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

[Beth]

Awesome.  I learned Braille a different way, but those things might be
fun to teach my kids Braille because I might end upadopting blind
children.  Itmight be cool.
Beth

On 8/29/09, Aziza C <daydreamingncolor at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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