Building Local Expertise in Asia

All of Perkins' partnerships center on empowering local agencies with the training and resources necessary to serve children who are deafblind or blind with additional disabilities. In Asia, Perkins coordinates a range of training programs that prepare teachers. We also develop trainings that bring together educators, administrators and parents in a shared effort to provide these children with educational opportunities. Perkins provides training opportunities to nearly 2,200 teachers and staff members in Asia each year at schools, community centers and governmental ministries.   

Perkins collaborates with numerous schools and agencies across India on exemplary programs: 

Teachers practice deafblind communication strategies at an early childhood training, Indonesia

• In partnership with the Blind People's Association, Perkins organizes trainings in more than 10 satellite programs to provide services to children Gujarat State. 
• Perkins assisted the creation of and continues to support a dynamic program, Voice and Vision: National Training and Resource Center for Children with Visual and Multiple Disabilities, including deafblindness. 
• In southern India, Perkins partners with the Spastic Society of Tamil Nadu on training programs.

Perkins collaborates with the Chinese Ministry of Education and the China National Institute for Educational Research. In 2001, we co-founded the country's first training programs for teachers of children with multiple disabilities in preschool children who are blind. In 2006, our combined efforts resulted in the National Congress on Early Childhood and Multihandicapped Education for Visually Impaired Children. This event was the first national forum for teachers, parents, school administrators and government officials to discuss quality education programs for these children. From 2001-2006, these programs professionally prepared more than 90 educators. 

Other examples of training activities include:

• In collaboration with Voice and Vision and the Blind People's Association of India, providing a three-week multiple disability training to community field workers. Participants attended from regions in India where services are limited, as well as Nepal. 
• Working with Helen Keller International in Indonesia on a multi-year project to train teachers on topics including communication, deafblindness, orientation and mobility, and activities of daily living
• Co-sponsoring early intervention training in Vietnam and low-vision training in India and the Philippines with Christoffel-Blindenmission
• Co-sponsoring a series of early childhood trainings in China with the Amity Foundation 
• Through Voice and Vision, conducting master teacher trainings for educators from throughout India

Perkins sponsors participants from several Asian countries to participate in Perkins' Educational Leadership Program (ELP). Asian graduates have come from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Regional Activities

Perkins' partners have built regional networks to exchange expertise, share strategies and match resources.  Perkins regularly sponsors provincial, national and regional conferences to promote this networking.    

• In India, Voice and Vision conducted awareness workshops with the Indian Institute for Cerebral Palsy.
• Teachers and parents from the Philippines have visited model programs in Asia. Study visit sites include the Helen Keller Institute for the Deaf and Deafblind, the National Association for the Blind, the Blind People's Association in Ahmedabad, Clarke School for the Deaf, Spastic Society of Tamil Nadu in India, as well as programs in Hong Kong and Thailand. 
• Perkins supported several Asian partners to attend the 2006 International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment International Conference in Malaysia.  Additionally, parents from China, India and the Philippines joined over 600 people in workshops and seminars. 
• The second annual Asian Deafblind International Conference, held in Bangladesh in 2006, was another significant event marked by the participation of Perkins' partners.  Over 250 teachers and parents attended the conference to exchange ideas on topics such as early education methods for children. 
• Voice and Vision is working with the government of the State of Andhra Pradesh to provide comprehensive training to all of the disability community coordinators in every district of the state.

Developing University Training Programs

Perkins collaborates with several universities and teacher training programs in Asia to provide formal and rigorous pre-service training in the field of deafblind and multihandicapped education. Perkins collaborates with programs at:

• Clarke School for the Deaf, Chennai, India
• Helen Keller Institute for the Deaf and Deafblind, Mumbai, India
• Rajabhat Institute Suan Dusit, Bangkok, Thailand
• University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao, Philippines
• Philippine Normal University, Manila, Philippines
• Cebu Normal University, Cebu, Philippines

These programs train at least 180 professionals across Asia each year, preparing them to effectively work with children who are deafblind or blind with additional disabilities. New university initiatives are also beginning in China and university faculty participate in trainings we sponsor in Vietnam.

Learn more about our other programs in Asia