[Colorado-Talk] Aurora Chapter goes to Summer Camp

[Peggy Chong]

Aurora Chapter Presents Braille to the Aurora History Museum's Summer Camp

 

By Peggy Chong

 

The Aurora History Museum held a summer camp with a focus on assorted styles
of writing. On Thursday, July 25, 2024, NFB of Colorado Aurora Chapter
members, Caroline Graves and Curtis and Peggy Chong presented the unit on
Braille to the campers. 

 

The 10 campers were between the ages of 7 and 12.  They arrived between 8:30
and 8:45, sat in their chairs and shared what they ate for breakfast. Then,
Aurora Chapter members took over. 

 

Peggy began with an introduction to Braille and how blind people use it in
our daily lives. Exhibits brought by our chapter included an UNO game, a
Braille scrabble game, and a Braille ruler. She said that they can ask
questions, but "don't raise your hand. Say your name and then I will know
who you are and call on you."  The kids caught on right away. 

 

Curtis showed several varieties of slates such as a dymo slate and a card
slate. He shared how we mark everyday items like CD's and passed examples
around the table. He showed how to write Braille on a cell phone.

 

Caroline, a retired elementary school and special ed teacher explained the
Braille cell using Hershey's Kisses. She told them not to eat the Kisses
until they got home. They practiced forming Braille letters and learning the
pattern of the Braille system.

 

Slates and styluses were passed out to each child along with index cards and
a Braille alphabet card from the National Federation of the Blind. The
campers could take home their alphabet card. 

 

Peggy stood beside Caroline as she talked about the forming of Braille
letters. With a 6-unit, silicone muffin pan, Peggy held up the pan to
simulate a Braille cell and pushed out and in, the proper cups of the pan to
demonstrate the letters as Caroline called them out. 

 

They practiced writing first a full cell then got to write anything they
wanted. Several brought their cards to Curtis to have him check their
Braille. Some transposed a few letters, but on their second try, some got it
perfect. 

 

After an hour we were supposed to stop, but the campers and staff said keep
going. Caroline read a story from a Twin-Vision book while several of the
kids kept on writing Braille. Some campers gathered around Caroline to watch
her read.

 

A half hour past snack time, the Aurora History Museum staff reluctantly
brought the session to a close. A Braille for the sighted word game and a
Blind History Lady handout on some of the blind ancestors of Colorado were
left as an additional gift for the campers to take home. 

 

The Aurora Chapter is planning more activities with the museum soon and
hopes to continue to expand our input into the development of additional
exhibits and programs.

 

 

 

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