[blindkid] parents need to learn braille too

Carrie Gilmer carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
Thu Feb 26 18:09:47 UTC 2009


I volunteered at one of our Buddy Camps for many years. One thing always
stuck out in my experience. Kids who got letters from home in print and
cursive, and cards too, with handwriting. They could not usually read them
at all. They had been of course somewhat homesick. They had to wait,
sometimes 24 hours, before someone sighted had time to read it. And then the
letter was not private.

The ones who had their letters in Braille (minority by far unfortunately)
could read immediately, privately, and kept the letters under their pillows,
reading and re-reading.

To me reading Braille says also you don't think it is too hard, and you
value that and you value communicating with your child in a way that they
can access. Knowing Braille means you can read that letter to Santa, and
create a response, it means you can get a card from them and read it, it
means that you can give them a card or note they can read. It means that
when they are low on shampoo, they can leave a note in Braille by the coffee
pot, and it will be added to the list when I go to Target or whatever.

 
 
Carrie Gilmer, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
A Division of the National Federation of the Blind
NFB National Center: 410-659-9314
Home Phone: 763-784-8590
carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
www.nfb.org/nopbc

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Barbara Hammel
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 11:10 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] parents need to learn braille too

On the darker side, parents should learn to read Braille so if you have a 
child whose personality suddenly changes or things just don't seem right you

can read their diary.
Many a sighted child has been saved that way.
Sorry to be so morbid.  And you all are right.  Too bad you have to correct 
the work of the "professionals" but good for you for spending the time for 
something so important to your children.
Thumbs up to you.  I'm one of those who wish my parents had learned it.

Barbara

If wisdom's ways you wisely seek, five things observe with care:  of whom 
you speak, to whom you speak, and how and when and where.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Joy Orton" <ortonsmom at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 8:04 PM
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blindkid] parents need to learn braille too

> Just a personal experience on why parents need to learn braille...
>
> Today I was looking over my daughter's school papers and found one with
> grade of 75. I was surprised, because most of her work is at the 95 to 100
> level. ( yes, we are proud of her.)
> The teacher had counted off for spelling.
> The first circled word was Minnesota. Ahbee wrote it correctly in braille,
> but the transcriptionist incorrectly left out one N when interlining
> it--writing it for the teacher to read.
> Another place, Ahbee had correctly capitalized the word Lake, but the
> interlining did not show the capital.
>
> Anyway, I was able to catch these because I can read braille for myself.
> Ahbee deserved a 95--she did misspell "uper" instead of upper.
> The teacher will give her credit for it--I'm so glad I could read it.
>
> Joy Orton
> mom of Ahbee, Grade 2
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