Two visually-impaired students try their luck in first Brailled UPCAT

Onel and Mark are best friends and together, they made history by being among the few visually impaired persons to take the first University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) published entirely in Braille.

 

Paul Onel Dumlao, 15, lives in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija while Mark Parcon, 16, resides in Bulacan. The two first met at a summer camp for the visually impaired, and have been inseparable ever since.

 

The UP Admissions office administered a handmade Braille exam before, but it was deemed confusing and therefore, unsuccessful. They also tried administering the test for the blind via dictation.

 

This year, they produced the first UPCAT exam booklet printed using an embosser.

Learning preferences

 

Onel, who earned Second Honors in his class, was motivated to try his luck at the UPCAT because of the better job opportunities that come from being a UP alumnus.

He was delighted when he found out he would take the UPCAT in Braille.

 

“Dahil Brailled na, mas maiintindihan kasi mas madali—lalo na sa reading comprehension, pwede mong balik-balikan,” Onel said in an interview on Friday. However, having figures or numbers in Braille are harder to visualize, he added.

Mark said he had a harder time using the Brailled test booklet because he preferred the dictation-type exam. Toward the end of exam, Mark asked the proctor to read the questionnaire for him.

 

“Dream ko makapagtapos sa isang magandang university para hopefully magkaroon ng magandang trabaho at makatulong ako sa family ko,” Mark said. 

 

Mark said he will also take the entrance exams at Bulacan State University and Trinity University of Asia.

While the UPCAT has been administered to persons with disabilities (PWDs) for decades now, a designated Special UPCAT was established only in 2008. The highest number of examinees was recorded in 2009, with 14 students.

 

This year, about eight PWDs took the Special UPCAT. 

 

Although the exam was “special,” a UP official who requested anonymity and who has administered the Special UPCAT for 10 years now, said the “special” status has some basis. Sahe said the examinees have a different test schedule and are provided for regarding their particular needs. Sometimes, the examinees also took longer to finish the exam.

Since 2008, there have been only three special exam-takers who qualified for acceptance at UP. 

 

“Some high-functioning PWDs or [those] with stellar autism or those confined to wheelchairs prefer to have the mainstream exam at di na kailangang mag special. It is their right to privacy kung ayaw nilang mag-identify with special needs,” she told GMA News Online on Friday.

“Ultimately, [the] UPCAT is competitive. ‘Pag may disability, mahirap talagang makipagsabayan especially for an exam that has a 17 percent passing rate. But, we are giving access into the competition,” The UP official said.