Immersion courses are a chance for students around the country identified for a specific
purpose to get together to do some intensive training in a particular area and meet others
of a similar disability. The tech choices course was all about trying to get get Braille
learners around the country who were one competent users of technology or two looking to change
their technology choices for some reason. And it was for them to get together with RNZFB
staff who were also Braille users themselves and BLENNZ staff and looking at the whole
range of technology choices that we could identify collectively that may be useful to
a Braille learner now or in the future. What we planned on the course was for senior students
to come together for the first two days to familiarize themselves with new pieces of
equipment, talk about the equipment they had, troubleshoot, get to know each other become
comfortable, so that on the third day they were ready for young students to come together
for the day and they were the leaders they were the people who showed the young students
how to use both their equipment and brand new equipment with the support of BLENNZ and
foundation staff. Our role as educators in working with these students is to make sure
that they are able to see what is out there for them to provide opportunities for them
to trial to ideally talk with each other and other users both at school and beyond school.
And I think there was also an incredible gain in knowledge because they weren't just working
with one piece of equipment they were really exploring the range of choices and there were
quite a few students who were in need of upgrades from their existing equipment and were able,
I believe to make much more informed choices considering the breadth of what was there.
That one there is your rewind. And that one there is your, what do you call it, fast forward.
So do you want to turn it on? Ok. On the side? Yeh. So if you want to turn it on you hold
it until it beeps and it will tell you that its on. There you go. If you press number 1.
Particularly for this low incidence population where they
don't get opportunities to see each other unless we deliberately bring them together
for a specific purpose that is the most incredible part of immersion. That is the most powerful
message that comes form immersion. Is them getting to see, meet each other, share, connect.
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