DOTS for Braille Literacy (Development of Teacher Support), Volume 13, Number 2, Winter 2008

In this issue...

• From the Editor
• News Briefs
• Dear DOT
• Calendar Dates of Interest

From the Editor

Winter evenings offer the opportunity to sit by a fire and sort through bits and pieces of fabric and look at patterns in search of the best ideas to make a new quilt. This issue of DOTS is much like a quilt, with bits and pieces of information we hope will support teachers as they work to improve braille literacy.

We lay out our plans for improving literacy by looking at the Calendar Dates of Interest section, to see if we can find an activity that builds or reinforces our own skills. We put bright bits of information together like new cloth with an interesting pattern sewn to familiar pieces of fabric from a favorite old shirt. Dear Dot lines our quilt with her thoughts on learning to read braille.

So, wrap up in a warm quilt and enjoy reading this issue. Spring is just around the corner!

—Marie J. Amerson, Editor

News Briefs

BANA Codes Update 2007

In a continuing effort to be as responsive as possible to braille readers and braille transcribers, the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has created a new publication entitled BANA Braille Codes Update 2007. It is a compilation of braille code changes approved by BANA over the past few years. This publication contains updates to the following three codes:

• English Braille American Edition 1994, Revised 2002
• Braille Formats: Principles of Print to Braille Transcription, 1997
• Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, 1972 Revision

BANA is currently undertaking a comprehensive revision of English Braille American Edition and of Braille Formats: Principles of Print to Braille Transcription. This update is a preliminary release of specific changes prior to the complete revision and publication of new editions of each of the codes. The Nemeth portion of this update is a compilation of all changes and errata to the 1972 edition of the Nemeth Code. It is intended that subsequent BANA Braille Codes Updates will be published as necessary and will contain code changes adopted following the release of this Update.

The Update is being distributed in several electronic formats through the BANA web site (www.brailleauthority.org). Users can easily create print and/or braille versions from the files provided. Hard copy print or braille versions will be available free of charge upon request to the BANA Chair using the contact information above.

These code changes take effect on January 1, 2008.

ABC Braille Study Completed

Final Report Being Compiled

The braille code used in the United States has changed many times over the years. When the code was first adopted in 1918, the United States used a less contracted form of braille. Children were taught to read uncontracted braille first, and then this partially contracted version, referred to as "grade 1-1/2." Over the years, more contractions were added to match more closely the code as it was used in the United Kingdom. By 1932, "grade 1-1/2" was eliminated in favor of fully contracted "grade 2" braille. Teachers debated how to teach children to read: should children continue to start with uncontracted braille? Others wondered why children needed to relearn to read words in another form. Wouldn't it be better just to teach children to read once using the "correct" form of the word? By 1960, most educational materials were produced in contracted braille, and it became more common for teachers to start reading instruction with fully contracted braille.

In recent years, the ability to create uncontracted materials easily, combined with the increasing number of students with additional disabilities, has led teachers to wonder whether this approach was best for all students. Questions about the relative merits of teaching braille initially with contracted or uncontracted braille were raised and discussed at conferences and in professional journals. The Alphabetic Braille-Contracted Braille Study (ABC Braille Study) was established to investigate this issue. Primary funding was provided by the American Printing House for the Blind, with additional funding from the Canadian Braille Foundation and the American Foundation for the Blind National Literacy Center.

In this longitudinal study, which started in 2002, a team of researchers from the United States and Canada led by Dr. Anne Corn (of Vanderbilt University) observed and assessed more than 40 students over several years as they learned to read braille. The specific research questions for this study were:

1. Are there differences in reading rate and comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, word recognition, and reading achievement levels of children who are initially taught contracted braille compared to those who are initially taught uncontracted braille?
2. Are there differences in writing, vocabulary, and spelling abilities of children who are initially taught contracted braille compared to those who are initially taught uncontracted braille?
3. Are there differences in the quality and quantity of literacy and interactive experiences in general education classrooms, the home environment, and in the community of children who are initially taught contracted braille compared to those who are initially taught uncontracted braille?
4. Are there differences in attitudes towards reading and writing in children who are initially taught contracted braille compared to those who are initially taught uncontracted braille?

The last period of data collection ended in summer of 2007, and the team is examining the data and preparing the final report. Preliminary results were shared at the APH Annual Meeting in October, 2007, and at the Getting in Touch with Literacy conference in December, 2007. Additional presentations are planned for 2008, as are journal submissions documenting results related to the various research questions.

Deadline Approaching for APH Essay Contest

In celebration of 150 years of building independence for people who are blind or visually impaired, the American Printing House for the Blind is conducting an essay contest. APH is inviting blind and visually impaired children, adults, and the professionals who serve them to tell them how APH products have made an impact on their lives.

The deadline for entry is April 1, 2008. The entry form, including the official topic, number of words, and all guidelines for preparing and submitting an essay, is posted on the APH website at: www.aph.org/essay.html. For print or braille copies of the entry form, contact Becky Snider: phone: 800-223-1839 or 502-899-2363, ext. 356, or e-mail: rsnider@aph.org.

Note: For the purposes of this contest, visual impairment is defined as corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, or a visual field limited to 20 degrees or less. This includes visual impairment in people who function at the definition of blindness (FDB) listed above due to brain injury or dysfunction.

Seedlings Braille Books for Children — 2008 Anna's Book Angel Project

A free book project for children who are braille readers is made possible by donations made to Seedlings in loving memory of Anna Kirstina Bonde, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2001. Every child who is blind or visually impaired is eligible to win one free book per year. Adults who are blind can register to win one free book per year to read with their children.

Seedlings randomly selects approximately 10 children per week from those who have registered, and they are each sent one free book from their "wish list." Since the beginning of the project, Seedlings has given away almost 6,000 braille books and they will continue to do so as long as funds permit.

Visit www.seedlings.org and click on "Special Projects" to register. Click on "Anna's Book Angel Project" and fill out the form, including the list of books (from the Seedlings catalog) that you might like to receive. Individuals may also register by using the form in the back of the Seedlings catalog, or by calling Seedlings at 800-777-8552. Individuals must re-register each year.

Bookshare.org Adds Braille Bug® Reading Club Books

The AFB Braille Bug® Reading Club web site promotes braille reading, and now, Bookshare.org has filled in the last few missing titles included on the reading club list. The books are site available for downloading into braille display or printed out to a braille embosser. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to Benetech's Bookshare.org, all U.S. students who are blind or have qualifying print disabilities may access the Bookshare.org library. Visit www.bookshare.org/web/BrailleBug.html for more information.

University of British Columbia Seeking Study Participants

Dr. Cay Holbrook, Associate Professor, and Ms. Erika Forster, doctoral student, in the Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education departments at University of British Columbia (UBC) are recruiting participants for a study on increasing reading speed for young braille readers through a process of repeated reading.

If you are currently working with a student in grades one, two, or three who reads braille exclusively, has no known additional disabilities, and appears to be reading slowly, you are invited to contact Erika Forster by e-mail at ericka.forster@shaw.ca or by phone at 604-936-4969 to find out more about the study. Participation in the study would involve using the repeated reading intervention with your struggling braille reader over a period of five weeks (i.e., three 15 minute repeated reading sessions per week for a total of approximately 45 minutes per week). Two weeks after the intervention period, repeated readings would be carried out three more times to help determine if students are able to maintain any improvements gained during the intervention. Erika Forster will provide training and help so that you can carry out the repeated reading interventions for the study.

Princeton Braillists Offer Tactile Maps

A number of tactile maps of Canada and the United States are available from Princeton Braillists, a small group of senior citizen volunteers whose goal is to make high-quality but inexpensive tactile maps and drawings for people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. Maps and drawings are created by hand in metal foil, then duplicated by the Thermoform process. Generally, key letters are identified on key pages preceding each map. The maps are detailed, and some experience with the use of tactile drawings is recommended.

For more information, phone 215-357-7715 or 609-924-5207, visit mysite.verizon.net/resvqbxe/princetonbraillists/ or contact the group by postal mail at 76 Leabrook Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540.

Hadley School for the Blind Course: Blindness Basics

The Hadley School for the Blind offers a new online course to help students who are new to the field learn about blindness and visual impairment. The course teaches students the proper etiquette when interacting with people who are blind or visually impaired and presents an overview of the field's history, identifies common causes of blindness and visual impairment, and explains how people who are blind or visually impaired live independently. To enroll in this free course, contact Student Services at The Hadley School for the Blind by phone at 800-526-9909 or visit them at www.hadley.edu.

Note: The editor of DOTS invites you to submit links to news about braille for future issues of DOTS (literacy@afb.net).

Dear Dot:

How does one learn to read braille?

—Harley Lerner

Dear Harley,

The short answer is, "it depends."

Okay, now for the long answer, the one where I tell you it depends on your answer to at least one question I have for you: who is trying to learn to read braille?

Young children learning to read with braille are much like other children who are learning to read. They must first acquire a foundation of vocabulary and language from experiencing a parent or teacher talking and reading to them. The normal sequence for children learning how to read includes listening to lots of words and learning to talk (birth to 3 years of age); acquiring a growing vocabulary and learning to rhyme words (3-4 years of age); learning how to blend letter sounds to sound out words they see and memorizing sight words so they can begin reading simple sentences (6-7 years of age).

Young children who will be braille readers should have the same opportunity to experience books and reading with incidental exposure to braille that future print readers have to words in print.

Print-braille books offer a way for family members who are not blind or visually impaired and their children who are to enjoy books together. The print reader gets to share the words on the page and his or her enthusiasm for reading with a child who can explore the page tactilely and find braille. Rather than taking a child's hands and moving them over the braille, I have heard it's better to offer a "piggy-hand ride" over the braille page. That's when you let the child's fingers rest on top of yours as you skim across the braille lines, just as you would if you were reading the braille.

As for learning the braille ABCs, one learns them the same way print readers learn their ABCs — by memorizing them. The fingers skim across the letters to "look" at them and allow the learner to perceive the shape of each letter, just as the print reader learns the shape of each letter visually. Of course, there are also braille contractions to learn, but with the foundation of vocabulary and language, along with time, experience, and the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher of students who are visually impaired, a child can easily learn to read using braille.

If the "who" we are talking about is someone who previously learned to read print, the memorization of braille figures and the acquisition of tactile awareness will be built on top of the reading foundation he or she already have. For some adolescents, strengthening this foundation may be a first step, and it will be important to match the materials to the student's motivation. In general, however, the introduction of braille will follow a similar path to that for young children. People who are not blind or visually impaired who want to learn to read braille, including future teachers of students who are visually impaired, braille transcribers, and parents or family members may focus their braille learning on the visual appearance of braille — what it looks like. This group might also include classmates of a student with a visual impairment who want to have something in common with their braille-reading friend.

For parents, families, and others with an interest in learning the basics of braille, National Braille Press offers Just Enough to Know Better by Eileen Curran and Because Books Matter, a booklet by Carol Castellano (www.nbp.org). Seedlings Braille Books for Children provides access to literacy for braille readers and is one source for print-braille books (www.Seedlings.org).

The Hadley School for the Blind offers Introduction to Braille as one of their Family Education Program courses (www.hadley.edu).

The American Foundation for the Blind offers a free online course on Bridging the Gap: Best Practices for Instructing Adults Who Are Visually Impaired and Have Low Literacy Skills. The course includes a module on technology. which has a section on accessing print information (www.afb.org/btglogin.asp).

Future teachers of students who are visually impaired will use the curriculum of their college to learn how to read braille, but, more importantly, they will learn how to teach children to read using braille.

Individuals who plan to transcribe textbooks and other materials into braille learn from the Library of Congress curriculum, Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing, 2000. The National Federation of the Blind administers the Braille Transcriber Certification Training Program for the Library of Congress. Potential transcribers can learn more at www.nfb.org/nfb/Braille_Initiative.asp.

So, how does one learn to read braille? — with exposure, experience and practice. If we relate it to my first, short answer, we could say: Interest — Training — Dialogue — Exposure — Practice — Experience — Noting Details — and Smiles. At least I hope folks smile when they realize what a world of fun and learning awaits them when they know how to read braille.

—Dot

Calendar Dates of Interest

• April 2-5, 2008. Boston, Massachusetts. CEC 2008 Convention & Expo. Visit the Council for Exceptional Children web site at www.cec.sped.org for more details.
• April 4-5, 2008. San Francisco, California. 2008 Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute (JLTLI). On April 3rd, there will be a pre-JLTLI seminar focusing on cortical or cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Find more information about this training visit the American Foundation for the Blind web site or contact Caitlin McFeely by phone at 212-502-7615 or by e-mail at cmcfeely@afb.net.
• May 1-3, 2008. Looking to Learn: Promoting Literacy for Students with Low Vision at the AFB National Literacy Center, Atlanta, Georgia. Stipends will be available to assist with travel and lodging expenses. If you are interested in participating, please contact Shirley Landrum at slandrum@afb.net to request an application. All applications must be received by Thursday, March 20, 2008. Since there are only 24 spaces available, applicants will be notified of their acceptance status within one week of the submission deadline. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Shirley Landrum or Ike Presley by phone at 404-525-2303.
• June 28, 20008. Los Angeles, California. The Braille Challenge final event. For more information, visit www.braillechallenge.org or call 1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553).
• July 22-27, 2008. Chicago, Illinois. Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) International Conference. Visit www.aerbvi.org for more information and to access the Call for Abstracts.
• October 2-4, 2008. Louisville, Kentucky. Annual Meeting of the American Printing House for the Blind. Check www.aph.org for more information.

DOTS (Development of Teacher Support) for Braille Literacy is published three times a year (October, February, and June), and is available online at: www.afb.org/dots or in braille, by request. For further information please contact:

DOTS Editor
American Foundation for the Blind
100 Peachtree Street, Suite 620
Atlanta, GA 30303
Telephone: 404-525-2303
Fax: 404-659-6957
E-mail: literacy@afb.net

If you would like routinely to receive an e-mail alerting you to the posting of future issues of the DOTS newsletter, please send a message to Shirley Landrum (slandrum@afb.net) as follows: In the subject line, please write "DOTS notification," and in the body of the message please include your entire name and any changes to your contact information that may have occurred over the last 12 months. You will be signed up to receive notices automatically. If you choose not to receive an email notice, you will still be able to access current and archived issues of DOTS online at www.afb.org/dots; and if you are a braille format subscriber, you will continue to receive your DOTS newsletter in braille.

[Web visitors, please visit www.afb.org/myAFBnewsletter2.asp and follow the instructions there to sign up. You can then log in and update your profile at any time to alert us to changes in your contact information.]

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