[blindkid] Parents Must Learn Braille

[Merry-Noel Chamberlain]

Hi,
I've been in the field of 'blindness' for a number of years.  At the beginning I had an interest in Braille as I thought it was a 'cool code' but I was never really good at it.  When I was a counselor for blind adults at a Rehab agancy, I would teach my adult students the basics of Braille but never really went past uncontracted Braille with them because they either went to the training center or just wanted to know the basics for marking CDs. or microwaves.  I was content with doing so because I honestly didn't feel I was good enough to teach more than that.  (I think a lot of teachers currently in the field, feel the same way so they steer away from teaching Braille...)  But then the day came and I was told that I was  legally blind.  My life changed.  I realized that I really did need to learn more than the basics of Braille because I didn't know how much vision I was going to lose.  At that time, I was working on my National
 Orientation and Mobility Certification at Louisiana Tech.  I took the Braille class offered by Dr. Ruby Ryles and that gave me a much needed jump start back into contracted Braille.  Later, I picked up my Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments indorcement and became a teacher of younger students.  As a blind adult working with blind children, I NEEDED to be a good blind role model for them.  I had to demonstrate to them my own Braille abilities as to how important it was to learn Braille; how Braille was important in everyday living for an individual who was blind.  THEN, I became a parent of a blind child!  At that point, I realized how important it was for my husband to know Braille, too.  He, on the other hand, was not really convinced that he, too, needed to know Braille.  Why?  Because our daughter had me to help her with her homework.  However, because he didn't know Braille, he was 'left out' at homework time.  Well, he
 has since learned that BOTH parents need to know Braille so BOTH parents can assist with homework.  BOTH need to be knowledgeable in the Braille code (and how to use the abacus).  When our older sighted child needed help with homework, either of us could assist her.  Not so with our younger blind child because he didn't know Braille.  He has since come to the realization that he does need to learn Braille.  That one-on-one homework session is also a bonding opportunity.  So, who is teaching him Braille?  She is!  And she is loving it!  With very little guidance from me, she is his Braille teacher.  Currently, she has been reading "The World Under My Fingers" in Braille while he follows in print as her 30 minutes of reading each day.  I just wonder, who is learning more?

"The World Under My Fingers" is available in print and Braille through NFB - free of charge.

Merry-Noel Chamberlain, NOMCT, TVI