[nabs-l] Attention: Parents, Teachers and Supporters of Young Blind Children struggling with literacy

[Aziza C]

Good for you Alena!

On 8/29/09, alena roberts <alena.roberts2282 at gmail.com> wrote:
> What an awesome story and what an awesome product. If I ever become a
> parent, I might get these even if my children aren't blind, because if
> they know braille than they'll know how their mom reads.
>
> Alena
>
> On 8/29/09, Aziza C <daydreamingncolor at gmail.com> wrote:
>> How many of us have struggled through comprehending Braille upon first
>> being introduced to it. How many of us have watched another child
>> struggle through the attempts to comprehend Braille upon their first
>> few encounters? Reading is difficult, especially at first. It isn't
>> often a child will "want," to sit still and turn the pages of a book
>> for an hour when the alternative is running outside, or watching
>> television. Parents, teachers, supporters, and even the children
>> themselves understand these struggles. And so does this man who gives
>> this account.
>>
>> A PARENT'S LATE COMING TO BRAILLE
>>
>> Kevin C. Murphy
>>
>> Fourteen, blind since infancy, multiply handicapped, Kevin knew
>> about letters. Letters excited him in the way angels, UFOs,
>> ghosts, and monsters excite many of us -- lots of mystery, little
>> practical value. His favorite television programs, SESAME STREET
>> and THE ELECTRIC COMPANY mimicked Madison Avenue's technique of
>> manipulating human want. Kevin wanted to read. For this child,
>> reading had to mean Braille. Yet by 1981 "Braille" for Kevin, was a
>> mispronunciation of "fail." Preceded by dread, overshadowed by fear,
>> each class was cursed by confusion, each ended in depression.
>> Ending six years of effort, Kevin's teachers abandoned efforts to
>> teach Braille to him. I believed that Braille was beyond Kevin's
>> grasp. Yet, a distant part of me raged against that illiterate life.
>> Inwardly I hesitated to post full cost and cause to Kevin's account.
>> Kevin -- and Heather, my adopted daughter -- were multiply
>> handicapped and blind. No fear, nor excessive concern about
>> blindness gripped me. My children were who they were, I saw nothing in
>> need of fixing -- except, perhaps, in the society that shunned them.
>> I nursed a parent's terror of Braille, a thing so exotic, so
>> beyond my experience, that surely my ignorance of it can only damage
>> my child. But what harm could I do now? Kevin's legacy of Braille's
>> letters, alphabets, grief, effort, and failure were now discarded as
>> junk. I could do no harm.
>> Kevin could, at least, learn that symbolic languages exist,
>> function. He might not read a book, but he might understand how
>> others do that. Many who've never piloted aircraft understand their
>> workings.
>> I searched for means such that Kevin might keep what literacy he
>> had, perhaps to re-shape that knowledge base a bit to make life less
>> confusing to him. The approach: "Hey Kevin, want to work with Dad?" is
>> not a proven winner with fourteen-year-olds.
>> "Hey Kevin, want to work on Braille?" was a certain loser in
>> that age.
>> I mutilated Christmas toys, fashioned my first TACK-TILES® .
>> Little building blocks became Braille cells. "Hey Kevin, guess what I
>> did to your Lego® blocks!" was as perfect a "come on"
>> as any ever devised. I let his very annoyed half-wondering fingers survey
>> the
>> damage thoroughly before accounting for myself -or mentioning B-----.
>> Then we built words and sentences on toy boards meant to
>> serve as front lawns. I was poorly prepared for the success of early
>> sessions with Kevin and TACK-TILES® . In that setting, failure meant
>> only that I would deny him his great pleasure of confiscating my
>> TACK-TILES® , forfeiting opportunity to lodge them onto his own board.
>> Here Braille's challenge was a benign contest of human beings, fun,
>> much more to his comfort and liking. Braille was lodged in a world of
>> his own -- less like the adult's. He allowed me to tease and fence
>> with him around his knowledge and ability to use this new learning
>> tool. He revealed secrets about his unique learning style, remained
>> at task until I wondered if I had an attention disorder. Kevin's
>> instructor -- his father -- had not the beginning of an idea how to
>> proceed. That helped immensely. Kevin and the TACK-TILES® took
>> complete charge. Success, followed success in the wake of success.
>> His teachers's earlier efforts finally bore fruit. Kevin was
>> able to read his grade one Braille papers by the end of that month.
>> Nearly nine years would pass before another child would learn to read
>> with TACK-TILES®. Five more years beyond that would pass before we
>> could afford to make them commercially available in February, 1995.
>>
>>
>> In March of 2009, I had the chance to meet Kevin Murphey, the
>> developer of Tack-Tiles. I stood before his table in a huge exhibit
>> hall marveling at how the product had evolved since I used them to
>> help me learn to read as a child. I was listening distractedly to him
>> deliver a sales pitch to the gentlman standing beside me. Explaining
>> his reasons for building the blocks in the first place, and remarking
>> that he'd never met another student besides his own son who had used
>> these products to learn how to read, although he'd sold many. I looked
>> up startled and turned towards him, hesitantly I put out my hand and
>> spoke up. "I learned how to read with these blocks." Kevin stopped
>> talking and turned to face me, surprise and pleasure in his voice as
>> he asked, "Really?" I smiled and I confirmed that I had. Idly I played
>> with his newest product, Braille Teasers, a sort of flat puzzle that
>> makes you think about where the letters can go provided one empty
>> space. The object is to get the board alphabitized without removing
>> the legos which is considered cheating. We talked and talked like old
>> friends, and then I asked if I could take a picture with him. He
>> agreed on the conditions that I email him a copy of the photo, which I
>> found to be a fair price.
>>
>> As I sat at National Convention I heard a constant message. We must
>> increase Braille Literacy. Our kids need to be taught Braille.
>> Braille, Braille and more Braille. This brought a smile to my lips,
>> however, once I returned home I began to think. Braille Readers are
>> Leaders, Slate Pals, these programs reenforce Braille Skills that
>> children already possess, encouraging them to read. However, I have
>> yet to hear of a program geared towards teaching children Braille when
>> they know none to begin with. I called up my new friend Kevin and
>> launched in to my creative mode. My excitement prooved contagious, and
>> Kevin agreed to allow me a shot at promoting the product that made me
>> the Braille Reader I am today.
>>
>> Tack-Tiles are tiny lego blocks with Braille letters, contractions,
>> numbers, or music symbols on them, depending on which set you
>> purchase. Sets can also be purchased in different languages. This
>> product can be extremely benificial because children do not realize
>> they are learning. I would rapidly lose interest in my reading and
>> begin to build things with my legos, stopping in fascination as I
>> realized my house had words on the roof. These legos can hold a
>> child's attention routed to literacy without his or her knowledge,
>> thus providing them with more exposure and practice, and making
>> reading fun.
>>
>> It is my belief that organizations, and schools helping young
>> students, or students with multi-disabilities should own a set of
>> Tack-Tiles. If anyone has any questions or an interest in this
>> product, please don't hesitate to email me off list at:
>> daydreamingncolor at gmail.com
>> Or, visit the Tac-Tiles home page at:
>> http://www.tack-tiles.com/
>>
>> Aziza Cano
>>
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>
>
> --
> Alena Roberts
> Blog: http://www.blindgal.com/
>
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