The 2022 Shandong Teacher Seminar on Chinese Common Braille Scheme was held successfully in Yantai from August 23 to 24. The seminar was sponsored by the Education Department of Shandong Province and the Shandong Disabled Persons' Federation and organized by Binzhou Medical University (BMU) and Shandong Vocational College of Special Education. Those present at the opening ceremony included Feng Lei, Member of the Leading Party Members’ Group, Vice Chairman of the Shandong Disabled Persons' Federation; Wang Guangcheng, Vice President of BMU; Guan Enwen, Director of the Office of the Language and Character Working Committee of Shandong Province; Zhou Xiaolong, Head of the Rights Protection, Education and Employment Department of Shandong Disabled Persons' Federation; Liang Yongsheng, Director of the Special Education Department of Shandong Vocational College of Special Education, members of the Shandong Chinese Common Braille Scheme Lecturer Group, and 48 trainees of the seminar. The ceremony was hosted by Cao Tongtao, Dean of the School of Special Education, BMU.
Wang Guangcheng first extended a warm welcome to the leaders, experts, and trainees at the seminar on behalf of BMU and briefly introduced the history and current facts of BMU and the School of Special Education with a focus on the BMU's development pattern featuring the "Two Advantageous and Two Characteristic Specialties". He noted that BMU has long formed advantageous disciplines and specialties featuring clinical medicine and pharmacy and distinctive characteristics featuring higher education of the disabled and rehabilitation education. On this basis, BMU has established the Chinese Sign Language and Common Braille Scheme Promotion Center and has achieved meaningful results in promoting the national common language and character specifications. The seminar was not only a manifestation of the effective implementation of the first phase of the Standardization Action Plan on Chinese Sign Language and Braille but also an important measure of BMU to vigorously promote the Chinese Common Braille Scheme and popularize the national common language and characters with high quality during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. To this end, BMU was to make all possible efforts in organizing and serving the seminar.
Guan Enwen affirmed the importance of the seminar and expressed support for it. He noted that Braille is the core of the entitlement of the visually impaired to language and characters, the key to improving the cultural and educational level of the visually impaired, and the guarantee for the visually impaired to enjoy cultural and educational rights equally. The promotion of the Chinese common Braille Scheme is related to the achieving of moderate prosperity for all, including the visually impaired. He hoped that the relevant organizations and institutions in the province would make joint efforts to actively implement the relevant national policies and documents, carefully carry out promotion and implementation activities, and strive for better results.
Feng Lei extended a warm welcome to the trainees from all over the province and expressed heartfelt thanks to BMU for organizing the seminar. He noted that appropriate use of the Chinese common Braille scheme is a political requirement, a responsibility, a real need, and special care as it not only removes obstacles but also facilitates the advancement of civilization. The trainees from different cities should attach great importance to the seminar, enhance their political awareness and service awareness, earnestly improve their work skills, and make due contribution to the fair treatment of the visually disabled in high-quality education and equal participation in social life!
The seminar was held both online and onsite. Experts from the China Braille and Sign Language Promotion Service Center, the Chinese Common Braille Scheme Research Group, and the Shandong Chinese Common Braille Scheme Lecturer Group shared their understanding of policies, the Chinese Common Braille Scheme and related training, Putonghua test for the visually impaired, experiences in promotion, and typical cases. At the seminar, Zhang Junfang of BMU shared an in-depth understanding of the Second Phase of the Chinese Sign Language and Braille Standardization Action Plan in Shandong Province (2021-2025), and teachers from Liaocheng Special Education School, Dezhou Special Education School, Tai'an Special Education Center, and Zibo Special Education Center also made speeches.
The seminar is a training session for key teachers from across the province jointly sponsored by the Education Department of Shandong Province and the Shandong Disabled Persons' Federation after the implementation of the Second Phase of the Chinese Sign Language and Braille Standardization Action Plan in Shandong Province. BMU has organized similar training for three consecutive years, which has been highly recognized by superior authorities. BMU will keep strengthening the promotion of the national common language and characters, establish a long-term service mechanism, and continuously provide barrier-free language and character services to greet the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China with meaningful results.
SOURCE: School of Special Education
BY: Zhang Junfang
