[blindkid] braille?

[Marie Smith]

Hello everyone, thank you for all the warm welcomes. First, let me introduce
us a bit more. We live south of Birmingham, AL. Our son, Jack, was born with
Apert syndrome. He is developmentally delayed in several areas. He is three
and a half years old and currently attends an inclusive preschool that is
part of our local school system. Next year, this inclusive preschool will
not be an option for us because our local school district is changing their
policy regarding children with special needs. Next year, Jack will attend a
private daycare/preschool with consult services from our local school
district. At 4, he will re-enter public school for kindergarten or so we
plan. 

 

Okay my first question is a big one. I see a lot of stuff about kids needing
to learn Braille when they are young. Jack at three and a half years old is
just learning his letters and the sounds they make. Jack's vision is not
expected to get any worse than it currently is. His visual impairment was
caused by optic nerve damage that was caused by pressure on his brain from
hydrocephalus. He now has a VP shunt. The low vision rehabilitation
specialist that we saw mentioned Braille because Jack is a fairly tactile
learner anyway. I mentioned to my husband that I saw some information about
children learning to simultaneously learn to read Braille and print. He
seemed resistant to the idea. Can someone please tell me if this is
something that we need to discuss and get started on now? Is the school
obligated to provide someone to teach Braille? What issues are there that I
need to be aware of regarding the learning of Braille?

Thanks in advance!

 

Marie Smith (mother of 3 year old Jack)