Rohmat Abdul Bashar, a blind student from the English Department at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), is helped by the innovation in the form of International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Chart Assistive Learning Media (I-CAN). This innovation was developed by a research team from various department at Udinus, with the aim of helping blind students learn phonetics and IPA symbols.
Rohmat admitted that he often struggled in studying Phonetics and Phonology. This is because it was difficult for him to recognize types of sound in the IPA table and diagram.
“The type of these sounds are often written differently than the conventional Latin alphabet. Even with the help of a screen reader, I was still struggling to understand the International Phonetic Alphabet,” Rohmat explained on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
From these NFC-based Braille Cards, Rohmat can finally recognize IPA symbols in English. In addition, he is also helped by a certain website, namely, at i-can.dinus.ac.id. The research concerning these braille cards also produced various outputs, including learning videos, an ISBN-registered book, and a lesson plan for an integrated learning system.
During his interview, taking place in the coding workshop located on the sixth floor of the H building, Rohmat revealed that the innovation was indeed a real solution to the problems he had faced, particularly the IPA that previously didn’t come with braille for blind people to learn.
“With this innovation, I can hear the sounds of the IPA alphabet, as well as its examples. Hopefully, this innovation can be further developed and put to good use for many people,” Rohmat uttered.
As additional information, the research was a product of collaboration between the English Department and the Informatics Department at Udinus. It was spearheaded by Dr. Raden Arief Nugroho, S.S., M.Hum., Anisa Larassati, S.S., M.Ling., Nina Setyaningsih, S.S., M.Hum., and Prof. Dr. Muljono, S.Si., M.Kom.
The research was also designed to be further developed on an international scale through collaboration with the Humboldt University of Berlin. The partnership was marked by an agreement made by two representatives from Udinus and the Humboldt University of Berlin, namely Dr. Sunardi, S.S., M.Pd.,—the Head of the English Department at Udinus—and Dr. Jozina Vaner Klok—an expert from the Humboldt University of Berlin. (Humas Udinus Alex. Foto: Humas Udinus)
