and it is much lighter compared to the 30 chapters of the printed Braille Quran.
“Secondly, the writing is clearer than the printed version and it also has an audio system which makes it easier for people with impaired vision to read,” he told reporters after introducing the use of e-Braille Quran in its classes here yesterday.
There are currently 50 students with seven teachers in the classes conducted by the association, compared to only five students and a teacher when the programme was initiated in 2007.
With a vision to create Quran literates among the visually impaired, the effort could be considered to have borne fruit as its learning modules now being emulated by associations in Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah and Kelantan.
Mohd Fauzi said apart from classes to learn the recitation of the Quran, students also attend lectures on jurisprudence and stories of the prophets to enhance their knowledge on Islam.
“We are always thinking of appropriate methods to facilitate these people (visually impaired) to read the Quran, and this has led to the creation of the e-Braille Quran, which was developed by a group of researchers from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, through a research grant of RM1.9 million disbursed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
“The association hopes to receive more funding from various parties who would like to contribute e-Braille Qurans for these classes, as it can be used by more visually impaired people in the future,” he said.
Source: Bernama
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