[blindkid] Braille Literacy IEP Question

Crystal Schumacher crystal_schu at hotmail.com
Tue Mar 13 06:00:05 UTC 2012









Hello,
 
I would really appreciate some opinions on the question I am going to ask. I have a struggling braille reader. The question from the IEP team is as follows: Should we discontinue the Braille Literacy Goal which focuses on speed, fluency, and comprehension because Ben has made little growth for the effort put forth and he is missing other class time during this daily 30 minute pull out?
 
The Facts are as follows:
 
Ben is 11 years old and in the 5th grade. He was born 14 weeks premature and is blind with light perception from R.O.P. Ben is reading contracted braille at a 2nd grade level with a speed of 30 words per minute. He receives services from a TVI, 2 hours a day, who states he has learned most of the Braille code. He also receives services from the Special Education Teacher, 30 minutes a day, who is trained in teaching Reading Literacy. She is using a program called Read Naturally that was transcribed into Braille by the Texas School for the Blind. Ben is her only blind student and has been working with her since the middle of 3rd grade. The other students using this program are sighted. Ben has made some growth, but his progress remains slow. He has many Braille reversals and some tactile defensiveness. He writes Braille at grade level. Ben was tested for a reading disability, but do to the lack of statistics on blind children he could not qualify for our school district. For example, when given the Woodcock-Johnson Normative Test in Braille, Passage Comprehension, he scored at a 2nd grade level. When given the same part of the test auditory, Ben scored at 6th grade level. The IEP team has decided that moving forward, Ben's should receive his text books and some assignments primarily in a digital format. He does use a Braille Note, but relies heavily on the voice when reading or editing papers.
 
I have a good relationship with my IEP team. They will write the goal how I want, but they need evidence to support it. He will be moving to middle school next year and blind kids typically get less services, not more. Ben may never be a great reader, but Braille is a skill, and I think he needs to be working on it everyday. If a sighted child had dyslexia, would they stop reading with that child? He has a great mind and being able to get information he needs quickly and efficiently via a digital format is important, but I think the Braille is too. Please let me know what you are thinking.
 
Thank You,
Crystal Schumacher
(Ben's Mom)
 		 	   		  
 		 	   		  


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