The International Program has been an integral part of the Overbrook School for the Blind since 1985. It started as a 10-month, on-campus program and gradually transformed into an international outreach program. From 1985 to 1999, the on-campus International Program provided training in Access Technology, English, Orientation and Mobility, Public Speaking, Social Skills, and Leadership Development to over 300 individuals from over 40 countries
More recently, The OSB International Program has undertaken two extensive international outreach efforts that have provided education and the use of assistive technology to expand education and employment opportunities for persons with visual impairment worldwide.
The Eastern European Network on Access Technology for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons (EENAT) was OSB's first international outreach project. With funding from the Soros Foundation, it was launched in 1996 in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovak Republic. Eventually expanding to Estonia, Latvia, and Romania in 1999, this project encompassed materials, equipment and training, provided an online discussion list, and created a series of publications and a regional conference. Over 5,000 individuals have benefited from the project.
Following the success of EENAT, the Overbrook-Nippon Network on Educational Technology (ON-NET) was launched in Thailand in 1998. It soon expanded to Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Laos. An endowment from the Nippon Foundation in 2004 added Myanmar to the network.
In coordination with the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC), ON-NET has teamed with local partners to tackle local, national, and regional needs in education and employment. Projects include training sessions at established educational centers, employment assistance for persons with visual impairment, and the development of products for the visually impaired, such as Braille translation software.
Today, ON-NET is very active in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The Overbrook China Initiative (OCI) was established in 2005 at the request of Chinese partners. Funds were provided by the former John Milton Society for the Blind. Completed in three phases, the first phase (2005-2010) involved nine schools for the blind that shared information through annual workshops and established an online Discussion List.
The second phase (2010-2015) paired those schools with educational partners that conducted school-wide training and webinars on assistive technology.
The third phase (2015-2016) involved short-term study tours for teachers and administrators back at Overbrook School for the Blind. Teachers spent four weeks at the school, administrators two weeks.
All told, the OCI project involved 800 participants that included teachers, parents, students, and medical professionals. It provided seven annual workshops, 10 school-wide trainings, 15 webinars, and low-vision training.
The OSB International Program has collaborated extensively with the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI). As partners, we've published a book entitled, “Mathematics Made Easy” that you can download; a TTS/screen-reader in Burmese; and a project on “Capacity Building on Math Teaching for Blind Students” in Indonesia.
The OSB International Program has made a difference and will continue to bring equality and opportunity to students with visual impairments in underdeveloped nations.
For more information, please contact Mark Richert, International Program Coordinator via email.
