Visually Impaired people in Macau

 

A slideshow of images of local Macau visually impaired people in their daily lives.

We all now can reach further.

Macau's Public Transport - Helping the Visually Impaired

 

By Kennis Lou, Andrew Cheung, and Lala Chan 

 

Leung Ka Chon, a volunteer at the Macau Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind, suffers from congenital glaucoma and lost his sight at the age of six. Previously, he almost never traveled alone in the city or went far from his home.

Getting around for Ka Chon and other visually impaired people in Macau is a big problem. The difficult is made worse because, even though Macau is not a big city, it is full of small hills, and stairways are found on many streets.  Facilities for the disable are limited.

 

A New Bus System to Help 

 

But the situation is getting better now. To promote Macau’s friendly image as an international tourist destination, the government is introducing various facilities to help the visually impaired.  These include traffic lights with sound devices, voice announcements on buses, and also a new system where the disabled users can obtain information about the buses through an electronic device which receives a signal transmitted from local buses.

A signal receiver

 

The new bus technology was imported by the DSAT, the Macau Transportation department, from Mainland China. The system is now effective on one route on a trial basis before covering all the bus lines. The measure not only helps the visually impaired, but also enhances the image of Macau.

It is easy to operate. The visually impaired person use a portable handheld device to receive signals from the transmitter on the bus, which provides information of the bus such as the route number, arrival time,  location, etc.

 

 

 

The manual of the device

 

 

Janet Leung Sut Mui, director of the Rehabilitation Centre, was invited to participate in the trial for the device. The transmitter on the bus sends a voice signal that the bus will soon arrive, letting the user prepare.  A voice prompt helps the passenger find the door.

Janet noted that the transmitter system has been wildly used in the neighboring Mainland Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and was pleased that DSAT had implemented the same system.

 

Associations Welcome the Action

 

According to Cheung Chi Pong, Director of Macau People with Visually Impaired Right Promotion Association (MPVIRPA), the device installed on buses will help the visually impaired better integrate into Macau society more easily. He urges the government to continue to support such steps, including moves by bus companies to strengthen the training of drivers to assist the visually impaired.

Cheung Chi Pong, Director of MPVIRPA

 

Since traveling by bus, even with the device, can still be challenging, support groups for the visually impaired also want the government to provide shuttle services to help them go to work or school.

 “The facilities for disabled in Macau have been very insufficient, said Ka Chon.  “Especially in places far away from the Rehabilitation Centre, they would get lost easily.” He added that while citizens living near his center are more familiar with the problems of the visually impaired and more willing to help them, the awareness of citizens is somewhat less in other areas.

 

 

Association representative test the new system

 

 

“The visually impaired never seen themselves as the “disabled,” Ka Chon said.  He is an optimistic guy. “I can’t see the beauty of the world, but I can devote more to it and make it a better place.” From radio and TV, Ka Chon realizes that, despite his disability, people in other parts of the world need more help than he does. "Living in a small city like Macau, we are still better off than people in many other places." This thought motivates him to teach other visually impaired to read braille and volunteer at old age homes and orphanages. 

 

Visually impaired can know when the buses come