Dr.
Liliana Mayo, founder of the Centro Ann Sullivan del Peru (CASP), a facility
that provides services to individuals with disabilities and their families,
made a surprise visit to WiderNet on April 3. Her organization was one of the
first in the world to receive a prototype eGranary with the Global Disabilities
Rights Library last year. Mayo was visiting The University of Iowa to host a
seminar titled “Empowering Marginalized Women and Girls in Rural Areas of Peru
Through Innovative Education” and stopped by to meet with WiderNet's Director
Cliff Missen for a discussion about the GDRL project and future plans for the
eGranary Digital Library.
Opening
points centered on how the eGranary has impacted members of the center.
“Parents are very eager to learn,” Mayo said. “This type of technology is great
for demonstration.” Patients at the centre in Lima and their families seemed to
learn best through video; the media capability of the eGranary has been the
most effective use of the eGranary for CASP so far. Cliff also shared some
capabilities with the eGranary Community Information Platform, demonstrating
how patients and staff members can upload their own media to the eGranary.
Other
topics of discussion included the creation of more Spanish language content for
the GDRL. Tomeka Petersen, WiderNet Partnerships Coordinator also attended the
short meeting and shared enthusiasm for more Spanish content in the
eGranary."WiderNet would love to have an opportunity to create a
partnership with CASP to develop a portal that would include all resources in
Spanish" Petersen said. Dr. Mayo was pleased to learn more about upcoming
WiderNet projects “There are many more opportunities for the use of this type
of technology, our center helps many people in villages without internet,” Mayo
said. She commented that the eGranary would be a useful learning tool for
people in rural areas in Peru and other Latin American countries.
WiderNet
thanks Dr. Mayo for her short visit and looks forward to working with her
organization in the future and continuing to expand operations in Latin America.