A research team consisting of lecturers in the English Department at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) developed a Braille system as International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Chart Assistive Learning Media (I-CAN). The research served as a response to difficulties experienced by blind students in the Phonetics and Phonology class.
Not only that, this research also involved a lecturer from the Informatics Department at Udinus, namely, Dr. Muljono, S.Si., M.Kom. The research project was led by Dr. Raden Arief Nugroho, S.S., M.Hum., with three other members, including Anisa Larassati, S.S., M.Ling., Nina Setyaningsih, S.S., M.Hum., and Dr. Muljono, S.Si., M.Kom.
Dr. Raden Arief, the team leader and the Dean of the Humanities Faculty at Udinus, explained the main problems in the Phonetics and Phonology class. This is because this specific field of study includes types of language sounds in the form of a table and the International Phonetic Alphabets (IPA) diagram.
“The alphabets are completely different from conventional ones. Our blind students still cannot recognize them despite using screen reader devices,” he explained.
The research is entitled ‘The Development of the IPA Chart Assistive Learning Media (I-Can) as an Assistive Learning Medium of International Phonetics Alphabet (IPA) for Blind Students.’ The research also produces several outputs, encompassing braille cards equipped with NFC to show the IPA symbol in English.
“To simplify the database access, we also developed the website, which can be accessed at i-can.dinus.ac.id. We have also added learning materials in the form of videos and books, as well as Lesson Plans for the Phonetics and Phonology class,” Dr. Raden Arief uttered.
Anisa Larassati, one of the researchers, added that the research had been conducted for six months. The funding for the research was earned from the 2024 Innovative Assistant of Learning and Technology to Aid Students with Disabilities Funding Program. The provided fund is accumulated at millions of rupiah, and the fund has so far been allocated to various development processes.
“Thus far, the problem lies in the development of the braille system, which currently is under a long refinement process. Hopefully, the outputs of this research will be able to be used in the long term by blind students to learn the IPA, particularly in English,” she concluded.
Penelitian juga dirancang untuk dikembangkan dalam skala internasional melalui kerja sama dengan Humboldt University of Berlin. Kerja sama itu juga ditandai dengan perjanjian kerja sama antara perwakilan kedua pihak. Yakni melalui Ketua Program Sarjana Bahasa Inggris Udinus, Dr. Sunardi, S.S., M.Pd., dan pakar dari Humboldt University of Berlin, Dr. Jozina Vaner Klok. (Humas Udinus/Haris. Foto: Dok. FIB Udinus)
