Belajar Fisika Anti Galau

THE INNOVATION OF PHYSICAL QUANTITY MEASURING INSTRUMENTS IN BRAILLE

 FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS

by: Delthawati Isti R, Rina Supriyani, Janu Arlinwibowo

Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta

Indonesia is a developing country that is currently being intensively promoted national development programs in various fields and aspects of life. In the Indonesian Constitution 1945 section 31 article 1 states that every citizen has equal opportunity to education. This shows that every citizen, including people with disabilities have the right education the same as people. That's what inspired the creation of education for all. No exception of students with visual impairment as other sighted people, need education to develop their potential optimally.

Science is a lesson that needs intellectual activity and understanding. The teacher needs media to help the visually impaired students for understanding the concepts easily. The visually impaired students have problem when they learn science because many content of science that need visual capability. Science is show from facts and the nature that have mathematics form though scientific method. As in curriculum, visually impaired students should be having competences to measure the physical quantities with measuring instruments. Such as measuring the length, mass, force, and volume which they are base concept to learn science.  It will be better if they can measure physical quantities their self in practical work. But in fact, the government less facilitate them to do practical work, because the instrument have not been capable for them. The teacher just explains the function, shape, and way to use them. So, they only learn science theoretically.

Measurement is process of comparing a quantity with other similar quantity that has already defined as a unit of measurement. People need measuring instrument to know the quantitative of physical quantity of object. The example of measuring instruments are the ruler for measuring length, spring balance for measuring force and mass, and graduated glass for measuring volume. So, measurement of the object will get the same value of physical quantities if people use measuring instrument. But, visually impaired students are difficult to read the value measured on the scale of measuring instrument because that scale is written with letter printing. From the interview with visually impaired students, they measure the physical quantities of object without use the measuring instrument such as span of hand, step of feet, and approximation.

Based on the problems, we make the innovation of measuring instruments that use Braille system on its scale for the visually impaired students. The products are Braille Ruler, Braille Spring Balance, and Braille Graduated Glass. So, they can measure the physical quantities their self in the practical work and apply in their life as sighted people. We hope with use the instruments will be improving their life skills. 

The impacts of measuring instruments in Braille for visually impaired students are:

1.    In the science learning, particularly for the chapter measurements will be real for visually impaired students. During this time, the size of the object is an abstract for the visually impaired student, in which they can change the units but they do not know the meaning of each of these units.

2.    The Braille measuring instruments in Braille can support the visually impaired students to master the competency standards that must be acquired by them in learning science, that is taking measurements and practical work their self directly. During these learning outcomes satisfy only the scope of basic competencies that are theoretically like to convert units and resolve problems in the matter. Whereas in each competency standards there are basic competencies oriented real measurements. The basic competence has not been achieved in the education process for visually impaired students.

3.    The Braille measuring instruments can reduce discrimination of the practical work in the inclusive schools.  Discrimination occurs in the practical work which the visually impaired students only introduced the instruments and they do not hand on activities. The tools available for the practical work are not compatible for the blind students. So they can do the practical work as well sighted students with using the Braille measuring instruments in science learning.

4.    The Braille measuring instruments help visually impaired students to develop psychomotor skills. The instruments can be used for many practical works that do the measurement activities in there. Such as measuring the length the object, measuring volume a substance, measuring density of objects, and other. During this time, the science learning only dominant in the sense of hearing that causing the visually impaired students is easy to forget the concepts explained by the teacher. But by using these instruments, they will get real experience and understand it clearly. They can also improve the science process skills in practical work.

5.  Using of the measuring instruments in Braille can improve the motivation of visually impaired students to learn science. The instruments make the gap between students and the visually impaired students have narrowed in practical work, they can be increasing their self-confidence. Based on testing of the instruments, the visually impaired students feel happy because they can take measurements directly, thus increasing their enthusiasm to learn more.

6.    The visually impaired can be autonomous to solve the problem in their daily life, because they can measure the mass, the length, and volume of the objects their self as sighted people.  

7.  The Salamanca Statement in chapter 1 reaffirmed that the world's commitment to education for all, recognizing the necessity and urgency of providing education for children, youth and adults with special educational needs within the regular education system. Accordingly with the Salamanca Statement, the existence of the measuring instruments in Braille are able to meet the learning needs of students with disabilities so they can feel the same educational facilities with normal students. This is consistent with the formulation of education for all.