UNIPMA – A team of lecturers from Universitas PGRI Madiun (UNIPMA) has implemented MyWay assistive technology to help visually impaired students at SLB Krida Utama 2 Loceret, Nganjuk, move more independently. The technology serves as a navigation aid while also supporting students’ safety during activities in the school environment.

The community service team, consisting of Dr. Ratih Christiana, M.Pd., Dr. Suharni, S.Pd., M.Psi., Pramudya Ardi, S.Pd., M.Pd., Vara Diva Frisca Karinma, and Mutsaqodul Fikri, tailored the implementation of MyWay to meet the students’ mobility needs.

The head of the UNIPMA community service team, Dr. Ratih Christiana, M.Pd., said the program aims to reduce visually impaired students’ dependence on assistance from teachers and parents.

“This program is intended to help visually impaired students become more independent in their mobility and reduce their dependence on assistance from parents and teachers,” she said on Thursday (Aug. 27).

The team began the program by coordinating with the partner institution on April 22, April 26, and July 1, 2026. The team then held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on July 3 to map out needs and assess the accessibility and mobility of visually impaired students.

A socialization session on the use of MyWay was held on July 10, involving supervising teachers and parent representatives. Before entering the mentoring stage, the team conducted further coordination online on July 14 and 17.

On July 24, 2026, the team provided direct assistance to visually impaired students in using MyWay. The activity also involved supervising teachers and parents to ensure that the technology was utilized according to the students’ needs while receiving support from the school and family environments.

The series of activities concluded with the preparation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for mobility and the safety of assistive technology on August 7, 2026. The SOPs serve as guidelines for the school to use MyWay safely and consistently.

The program, titled “Implementation of MyWay as a Navigation Aid and Security System for Visually Impaired Students in Special Schools,” is part of the Community Partnership Empowerment Program (PKM), funded by the Directorate of Research, Technology, and Community Service (DPPM) of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) for the 2026 fiscal year.

Dr. Ratih Christiana, M.Pd., hopes that the use of MyWay can continue and provide broader benefits for visually impaired students at other schools.

“We hope that this program can continue to be implemented consistently and that the device can also be utilized by visually impaired students at other special schools,” she said.