[Cabs-talk] Thought it was worth reposting

[Angela Fowler]

Brandon, 
In reading the article, it seems as if the standards were developed and
presented to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell in
2006. The question is, to what extent are they being implemented? 
	Also, is the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in charge of
their implementation? That would be a reasonable assumption, but it may also
have been farmed off to someone else.
Angela

-----Original Message-----
From: Cabs-talk [mailto:cabs-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brandon
Keith Biggs
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2012 8:39 AM
To: California Association of Blind Students Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Cabs-talk] Thought it was worth reposting

Hello,
Are the standard's being developed, or are they out? Because this would be
rather important for our TVIs to know if they are out...
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message-----
From: B.J. Sexton
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2012 1:00 AM
To: nfbc-info-request at nfbnet.org
Cc: California Association of Blind Students Mailing List
Subject: [Cabs-talk] Thought it was worth reposting

Hello NFBC,

I thought it was worth re-posting the following article.  from our journal.

http://www.nfbcal.org/nfbc/journal/ss2006/Development of Braille Reading and
Math Standards by Dennis Kelleher.htm


THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRAILLE READING AND MATH STANDARDS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRAILLE READING AND MATH STANDARDS

By Dr. Dennis Kelleher

State Vision Consultant for the California Department of Education

Editor's Note: Dr. Kelleher provided insightful guidance to the Braille Task

Force committee members. He is a strong Braille advocate and realized the 
importance
of this project. His knowledge and expertise are truly appreciated by this 
organization.

On October 5, 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law Assembly Bill 
(AB) 897 authored by Assembly Member Joe Coto and sponsored by the National 
Federation
of the Blind of California. This landmark legislation for blind students 
required the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to appoint a task 
force
to develop Braille Reading and Mathematics Standards and the California 
State Board of Education to adopt these standards by June 1, 2006.

The Task Force was co-chaired by Nancy Burns, President of NFBC and Dr. 
Sharon Sacks, Professor of Special Education at California State University,

Sacramento.
The eleven-member task force included Braille experts who are consumers, 
teachers, parents and administrators.  In addition to President Burns and Dr

Sacks,
other members of the task force were Dr. Stuart Wittenstein, Superintendent 
of the California School for the Blind, Dr. Joy Efron, retired principal of
the Visually Impaired program for the Los Angeles Unified School District, 
Annee Hartzell and Sue Douglass, Braille teachers, Donna Sexton and Leslie 
Thom,
parents of children who are blind, Catherine Skivers, a blind consumer, Rod 
Brawley, manager of the California Department of Education Clearinghouse for
Specialized Media and Technology and Maureen Burness, Chair of the Special 
Education Local Plan Area Administrators.  Special thanks to Wanda Penner, 
teacher
of the visually impaired for the Los Angeles Unified School district, for 
her contribution.

The National Federation of the Blind of California identified the importance

of Braille literacy and the direct positive correlation between Braille 
competency
and employment rates of blind people.  Recognizing the importance of 
establishing Braille standards in both reading and mathematics, NFBC 
sponsored Assembly
Bill (AB) 2326 authored by Dario Frommer in 2002 to begin the process of 
establishing Braille standards.  California is the first state in the nation

to
take this important step.  The task force developed Braille reading 
standards by June 2004 and Braille math standards by March 2006.

On February 28, 2006, the Braille task force met with State Superintendent 
of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell to formally present him with their 
recommendations.
Superintendent O'Connell said, "These standards will help our blind and 
visually impaired students to acquire the skills they need for future 
education,
employment, and independent living and to become successful members of our 
society and I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the task force 
members
for their dedication and assistance in producing these Braille standards."

The Braille standards are carefully aligned with the California 
English-language arts and mathematics content standards for students who use

print. The
Braille mathematics and reading standards do not establish separate content 
standards. Including instructional principles and prerequisites appropriate
for students who learn through the sense of touch does not change nor 
conflict with what the Board previously adopted for students who use print. 
It merely
provides additional technical information pertaining to Braille learners.

In adopting Braille reading and mathematics standards, the board members of 
the California Department of Education reaffirmed their commitment and 
understanding
that Braille is essential for literacy skills among blind students just as 
print is for sighted students.

Learning without sight takes more time.  Blind and visually impaired 
children need the time to explore objects physically that sighted children 
can take
in at a glance.  Blind and visually impaired children will need help 
integrating what they experience tactually with what they hear, smell, and 
taste.
One-on-one time will be needed with an adult for the blind or visually 
impaired child to learn the names of objects, understand terms for 
movements, and
acquire other labels for the world that sighted children might acquire 
incidentally. Teaching mathematics and reading using Braille is more similar

than
it is different to teaching these subjects using print.

Having Braille standards will help to provide blind students with more 
immersion in a "Braille rich world," as sighted children are immersed in a 
"print
rich world." The significant impact of adopting Braille standards in 
California will become evident immediately as a greater number of blind 
students achieve
greater success.

In future years, this will be one of the great legacies established through 
the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind of California.
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