Students with visual impairments often experience difficulties performing independent care, namely orientation and mobility, that can be done independently without the need for assistive devices or the help of others. To help blind people facilitate mobility, a group of students from the Special Education program of the Faculty of Education and Psychology UNY designed My Journey. They are Dewi Meiliyan Ningrum, Kenanga Kusuma Murdiyani, Ardian Haryo Suseno and Khairil Mursyidin.
According to Dewi Meiliyan Ningrum, the innovation in the learning aspect of My Journey includes using media and learning evaluation to help students with visual impairments visit stores. "In the media, we integrate several applications such as Lookout and google maps, which also become assistive technology coupled with talkback on each learner's cellphone. Then for the evaluation stage, we use padlets that can be accessed with talkback and can also attach audio and photos that facilitate various learning styles of students," she said Saturday (8/7). Not only hi-tech but also low-tech types, such as blind sticks and string maps, represent the shape of roads.
Kenanga Kusuma Murdiyani added that the function of google maps is as a route guide to the location you want to go to. "The way to use it is to activate the GPS first, open the google maps application, enter the name of the location you want to go to, select the 'route' option, then on the top bar select walking," said Kenanga. At the same time, the lookout function is to recognize objects or product names that we want to buy and how to use the Lookout application by selecting the mode that will be used. For example, if you want to find an item, use the explore mode, point the cellphone camera to the object to be identified, and listen to the visual description.
Ardian Haryo Suseno said that initially, they conducted a diagnostic assessment to determine students' initial abilities and learning readiness until it was discovered that the lowest ability was mobility orientation. So, they made a mobility orientation microteaching innovation for independent travel material with assistive technology called My Journey. In the end, students demonstrated their skills in independent care. Students' communication aspects are also built from their interactions with the community outside the school and buying goods at the store. My Journey is a microteaching application that teachers can use to guide students with special needs.
This work brought the students to win the Student Digital Innovation Competition (LIDM) in the Digital Microteaching division held at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Bandung. The team's assistant lecturer Rendy Roos Handoyo, M.Pd was delighted with this achievement and hoped that the students' work could benefit UNY and teachers in Indonesia. Khairil Mursyidin hopes that this work can help teachers in SLB to integrate technology with learning. "We have registered this work in intellectual property rights, so that the teaching module can be reproduced and then used in schools," Khairil concluded.
