A WARRINGTON student has invented an ingenious toy designed specially for visually impaired and blind children.

Shafik Fara, aged 19, from Priestley College, was doing research for his design and technology course when he came up with the idea of a colourful 'Whale Boat'. The floating animal design has flashing lights, a sound hole and a squeezy figures. It proved popular with youngsters at Sycamore Lane Primary School who got the chance to try it out this week.

Shafik, who is hearing impaired, wrote to the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London for ideas on the design of the toy and came up with the prototype in just six months.

Teresa Dumencic, from the council's Learning Support Services, said: "Shafik wrote to us asking if he could test out the toy with visually impaired and blind children. It is colourful and has lots of detail that children love.

"I think its is great that Shafik has taken time out to design something for children with difficulties when he is hearing impaired.

"The children had a great time and I think you could say the testing went swimmingly."

His achievement is all the more remarkable because when he arrived in the country at aged 11, from the Yemen he hardly spoke a word of English.

Shafik said: "The children who have been testing it out have given me some ideas on how to better develop the design."

But the creative inventor has no plans to profit from his tactile toy.

"I have no plans to sell it. I really just created it for my project and for visually impaired and blind children."

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