Taiwan's first meridian acupuncture point CD database system will help the visually impaired learn acupressure points more easily and improve their competitiveness in the massage industry.
Visually handicapped people, who usually learn the meridian acupuncture points throughout the body by listening to tapes over and over again to commit the information to memory, are now able to learn about the points in an interactive manner. The database system was released earlier this week by the Technology Development Association for the Disabled, which is providing the CDs free of charge.
According to Zhang Cang-bin, who is visually disabled, before the new system was developed, it was very difficult for blind people who wanted to join the massage industry, which currently involves about 80 percent of the visually disabled people in Taiwan, to learn about massage and the acupressure points in a convenient and rapid manner, as they could only rely on teachers to describe to them the various meridian acupuncture points.
Zhang added that learners typically record instructors' lectures and then remember them through rote memorization. When they put their hands on people to become familiar with the various pressure points, they must rely on sighted people to tell them the name of each specific pressure point.
The CD database of meridian acupuncture points has been made possible through financial assistance provided by the Council of Labor Affairs' Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training. Funds from the public welfare lottery were also used to develop the CDs. The 361 pressure points along 12 meridians on the body are described in the CDs.
All students need to have is a computer and a touch screen to check out the various meridians, the number of pressure points, as well as the nature of the various points throughout the body. In addition, students can select whether to communicate with the computer through speech or by the touch screen.
Yang Sheng-hong, secretary general of the Technology Development Association for the Disabled in Taiwan, said more people who see normally will start working in the massage industry, providing competition to the visually disabled. As a result, Yang said, it is important for the visually handicapped to continue to boost their knowledge and skills. The newly developed CDs will be of great assistance to the visually disabled, he noted, adding that the CD system is easy to use even for people who are not overly familiar with computers.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times May 18.)