TEACH Project strengthens inclusive education for visually impaired learners in Volta Region

The Technology Enhanced and Accessible Classrooms for Higher Impact (TEACH) Project is rolling out a year-long programme aimed at transforming digital learning for visually impaired students in the Volta Region.

The initiative, funded by the Aumund Foundation in Germany and Deutsches Blindenhilfswerk (DBHW) and implemented by the New Horizon Foundation of the Blind (NHFB), runs from September 2025 to August 2026 and covers schools in the Ho and Hohoe Municipalities as well as the Central Tongu District.

Project Lead Stephen Aflo said the intervention was developed to address long-standing inequalities faced by learners with visual impairments, noting that a lack of assistive devices, limited accessible learning materials and insufficient teacher training continue to impede academic progress for thousands of students nationwide. He said the project is designed to promote genuine inclusion by improving digital accessibility, strengthening teacher capacity and equipping schools with the necessary technology.

The project targets 100 visually impaired learners aged 10 to 23 and 60 teachers, including ICT teachers, classroom teachers and resource teachers, with indirect beneficiaries ranging from school leaders and parents to local assemblies and the Ghana Education Service. Beneficiary schools in Ho include Ho Kpodzi EP Basic School and Mawuli Senior High School, while Volta School for the Deaf and the Blind, Hohoe EP Basic School and Hohoe EP Senior High School are participating in Hohoe. Additional institutions such as Awakpedome Basic School and Adidome Senior High School in Central Tongu are also receiving support.

Mr Aflo explained that the team aims to equip six schools with laptops, tablets, desktop computers, projectors, printers, scanners, 3D printers and specialised software including NVDA, JAWS, magnifiers and OCR tools. A strong emphasis is being placed on teacher training, with ICT teachers being taught how to adapt the national ICT curriculum for visually impaired learners, while classroom teachers are being guided to incorporate accessible and inclusive teaching methods. Resource teachers are receiving further training in accessible computing and the creation of tactile diagrams and accessible textbooks.

Accessible content production is one of the major interventions of the TEACH Project. At least 25 textbooks will be converted into audio, large print, Braille-ready formats, accessible PDFs and Word documents, with tactile diagrams produced using 3D printing technology. This is expected to significantly expand learning opportunities for visually impaired students who rely heavily on adapted materials to succeed in school.

The programme also includes tailored digital literacy training to help learners use laptops, tablets and other digital tools independently for lessons and examinations. Mr Aflo said the goal is to build the confidence and independence of visually impaired learners by equipping them with modern digital skills.

Implementation began with stakeholder meetings and baseline data collection. Monitoring and evaluation will follow at baseline, midline and endline stages, with quarterly progress reports submitted to DBHW. The project is being delivered in strong collaboration with national and district partners, including the Ghana Education Service, GIFEC, the UHAS Information Access Centre, the Braille Press and the Ghana Blind Union.

Sustainability remains a key concern, especially regarding the maintenance of digital equipment. To ensure proper care, parents of learners receiving devices will sign responsibility agreements. The project is also engaging the Department of Social Welfare to draw support from the disability component of the District Assemblies Common Fund for equipment repairs and additional devices. Discussions with local assemblies and Members of Parliament are ongoing to mobilise further assistance.

Mr Aflo said the partnership with GIFEC is expected to support the long-term acquisition of devices for learners, while the collaboration with UHAS provides access to a high-quality digital training facility for teachers and students. He also urged teacher training institutions and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission to ensure that inclusive education principles are fully integrated into teacher preparation programmes.

He stated that every teacher graduating from Ghana’s universities and colleges should be equipped to teach learners with disabilities within mainstream classrooms.

The TEACH Project team expects that by the end of August 2026, participating schools will demonstrate stronger inclusion, improved digital learning systems and measurable gains in the academic performance and confidence of visually impaired learners across the region.

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