Feb 2023 New: Abacus for the Blind and 3 Useful Benefits of the Soroban

Visually challenged people have to face so many issues with pretty much everything that they do. And while the soroban is by no means a complete solution to the problem, it contributes in the little ways that it can. Learning the abacus for the blina dds a new skill to your overall skill set. This means that you now know one extra thing that you can confidently do. The sheer confidence boost that having an extra skill that you are good at gives, can be otherworldly.

I'm the author of this article and I'm a qualified abacus teacher, answering questions from around the world online abacus and various questions from online-soroban.com students.

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Abacus has almost become a revolution in today’s world. People are learning it for various different uses. Some are in it for the mathematical aspect. Some like the discipline that it helps build. Some are there for psychological relaxation and some for their own completely different reason. The bottom line being, there are different reasons for which people learn to use the abacus. A great thing about the soroban is that it is haptic and tangible in nature. Unlike most things and ideas in maths, the abacus can actually be touched, which is actually what makes it great for the visually challenged. Let us learn more here.

1-1.How Can Visually Impaired Individuals Learn Math With Abacus Tools Made for the Blind?

"Before we can begin learning the abacus, it is important that we have the basic foundational skills to tackle the subject matter of the abacus. Ensure that you have the following skills: 1) Solid understanding of addition concepts 2) Knowledge of the place value system 3) Ability to define terms in problems Crammer abacus is an entire soroban that is designed for blind students. One major thing that we should keep in mind is that the abacus is not a calculator. It should be thought of as pencil and paper used by the non-blind. A great thing about the soroban is that it can be felt with the hands. It works to a great extent like braille, only it has moving parts. This should not actually be a problem because the basics of the abacus revolve around moving the beads. The horizontal bar on the soroban separates the top beads from the bottom beads. Each of the top beads is worth five while each of the bottoms is worth one. When moved up, the bottom beads are counted, while the top beads are counted when moved down. When all beads are moved, each column of the abacus will stand for nine. This is where the place value system kicks in. Starting from the right, each column represents one place value each, which basically means that the rightmost column is ones, the one next to it is tens, the one next to it, hundreds, and so on. Learning the abacus is one of the easier things for the visually challenged to learn because of the physical nature of the object.

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1-2.Abacus for the Blind and Helping the Blind With Grocery Shopping

"Our bodies are our real wealth. Even the simplest of tasks can feel really hard when our bodies do not function properly. Grocery shopping can be one of those activities that can feel quite hard without our natural windows to the world. Fret not though! Here we introduce some tips to help the blind shop around: 1) Ready a list beforehand: The first and foremost thing you should do is before you even start your journey to the market, sit down and carefully make a list of all the items you need. It could be a voice note or braille note, however, you like it. Just make a note of everything to be done. We are trying to avoid having to run back to the market because you forgot something important to bring. 2) Talk to the customer helpers: Grocery stores usually have a few people around whose sole job is to help customers out. These people are perfect to ask for help locating items on shelves and finding different departments based on your needs. Present the note we mentioned in the first tip to them and they should be happy to guide you through. 3) Pay using digital methods: One of the hardest things of a shopping errand can be handling coins and cash. The simple solution would be to either use a wallet app or pay using a card at the counter. This way you do not have to worry about coins and cash and the cashier will also be happy to help you bill faster.

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1-3. Building Their Confidence With the Abacus for the Blind

"Abacus learning doesn’t have to be a solo process. In fact, learning anything doesn’t have to be a solo process. There are soroban learning groups that people can join and learn in a group environment. This helps in building social skills and fighting loneliness which can oftentimes sweep our lives. Use the connections you make and develop them into proper friendships. They will surely be helpful in one way or another. Lastly, the abacus is after all a mathematical device. So naturally, regularly using the abacus will help not only with the other things we mentioned but also with building your mathematical sense. It helps improve your IQ and allows you to make better decisions for yourself. And that is something to be proud of, after all, making decisions - and good decisions at that is one the hardest things we can do. Being mathematically trained you will also be able to calculate things faster in your head which will help when you can’t use pen and paper.

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Overall  
We understand that life can be a bit harsh when one is visually challenged. But we have to understand that life is not one giant battle. It is rather a series of small battles. We should utilize this fact and enjoy the little breaks in between. We’re not saying it will be easy, but that it won’t all be hard. Learning a new skill such as the soroban will be hugely helpful in taking your mind off the negativity, and the negative people who keep trying to put you down. Instead, you will gain practical and useful skills that will help you in daily life.