Nonprofit inABLE Announces STEM Education Research Partnership with Georgia Institute of Technology

ATLANTA, GA, August 28, 2010 (Press-News.org) Three Georgia Institute of Technology scientists are headed to Nairobi, Kenya this October to set up a five to ten year research project in accessible STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education as a result of a new collaborative partnership with an Atlanta-based nonprofit, inABLE - http://www.inable.org.

Bruce Walker, Ph.D. from the School of Psychology at Georgia Institute of Technology is spearheading this Kenya educational joint venture with inABLE and other colleagues to extend ongoing research into Africa. He explains: "The potential to do important research and meaningful development makes Kenya a perfect location for this project. While the results of this work will hopefully have both immediate and long-term impacts in Africa, it is important to keep in mind that our findings and developments overseas will also have great applications right here in the US."

inABLE founder Irene Mbari-Kirika sees long-reaching benefits as a result of studying the deployment and use of technology to help deliver curriculum to the blind and visually impaired. In addition to providing the blind and visually impaired with access to the same educational, technological, and employment opportunities as the non-disabled, this assistive technology can also be used to deliver complicated math and science concepts that visual learners may take for granted, such as graphs, charts, etc.

"Our partnership with the Georgia Tech team will allow us to better select the best tools and methods to quickly deploy assistive technology," notes Ms. Mbari-Kirika. "In the long term, the results of this research will be an invaluable tool for policy setting, not only for inABLE and Kenya, but Africa and the rest of the world."

Presently, inABLE, is actively fundraising to provide Africa's blind and visually impaired students with convenient access to life-changing computer-based educational tools. In September, Ms. Mbari-Kirika will visit Kenya to kick-off the inABLE "Adopt a Computer Lab" Fundraiser, meet with school leaders and potential sponsors, and visit inABLE's very first assistive computer lab at the Thika Primary School for the Blind.

For more information about inABLE go to www.inable.org.

inABLE envisions a day when blind and visually impaired students - all over Africa and beyond - have convenient access to life-changing computer-based educational tools.

To become a Facebook fan visit http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/InABLE/113056482080608?ref=ts.