CAN you imagine yourself riding a bike with your eyes closed? The idea seems preposterous. But what if you’re used to navigating the streets in the dark?
Sarrah Villoria, a College of Teacher Education and Technology (CTET) faculty from the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) believes that with enough creativity, awareness, and determination, Davao City can have its own modified park for people with vision impairment.
Before being catapulted into the noble profession of teaching, Sarrah worked as an Education Field Coordinator for the Resources for the Blind, Inc. (RBI), a non-government Christian organization that serves people who are blind and visually impaired. Her job required her to immerse in different communities to find children who are visually impaired and introduce them to the doctors and teachers at RBI.
Her experiences as a field coordinator, albeit short-lived, ignited Sarrah’s interest in the welfare of the visually impaired and their families. This led her to create the Modified Braille, an improved version of Louis Braille’s original tactile writing system.
The idea that gave birth to the Modified Braille came to Sarrah at the most random moment. Deep in thought while taking a bath, Sarrah imagined a system that could speed up the learning process for individuals who are learning to read and write using the Braille. This Eureka moment prompted Sarrah to tinker with whatever tools and materials she could find, until the first prototype of her invention finally came to life.
A USePian through and through, Sarrah graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Elementary Education in Home Economics and Livelihood Education in 2007 and Master of Education major in Special Education in 2018. Sarrah knew that in the years she had spent honing her skills as an educator, she had inadvertently unleashed a new passion. So in the face of rejection and failure, Sarrah persevered until she finally got her invention patented.
Not long after her first set was completed, Sarrah was invited to the East Asia Regional Conference International Council for Education of People with Vision Impairment (ICEVI), where she presented her study on the use of Modified Braille. Sarrah’s invention ultimately earned the praise of the community of professors, including one of the Council heads.
The Modified Braille, which Sarrah fondly calls the Brailliance, makes the transition from pre-Braille (big) to standard Braille (small) easy for readers. This brilliant breakthrough is among the most significant advances made to improve the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Sarrah understood that in order for Brailliance to work, she needs to stay committed to the project.
“Do things that keep you happy. Do things passionately. Make other’s happiness the reward for your hard work. Remember that support and help will come to you when you do things passionately,” Sarrah shared.