Braille literacy

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A sighted child who is reading at a basic level should be able to understand common words and answer simple questions about the information presented. [1] They should also have enough fluency to get through the material in a timely manner. Over the course of a child's education, these foundations are built on to teach higher levels of math, science, and comprehension skills. [1] Children who are blind not only have the education disadvantage of not being able to see: they also miss out on the very fundamental parts of early and advanced education if not provided with the necessary tools.

Contents

Statistics

In 1960, 50 percent of legally blind school-age children in the United States were able to read braille. [2] [3] There are numerous causes for the decline in braille usage, including school budget constraints, technology advancement, and different philosophical views over how blind children should be educated. [4]

A major turning point for braille literacy was the passage by the United States Congress of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which moved thousands of children from specialized schools for the blind into mainstream public schools. [3] Because only a small percentage of public schools could afford to train and hire braille-qualified teachers, braille literacy has declined since the law took effect. [3]

In 1998-99 there were approximately 55,200 legally blind children in the United States, but only 5,500 of them used braille as their primary reading medium. [5] [6] Early braille education is crucial to literacy for a visually impaired child. A study conducted in the state of Washington found that people who learned braille at an early age did just as well as, if not better than, their sighted peers in several areas, including vocabulary and comprehension. In the preliminary adult study, it was found that 44 percent of the participants who had learned to read braille were unemployed, compared to the 77 percent unemployment rate of those who had learned to read using print. [7]

Currently, 90 percent of employed blind people are Braille literate. [8] Among adults who do not know braille, only 1 in 3 is employed. [3] Statistically, history has proven that braille reading proficiency provides an essential skill set that allows visually impaired children not only to compete with their sighted peers in a school environment, but also later in life as they enter the workforce. [4]

Programs

Braille Instruction at Hadley

Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired is the largest educator of braille as well as the largest worldwide provider of distance education for people who are blind or visually impaired. Braille literacy has been a priority for Hadley since its founding in 1920, and to this day, braille courses are still the most popular. During the 2010 fiscal year, Hadley enrolled nearly 3,400 students in braille reading and writing courses alone (combined sighted and blind students). Hadley currently offers 14 braille courses taught by 11 highly trained instructors. Nine courses are focused on tactile learners, and Hadley also provides five courses for sighted individuals, including families and professionals in the field.

Hadley School has advanced the use of braille in a number of ways over the years, including being one of the first institutions to use the Thermoform Duplicator, which copies braille from paper to a Brailon (a sheet of durable plastic), and one of the first to use a computer-driven, high-speed braille printer. Hadley produces more than 50,000 braille pages each year, supplementing mass brailling done offsite. For a fee, Hadley provides braille transcription services in accordance with the Braille Authority of North America. Transcribers are certified by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

NLS Braille Certification Program

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress has contracted with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to offer a certificate of proficiency for braille transcribers and proofreaders who are interested in working in their communities to produce braille materials for blind people. Certified braille volunteers transcribe material into braille that is used by state departments of special education, NLS, and libraries that distribute books and magazines through the NLS program. These volunteers complete a detailed course of braille transcribing and provide essential materials in the advancement of braille literacy. [9]

The NLS also offers a broad range of braille literacy information and resources including braille books, software, and other material intended to assist with the production of braille. They provide educational resources for instructors who teach braille as well as those who are interested in learning to read and write braille.

Dots for Tots

The Dots for Tots program aims to engage and strengthen the senses of a visually impaired child. This is important to get them prepared for reading and interested in literacy. [10] The free program offers free books and kits to promote literacy among blind children of preschool and early elementary age. The dots in this program are very important and parallel with the literacy requirements of a sighted child learning their ABCs. It also helps grab a blind child's interest in the same way that a picture book encourages literacy for a sighted child. [11]

The program equips schools and educators with the tools to ensure that children who are blind receive the same quality of education that their sighted peers do. It helps remove education barriers as well as ease the fears that many children have of facing school with a handicap. [12]

This program provides visually impaired children with books that have been printed in braille. Children are able to follow along with the rest of their classmates when reading popular children's books in libraries, at home, or in a school environment. Dots for Tots provide a kit that includes the children's book in braille, a tape with a professional descriptive narration with sound effects, and a set of three-dimensional toys that allow them to understand the importance of visualizing stories with their fingers. [13]

Connecting the Dots

The American Foundation for the Blind offers the Connecting the Dots resource for parents to promote early braille literacy. The program provides a folder containing fact sheets about braille, resource lists, and information for parents about braille, organizations that promote braille literacy, sources of braille books and magazines, adapted materials, and other information intended to promote literacy development. [14]

Instant Access to Braille

The Instant Access to Braille program, supported through US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs CFDA 84.00327A, provides blind and visually impaired students with access to learning materials in braille to support braille literacy efforts in general education classrooms. This program provides portable braille note-taking devices to students to train students as well as assist educators, parents, and school administrators overcome the barriers of teaching special needs children and ensuring that students receive the equivalent education opportunities that sighted children receive. The program also provides assistance with converting their printed learning materials into electronic format so that visually impaired students are not at disadvantaged in the school environment. The Instant Access program is intended to assist students in grades 3-10 that use New York State curriculum and is focused on academics related mainly to Social Studies. [15]

Braille Challenge

The Braille Challenge is an annual two-stage competition to motivate blind students to emphasize their study of braille. [16] The program parallels the importance and education purpose of a spelling bee for sighted children. In the competition, students transcribe and read braille using a Perkins Brailler. Their speed and accuracy, reading comprehension, ability to decode charts and graphs, and spelling are tested. [17]

Twin Vision books

The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults provides specially-made "Twin Vision" children's books with both braille and written English. [18] The dual encoding allows both adults and children who are visually impaired to read along with a person who is not visually impaired. [19]

Twin Vision books are also provided by Braille House to the whole of Australia

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braille</span> Tactile writing system

Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone devices. Braille can be written using a slate and stylus, a braille writer, an electronic braille notetaker or with the use of a computer connected to a braille embosser.

Perkins School for the Blind, in Watertown, Massachusetts, was founded in 1829 and is the oldest school for the blind in the United States. It has also been known as the Perkins Institution for the Blind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blindness and education</span> Education of students with vision impairment

The subject of blindness and education has included evolving approaches and public perceptions of how best to address the special needs of blind students. The practice of institutionalizing the blind in asylums has a history extending back over a thousand years, but it was not until the 18th century that authorities created schools for them where blind children, particularly those more privileged, were usually educated in such specialized settings. These institutions provided simple vocational and adaptive training, as well as grounding in academic subjects offered through alternative formats. Literature, for example, was being made available to blind students by way of embossed Roman letters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braille music</span> Braille form of musical notation

Braille music is a braille code that allows music to be notated using braille cells so music can be read by visually impaired musicians. The system was incepted by Louis Braille.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visual impairment</span> Decreased ability to see

Visual or vision impairment is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficulties with normal daily tasks, including reading and walking. The terms low vision and blindness are often used for levels of impairment which are difficult or impossible to correct and significantly impact daily life. In addition to the various permanent conditions, fleeting temporary vision impairment, amaurosis fugax, may occur, and may indicate serious medical problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Accessible Information System</span> Technical standard for digital audiobooks, periodicals and computerized text

Digital accessible information system (DAISY) is a technical standard for digital audiobooks, periodicals, and computerized text. DAISY is designed to be a complete audio substitute for print material and is specifically designed for use by people with print disabilities, including blindness, impaired vision, and dyslexia. Based on the MP3 and XML formats, the DAISY format has advanced features in addition to those of a traditional audiobook. Users can search, place bookmarks, precisely navigate line by line, and regulate the speaking speed without distortion. DAISY also provides aurally accessible tables, references, and additional information. As a result, DAISY allows visually impaired listeners to navigate something as complex as an encyclopedia or textbook, otherwise impossible using conventional audio recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Federation of the Blind</span> American nonprofit organization

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is an organization of blind people in the United States. It is the oldest and largest organization led by blind people in the United States. Its national headquarters are in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Books for the Blind Program is an initiative of the United States National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) which provides audio recordings of books free of charge to people who are blind or visually impaired. The program has included audio recordings of books since 1934 and digital book efforts began in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadley (non-profit organization)</span>

Hadley, formerly Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired, is an American non-profit, based in Winnetka, Illinois. It offers instruction and classes for individuals who have lost their vision or are blind.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) is a free library program of braille and audio materials such as books and magazines circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States and American citizens living abroad by postage-free mail and online download. The program is sponsored by the Library of Congress. People may be eligible if they are blind, have a visual disability that prevents them from reading normal print, or a physical disability that keeps them from holding a book. Library materials are distributed to regional and subregional libraries and then circulated to eligible patrons. In total there are 55 regional libraries, 32 subregional libraries, and 14 advisory and outreach centers serving the United States and its territories: the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

Braille technology is assistive technology which allows blind or visually impaired people to read, write, or manipulate braille electronically. This technology allows users to do common tasks such as writing, browsing the Internet, typing in Braille and printing in text, engaging in chat, downloading files and music, using electronic mail, burning music, and reading documents. It also allows blind or visually impaired students to complete all assignments in school as the rest of their sighted classmates and allows them to take courses online. It enables professionals to do their jobs and teachers to lecture using hardware and software applications. The advances in Braille technology are meaningful because blind people can access more texts, books, and libraries, and it also facilitates the printing of Braille texts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Associated Services for the Blind</span> American non-profit organization

The Associated Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired (ASB) is a private non-profit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It assists those living with vision loss to achieve independence through education, support services to advance necessary skills, and community connections. ASB collaborates with local, regional and national partners to provide additional resources and opportunities to clients.

Dancing Dots Braille Music Technology is an American company based in Philadelphia founded in 1992 to develop and adapt music technology for the blind. Its founder, Bill McCann, is a blind musician. Among the products it offers are several programs that produce a musical version of Braille by converting print musical notation, allowing blind musicians access to the scores used by their sighted counterparts. The company also offers programs that aid blind musicians in transcribing their compositions to Braille. Dancing Dots created the latter products to help speed the process of Braille transcription for blind composers, who might otherwise have to wait between two weeks and six months to have their compositions transcribed by one of the less than one hundred certified Braille music transcribers in the United States.

The Braille Challenge is an annual two-stage Braille literacy competition designed to motivate blind students to emphasize their study of Braille. The program parallels with the importance and educational purpose of a spelling bee for sighted children. Braille is a reading and writing method that breaks language into a code of raised dots. There are three grades of braille:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired</span> School in Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States

The New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a state special education school with a residential campus in Alamogordo, New Mexico and a preschool in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It operates outreach programs throughout the state.

Christian Record Services for the Blind is a non-profit organization that serves people who are legally blind and visually impaired. "Christian Record Services for the Blind is an international organization serving blind and visually impaired individuals in approximately 70 countries worldwide and employs about 15 people." It is a ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church but services blind people regardless of beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braille Institute of America</span> Nonprofit organization

The Braille Institute of America (BIA) is a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Los Angeles providing programs, seminars and one-on-one instruction for the visually impaired community in Southern California. Funded almost entirely by private donations, all of the institute's services are provided completely free of charge. The organization has seven regional centers: Anaheim, Coachella Valley, Laguna Hills, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and Santa Barbara, as well as outreach programs at more than 200 locations throughout Southern California. It is a member of the Braille Authority of North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lighthouse of Houston</span> US non-profit organization

The Lighthouse of Houston is a private, non-profit education and service center dedicated to assisting blind and visually impaired people in the Houston, Texas, United States metropolitan area to live independently. The Lighthouse serves approximately 9,000 people each year and is a member agency of the United Way of Greater Houston.

The Council of Schools and Services for the Blind (COSB) is a consortium of specialized schools in Canada and the United States whose major goal is improving the quality of services to children who are blind and visually impaired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraldine Lawhorn</span> American deafblind woman, performer, actress and pianist

Geraldine Jerrie Lawhorn was a figure of the American deafblind community, a performer, actress, pianist, then instructor at the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired. At 67 years old, she became the first deafblind African American to earn a college degree in the United States of America.

References

  1. 1 2 Dr. Grover (Russ) Whitehurst, Research: Evidence Based Education Science and the Challenge of Learning to Read, archived from the original on 2009-02-07, retrieved 2009-04-20, The Children of the Code is a Social Education Project and a Public Television Series intended to catalyze and resource a social-educational transformation in how we think about and, ultimately, teach reading
  2. ↑ American Foundation for the Blind: Programs and Policy Research, "Estimated Number of Adult Braille Readers in the United States", International Braille Research Center (IBRC), archived from the original on 2013-05-18, retrieved 2009-04-15{{citation}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ranalli, Ralph (2008-01-05), "A Boost for Braille", The Boston Globe, archived from the original on 2016-03-03, retrieved 2009-04-17
  4. 1 2 Riles, Ruby, "The Impact of Braille Reading Skills on Employment, Income, Education, and Reading Habits", Braille Research Center, archived from the original on 2009-05-28, retrieved 2009-04-15
  5. ↑ American Printing House for the Blind (A.P.H.) (1999), APH maintains an annual register of legally blind persons in educational settings below the college level, archived from the original on 2019-12-03, retrieved 2009-04-15
  6. ↑ Ebnet, Matthew (2001-06-30), "Braille Challenge Gives Young Blind Students a Chance to Shine", The Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 2012-07-15, retrieved 2009-04-15
  7. ↑ Riles Ph.D., Ruby (2004), "Research Study: Early Braille Education Vital", Future Reflections, archived from the original on 2008-08-29, retrieved 2009-04-15
  8. ↑ Vernon, Tim. "Is Braille Relevant in 2017?". Perkins School for the Blind. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  9. ↑ Service, National Library (2006), "About Braille", NLS Factsheets (May), archived from the original on 2009-05-02, retrieved 2009-04-28
  10. ↑ Lamb, Gayle (1998), "Dots for Tots: Emergent Literacy and Braille Reading", British Journal of Visual Impairment, 16 (3): 111–115, doi:10.1177/026461969801600306, S2CID   144301760
  11. ↑ Witsenhausen, Laura (2004), "Braille Program Helps Local Student", Pacific Palisades Post
  12. ↑ Whittaker, Martin (1999), "Dots for tots: Special needs", TES Magazine, archived from the original on 2011-06-10, retrieved 2009-05-29
  13. ↑ Braille Institute of America, Dots for Tots: Multi-sensory Books, archived from the original on 2009-05-02, retrieved 2009-05-29
  14. ↑ Blind, American Foundation for the, Connecting the Dots, archived from the original on 2008-12-01, retrieved 2009-05-29
  15. ↑ University Of Buffalo: Public Health and Health Professions (2005), "Instant Access to Braille", Center for Assistive Technology, archived from the original on 2009-05-11, retrieved 2009-05-29
  16. ↑ "A Fun-Filled Literacy Competition for Students", Freedom Scientific, 6 (4), 2008, archived from the original on 2009-08-02, retrieved 2009-04-17
  17. ↑ Goodwin, Juliana (2008), "Seeing the World By Touch", News-Leader (July), archived from the original on 2009-08-02, retrieved 2009-04-24
  18. ↑ Tracey, William R. (2016-04-19). The Human Resources Glossary, Third Edition: The Complete Desk Reference for HR Executives, Managers, and Practitioners. CRC Press. ISBN   9781420025316. Archived from the original on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  19. ↑ Colker, David (2 June 2014). "Jean Norris, creator of Twin Vision books for the blind, dies at 96". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
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