Source: Radio New Zealand
On the morning of his final NCEA exams, while most students flick straight to page one and start scribbling, Year 13 Hutt Valley High School student Toby Ireland begins by feeling the test.
His right hand hovers over rows of tiny raised dots; his left flies across a compact keyboard-like device. It’s a rhythm he’ll maintain for six hours —three for accounting, three for statistics — reading each question in Braille and typing his answers into a word processor and spreadsheet. When asked to ‘draw’ diagrams, he uses Braille Lego to create tactile versions, which are photographed and added to his answer sheet.
Every printed page of questions usually becomes three in Braille. Fixing a mistake or going back to check an answer means retracing every line on his device.
Toby Ireland can use Braille Lego to create tactile versions of diagrams.
Supplied / Robin Schofield
