The Community Service Student Creativity Program (PKM-PM) implemented by Undiksha Students was successfully implemented at SLB Negeri 1 Tabanan. The program is Voice-Assisted Balinese Script Relief (Reaksi) to Empower Blind Children in Balinese Script Literacy at SLB Negeri 1 Tabanan. This program was implemented to help with the problems of learning Balinese, especially Balinese script.
Learning Balinese script was never previously taught because teachers had difficulty finding appropriate teaching strategies due to the limitations of blind children. Teachers also have difficulty using the right media to teach Balinese script. Based on these problems, the school finally discussed with the PKM-PM team and agreed to hold a training program for writing Balinese scripts using voice-assisted reactions.
The training stages are adapted to the learning style of blind children, namely touching and listening. The training starts with feeling reactions, then getting to know the forms of reactions, reading simple words using sound-assisted reactions such as combining two character boxes, for example, “ka” and “ca” so that they can be read ” glass”, and then write Balinese script on special paper covered with Kasur thread. The training involved 4 teachers at SLB Negeri 1 Tabanan related to discussions and knowledge sharing on how to teach Balinese script to blind children using voice-assisted reaction media. Next, it continues with the mentoring stage, namely the teacher trains blind children.
This activity is to support Bali Governor Regulation Number 80 of 2018 concerning the Protection and Use of Balinese Language, Script, and Literature as well as the Implementation of Balinese Language Month, more precisely in article 7 which states that Balinese Language Month can be held by Traditional Villages, educational institutions, private sector and/ or Society. This means that in preserving Balinese script, schools can preserve Balinese script by organizing Balinese Language Month. Article 8 relates to the Balinese Language Month as intended in Article 7 paragraph (1) which is held in the form of festivals, competitions, exhibitions, performances, seminars, and other relevant activities involving the community. Of course, the implementation of Balinese Language Month in schools can be realized with a Balinese script writing competition held by blind children to increase their competitive spirit. The Balinese script writing competition will be an activity that can be realized in preserving the Balinese script.
The Balinese script writing competition was successfully realized by blind children and 9 people participated. The final result was that 3 blind children produced very good writing, 4 blind children produced good writing, and 2 people produced quite good writing. These results show an increase in the Balinese literacy of blind children in writing and reading simple words using the Balinese script.
