[blindkid] Braille note

Fri Mar 30 02:18:19 UTC 2012

I'd also like to add that there is also the possibility of getting an 18
cell BrailleNote which is almost half the price. Aubrie, who is a very good
Braille reader, had 32 cell notetakers until we moved to Alaska. She was not
happy when she found out that this district only uses 18 cell and now she
has come to like it much better. I sure wish I had known that before I got
my 32 cell. She feels she can read much faster. She hates using mine because
it seems to slow her down and she misses words more. I know that some folks
wouldn't agree here but this seems to be the case with us. Of course, it may
not be the case for younger children. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Holloway [mailto:rholloway at gopbc.org] 
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2012 8:33 AM
To: Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Braille note

I absolutely agree on the comrade strategy. 

Hopefully that will solve it all, but  keep in mind that no matter what they
"normally" do, such as laptops in fourth grade, etc., the "I" in "IEP" is
for the individual. 

They are legally not allowed to govern your child's solution based on some
policy like that. If the BrailleNote is deemed the appropriate solution by
the IEP team, of which you are a part as the parent, that is what they have
to come up with.

Incidentally, the team should more properly come up with braille note taker,
not a brand and model. If it needs a display, then it is a notetaker with
display, etc. I think that applies in all school systems. It could be a PAC
Mate instead, for example. I mention this so you are not surprised in the
meeting. The team decided what is appropriate, then the school system
figures out how to provide it.

Speaking if the IEP, they are required to have one each year, but that is a
MINIMUM for compliance on their part. You can call additional meetings based
on need. If you think this needs addressing, I'd first try an informal
request to discuss and then move to calling one or more IEP's as needed.

You definitely want to let the system and process work, but you are part of
that process too. If you can position yourself as a true team member working
for a common goal to help your daughter they may well get on board.

I will mention one other thing based on our experience. The BrailleNotes we
have been using for the last several years have saved the teachers a great
deal of time, effort, and ultimately money has been saved for the system.

They may complain to have to spend $6,000, but multiple assignments have
been handled nearly every day with our BrailleNote, and doing so lets
non-Braille-reading teachers and staff read assignments and GIVE her
assignments without using a Braille transcriber. Kendra works in Braille and
prints her work in print (or combined print and Braille as needed).

This can be HUGE, keeping Braille reading students supplied much more of the
time with work that goes home with the other kids at the same time, even
when pieces are written up or revised at the last minute.

Think what it costs to pay for Braille transcription. How many years should
a BrailleNote last, and by what factor can they reduce the workload on a
transcriber? Schools should be buying BrailleNotes by the case lot to save
money. No, they will never completely replace transcribers, but they can
lighten the workload my a significant amount.

Using these can have a greater and greater benefit as well once teachers
plan ahead when designing lessons. They can actually learn to choose, write
and setup work that lends itself to work well on a BrailleNote.

You can also assist your child much more appropriately at home in some
cases. I know we have many times needed to help Kendra go on-line to look up
things. Working on-line can be a confusing hassle at best for Braille
readers. Many times, I have helped Kendra navigate and research then copied
out text content and put it on her BrailleNote for her. Some machines can
actually go directly on-line, but that is a bit of an advanced skill for
first grade.

You can't do things like that with a Perkins. Nor can you do them with a
laptop, unless you take away the Braille student's ability to reasonably
edit and interact with the files in Braille. Maybe that approach will help.

Oh, more thing (sorry!) in our state there is a lending service that can
loan equipment to schools, possibly even note takers until they can budget
in for new ones. There may be a number of options available which the school
and system just don't want to bother with, or they may be simply unaware of
them.

I hope something above is a little useful. Good luck again!

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 29, 2012, at 9:20 AM, "Dr. Denise M Robinson" <deniserob at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Traci
> Start with videos--like this: Braille instruction begins at 3 years 
> old<goog_979020893> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kDjtrXJkM8>
> and  Braille Technology laptops -4 year old and 2nd grader 
> racing<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNfnMDWfaXU>
> 
> and there may be a fear factor on her side. Many teachers do not teach 
> something because they do not know how, therefore they are not going 
> to recommend something they do not understand or know how to teach.  
> What is her comfort level with technology? There is a lot of lessons 
> out there to help her. Try and bring her on as a comrade.
> 
> Denise
> 
> Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
> CEO, TechVision, LLC
> Specialist in Technology/Training/Teaching for blind/low vision
> 509-674-1853
> 
> Website with hundreds of informational articles & lessons all done 
> with
> keystrokes: www.yourtechvision.com
> 
> 
> On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 5:45 PM, Traci Wilkerson
<traci.renee27 at gmail.com>wrote:
> 
>> My daughter is at the end of her 1st grade year and does not have a 
>> braillenote and I want to push for one, but know I'm probably in for 
>> a fight.  How do I start the discussion? I have brought it up with 
>> her TVI that I am interested in technology very soon for her.... and 
>> made it clear that I want it, but how do you go about the "fight".
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Traci
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> 
> 
> 
> --
> Denise
> 
> Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
> CEO, TechVision, LLC
> Specialist in Technology/Training/Teaching for blind/low vision
> 509-674-1853
> 
> Website with hundreds of informational articles & lessons all done 
> with
> keystrokes: www.yourtechvision.com
> 
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one 
> who is doing it." --Chinese Proverb
> 
> Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid: humans are 
> incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful 
> beyond imagination.
> --Albert Einstein
> 
> It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
> --Walt Disney
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