[blindkid] Braille Law and Brochure

[Carrie Gilmer]

Braille and Visually

Impaired Students

What does the law require?

Passing a law is one thing. Getting it

enforced and, more to the point, accepted,

is quite another. Laws tend to be a reflection

of public opinion, not a creator of it. They

give a final nudge to new reality. With

respect to Braille, there can be no doubt that

the climate of public opinion has changed

dramatically during the past decade. Once

again, Braille is becoming the centerpiece in

the education of blind people, just as print is

for sighted people.

-Kenneth Jernigan,

Braille Into the Next Millennium

National Organization of

Parents of Blind Children

 

Q: You mean that there is a specific provision in the

law about Braille instruction for visually impaired

students?

A: Yes, that's right. The "Braille provision" as it is

sometimes called, was added when the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

was reauthorized in 1997 and was continued in

the 2004 reauthorization.

Q: What does it say?

 

A: Here is the pertinent section from the IDEA

reauthorization of 2004:

Section 614 (d)(3)(B)(iii)

(B) Consideration of Special Factors.-

The IEP Team shall-

(iii) in the case of a child who is blind or

visually impaired, provide for instruction in

Braille and the use of Braille unless the IEP

Team determines, after an evaluation of

the child's reading and writing skills, needs,

and appropriate reading and writing media

(including an evaluation of the child's future

needs for instruction in Braille or the use of

Braille), that instruction in Braille or the use

of Braille is not appropriate for the child;

Q: Is it significant that this provision uses the word

"provide" rather than "consider the need for" Braille

instruction?

A: Good observation. Yes, it is significant. It

means that the IEP team is obligated to assume-

even before an evaluation is conducted-that

Braille instruction will be a necessary service for

the blind or visually impaired child. This is an

important shift from past educational practices

when it was routinely assumed that children with

some usable vision would read print and only be

provided with Braille instruction as the last resort.

Q: Does this provision apply to every blind or

visually impaired child with an IEP?

A: Yes.

Q: Does this mean that visually impaired children

who might have sufficient vision to read enlarged

print or regular print with magnification shall

also be provided with Braille instruction and the

opportunity to use Braille?

A: That's right. Unless, of course (as the

provision states), an evaluation that takes into

consideration the child's future need for Braille

literacy demonstrates that Braille is not

appropriate.

Q: So, this evaluation must be pretty important.

What is it called?

A: It is extremely important. Many people in the

blindness profession have come to refer to it as

a learning media assessment. In all instances

where Braille instruction is not provided for children

covered under this provision, documentation

of a learning media assessment (the evaluation)

is required. Furthermore, is it critical that a

qualified person conduct the assessment. The

National Agenda for the Education of Children and

Youths with Visual Impairments, including those

with Multiple Disabilities, recommends that "All

assessments and evaluations of students will

be conducted by and/or in partnership with

personnel having expertise in the education of

students with visual impairments and their

parents." Huebner, Merk-Adam, Stryker, and Wolfe.

2004.

Q: What must the evaluation include?

A: There are many elements in a learning media

assessment. The Braille provision specifically

requires that the following be addressed: skills in

reading and writing, reading and writing needs,

and future need for Braille or Braille instruction.

The assessment of future needs is important

because a number of congenital eye diseases or

disorders are degenerative. As we know, the

educational system is charged with the

responsibility of preparing students for a lifetime

of literacy. This provision protects the right

of children with visual impairments to be

provided with skills in a literacy mode that will

also last a life-time, whatever the prognosis

might be for their vision.

Q: Are there any learning media assessment tools

that an LEA can purchase and use for this

evaluation?

A: Yes. The Texas School for the Blind, the

American Printing House for the Blind (APH),

and others have developed learning media

assessment tools. Some state departments of

education, such as Maryland, have also

developed specific guidelines that may be used

by IEP teams. Information about resources is

included at the end of this brochure.

Q: Some children with blindness or visual

impairment also have additional disabilities-

such as autism, learning disabilities,

developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and so forth.

Do learning media assessments need to be

conducted for these children? Might these children

require Braille instruction?

A: Yes, and yes-to both questions. Literacy is

the pathway to maximum independence and life

satisfaction for every child that has the capacity

to learn, including those at the functional

reading level. It may take such children longer

to learn to read, and/or require additional

supports or individualized strategies, but this

only highlights the importance of good

assessments.

 

Q: Once the IEP team has conducted a learning

media assessment and made a determination

about the appropriateness of print and Braille

instruction, does the team need to review or

reconsider that decision during the annual

IEP review?

A: That depends. If the child is receiving regular

and adequate Braille instruction, probably not.

However, if the child is not receiving Braille

instruction, then it would be appropriate and in

keeping with the intent of the Braille provision

for the IEP team to discuss and/or reassess the

decision annually.

Q: This sounds like a sensible and educationally

sound process. Now what about those resources?

RESOURCES

The National Agenda for the Education of

Children and Youths with Visual Impairments,

Including Those with Multiple Disabilities

www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/

LEARNING MEDIA ASSESSMENTS

www.lighthouse.org (search term: assessment

compendium)

BRAILLE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

American Printing House for the Blind (APH)

www.aph.org/products

American Foundation for the Blind

www.afb.org/store

Braille Too (Grant Wood AEA, Iowa)

www.aea10.k12.ia.us/divlearn/brailletoo.html

Exceptional Teaching Aids, Inc.

(Mangold Exclusives)

www.store.exceptionalteaching.net/maex.html

Texas School for the Blind Publications

www.tsbvi.edu (go to Curriculum Publications)

INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS

ABOUT BRAILLE

The World Under My Fingers:

Personal Reflections on Braille, Second Edition

National Federation of the Blind

www.nfb.org

The Bridge to Braille: Reading and School

Success for the Young Blind Child

National Organization of Parents of Blind Children

www.nfb.org/nopbc.htm

Braille Into the Next Millennium

ISBN 0-8444-021-7

National Library Service for the Blind and

Physically Handicapped

www.loc.gov/nls

Developed and published by

The National Agenda for the Education of

Children and Youths with Visual Impairments,

Including Those with Multiple Disabilities

www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/

in partnership with

a division of the

National Federation of the Blind

www.nfb.org/nopbc.htm

 

 

 

 

 

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