[blindkid] Teaching toddlers Braille

[DrV]

Hi Margie & Deryck,
This is a great question. There really is no right way to do this.
As Sue describes, you want to immerse your child in braille.
I have an almost 8 y/o & a 12 year old. They read & write in English & 
Lithuanian braille.
Kids who are exposed early to braille literally can eventually learn to read 
as fast or even faster than their sighted peers. This is a fact.
There are a number of organizations that produce inexpensive print/braille 
books for toddlers, including www.seedlings.org, www.nbp.org, & the Braille 
Institute in Los Angeles.
It is easy to add braille labels to toys & other items to make them more 
interesting & accessible.
I have written about early braille exposure. I wont claim that this is the 
right way to do it, but it is one approach & these are things that have 
worked for us.
If you want to read more on this for ideas, here are the direct links. I 
have included links to specific resources in the articles.
1. "Braille Literacy -- It's A Family Value" 
(www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=61&SnID=44365653).
2. "Equal Expectations: A Belief Paradigm or Politically-Correct, Feel-Good 
Phrase" (www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr27/1/fr270107.htm)
3. "Enriching Your Blind Child's Life via Foreign Language Braille: 
Practical Suggestions for Families and Educators Seeking Out Foreign 
Language Braille and Other Foreign Language Resources with a Special Focus 
on Spanish" 
(http://knol.google.com/k/eric-vasiliauskas-md-drv/enriching-your-blind-childs-life-via/2fo8us37li3cv/1)
Best wishes & Good luck!
Eric V

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Margie & Deryck Smith" <deryck at mweb.co.za>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 23:58
Subject: [blindkid] Teaching toddlers Braille


> Good morning from South Africa
>
> Can anyone give advice on how to begin teaching a toddler Braille, or
> Braille+letters.  Is there a published procedure on how to go about this?
>
> Regards
>
> Margie Smith
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