LOFOB Director gets his PhD
AFTER his guidance teacher told him he would never go to university, the thought stuck in the back of Armand Bam’s head and he carried it with him throughout his academic career.
Now Dr Bam, who graduated with his PhD in philosophy in business studies at Stellenbosch University this week, is using his skill to lend a helping hand at the League of Friends of the Blind (Lofob) and further their academic pursuits.
Bam, who grew up in Grassy Park, is the director at Lofob and said his goal now was to expand the number of educators available to teach the blind.
“According to our understanding there are just over 50 qualified orientation and mobility instructors nationally. There are approximately 1.4 million blind and visually impaired people in South Africa. We are proud to say that the time of restricted services has come to an end.
“The organisation this year started a new chapter and received status as a training institution accredited with Education Training and Development Practices.
“Lofob is in the process of rolling out a national diploma in orientation and mobility practices,” said Bam.
He added that Lofob would now offer short courses to blind and impoverished individuals to enhance the training and development of blind and visually impaired people.
Bam said he was extremely passionate about the future of education for persons with disabilities and had employed a number of strategies to ensure access to mainstream education opportunities for blind and visually impaired children, youth and adults.
The centre celebrates 85 years of service this year and hopes to keep expanding on its services to the visually impaired through Bam’s leadership.