[blindkid] Pre-braille?

Sun Mar 8 03:24:36 UTC 2009

Hi, You are on track!! I would insist that the Braille gets put into 
writing. What books do you know other than infant board books that are in 
2-3 inch print? If you need the NFB can help you with an advocate who can 
attend the meeting. Yes it is in the law that Braille should be taught. One 
of the people on this list wrote about functional vision. 2-3 inch print is 
not functional. your doing great! keep it up and Jack will be on track.

Bran

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: <empwrn at bellsouth.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 5:37 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Pre-braille?

> It was an update of the IEP-not time for annual yet. The PT requested the 
> meeting so she could decrease services since he is doing so well with his 
> PT.
> I insisted that the whole team be present so we could discuss the latest 
> vision findings (vision in his good eye is 20/320 NOT 20/50) and how it 
> impacts every part of the team. The VI teacher went over the Low Vision 
> Rehab Doc's report but really made no suggestions. I presented the team 
> with Jack's name printed in 2 inch letters and 3 inch letters. Dr. Decarlo 
> said that Jack needs 2-3 inch letters for reading. The team, like I, was 
> shocked to see how big 2-3 high letters really are. You cannot fit any 
> more than Jack's first name on a page--good thing we did not name him a 
> longer name! Anyway, I presented that and told the team that we did not 
> think it would be responsible planning on our parts to not think of how 
> that letter size impacts his future schooling and we wanted to begin 
> braille instruction. The LEA representative immediately began saying that 
> there were concepts that Jack had to understand before he could begin 
> braille instruction. The VI teacher made no suggesti!
> ons. I as
> ked if Jack could not learn his braille letters right along with his print 
> letters. The teacher said that she was fine with that but nothing was put 
> in writing. I asked about borrowing braille-print books so that Jack could 
> used to the idea of braille just as children get used to the idea of print 
> letters. Our VI teacher had no idea if we could get any for home use. They 
> mentioned pre-braille but did not really tell me what it was or propose 
> any kind of plan for working on it. Then the VI teacher sent me a follow 
> up email stating that she guessed she considered Jack a large print reader 
> for now but certainly saw no reason not to expose him to tactile books. I 
> thought about sending her an email back written in 2-3 inch print just so 
> she could see what she was saying. Do you think this is a case of true 
> ignorance of the law? It sounds to me like she is trying to get out of 
> teaching him braille without having to assess his needs. Or do you more 
> seasoned (and perhaps more reason!
> able) par
> ents believe it sounds like they are going to help us get started? For my 
> part, I just ordered some braille flash cards and a braille labeler from 
> The Braille Superstore. My plan is to put braille in Jack's environment 
> just as print is--everywhere. I thought that I could use the labeler to 
> print braille to go along with the printed text in Jack's books so he 
> could get used to feeling the braille as I read to him. I don't know if I 
> should stick the labels which are clear on the page along with the text.
> I will look in to the other resources you referenced.
> Thank you,
> Marie
>
> Marie-more about Jack- www.allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com
> www.apert.org
> www.thecraniofacialcenter.org
> Sent from my Palm Treo
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> From:  "Carrie Gilmer" <carrie.gilmer at gmail.com>
> Subj:  Re: [blindkid] Pre-braille?
> Date:  Sat Mar 7, 2009 12:41 pm
> Size:  4K
> To:  "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,\(for parents of blind children\)'" 
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>
> Dear Marie,
> I am a bit unclear, but you had a meeting-was it to form a new or annual
> IEP? They will have to have SOMETHING written in for goals. If you think
> that getting him ready for literacy is an important goal, then it should 
> be
> in there. Hey need to write up specific goals for the pre-Braille
> instruction.
>
> Pre-Braille, is in a sense Braille instruction--as much as early print
> experiences are a part of learning print--and both are reading readiness. 
> If
> you get "pre-Braille" goals it will be that you are on the way to formal
> Braille instruction, and once this is in an IEP it is very difficult to 
> get
> it out--the burden of "proof" for removing it is harder and if you 
> disagree
> in writing they can not legally take it out with out a court order in 
> their
> favor. That said you will find that getting things on paper is only an
> initial triumph, implementation is where troubles often continue.
>
> As for pre-Braille itself. Overall it is much the same--you are doing
> pre-reading activities. He should play write and scribble, and read along
> whether he can recognize anything yet or not. But you will want some 
> tactile
> writing and reading. The things Jill described are typical. You should be
> reading to him. He should do activities that develop his hand strength and
> also develop technique: reading a tactile line, hands together at left, 
> read
> across to the right, go back and move down to the next line--in 
> progression
> of skill the fastest readers midway across the line drop left hand down to
> the next and finish with right hand only and then joins the left hand.
>
> He will need to learn tactually to follow a line and scan and skim and 
> keep
> his place and discriminate one symbol from another, just like sighted kids
> do in print. There are Braille exercises to practice just like there are
> print exercises for these things. Also he needs to learn terms above, 
> below,
> next to, etc.
>
> In early print, people do not wait to teach the alphabet. You can have 
> flash
> cards, and toys with Braille on them, and if he is play writing and
> "accidentally" makes an L or an A with the Braillewriter then point it out
> to him.
>
> I recommend getting "the Bridge to Braille" by Carol Castellano from our
> Independence Market at www.nfb.org (products and publications link). Also
> APH (www.aph.org) has some good instruction books if you want to know if
> what the teacher is doing makes sense. And Creative Adaptations for 
> Learning
> has a lot of good early literacy, tactile pictures and flashcard stuff>
> Their site is: http://www.cal-s.org.
>
> We have a pre-reading program called Braille Reading Pals, register for it
> by writing to bcheadle at nfb.org. Get lots of books, get registered for 
> "Dots
> for Tots" at the Braille Institute. www.brailleinstitute.org. Also 
> National
> Braille Press has a free early reading program for families, www.nbp.org.
>
> The school needs to provide materials too, In his IEP under accommodations
> or materials needed you will want to have a Braillewriter listed (for HOME
> use too),a slate and stylus (for HOME too), Braille twin vision or early
> reading primer books and early literacy materials, (for HOME too), Braille
> paper and index cards (for HOME too).
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 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 Marie Smith
> Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 9:24 AM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)'
> Subject: [blindkid] Pre-braille?
>
> We went to our IEP meeting and the IEP team did not deny Braille
> instruction. Instead, they said something about pre-braille but really 
> made
> no firm commitment regarding instruction. Somebody PLEASE point me in the
> right direction. What are pre-braille skills? It sounds kind of like
> pre-literacy like you expose children to letters and stuff but the VI
> teacher mentioned something about pre-braille books? What is this?
>
> Marie (mother of Jack, 3 yrs old with Apert Syndrome)
> http://www.allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com
> Learn more about Apert Syndrome
> http://www.thecraniofacialcenter.org/apert.html
> Get information and support at Teeter's page
> http://www.apert.org
>
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