[nabs-l] learning braille

[Arielle Silverman]

Go to
www.hadley.edu/braillecourses.asp
for a list of courses. Below is some Q&A about how Hadley teaches Braille:

Braille by Mail: How Hadley Teaches Braille at a Distance

Are you new to Hadley and wondering how we teach braille at a
distance? The Hadley School for the Blind has been teaching braille
and many other subjects
at a distance since 1920. Although there is an increasing prevalence
of online and distance education courses, the concept of teaching
braille this way
raises a lot of questions. While there are many challenges to teaching
braille by correspondence, Hadley has tried and true methods that have
proven to
be most effective. This Q & A answers some of the questions you may
have about learning braille through Hadley.

Q: Who can take braille though Hadley?

A: Hadley teaches braille to both visually impaired and sighted
students. Students across all four of Hadley's program areas -- Adult
Continuing Education,
High School, Family Education and Professional Studies -- are welcome
to enroll.

Q: In what formats does Hadley teach braille?

A: Visually impaired students receive materials in both audio and
braille formats. In the courses designed for the visually impaired
learner, students learn
to read braille tactually (using their fingertips). Students also
learn to write braille using various braille writing tools, including
the slate and stylus,
a device used to emboss braille on paper and a braillewriter, a
braille equivalent of a typewriter.

Sighted students learn braille a bit differently. Instead of feeling
the dots with their fingers, students visually read black and white
simulated braille.
Hadley has also designed a braille simulator for computers in which
six keys on the keyboard represent the six dot positions within a
braille cell, similar
to the braillewriter. Sighted students also learn to use the slate and stylus.

Q: Is learning braille difficult?

A: Learning braille for the first time can be challenging, but
Hadley's self-paced courses allow students to learn at a rate that
works for them, maximizing
learning and comprehension. Since Hadley is a distance education
school, instructors are not physically present with students. However,
Hadley's unique
"classroom of one" approach means that instructors are available when
students have questions or problems -- either by phone or email.

Q: Is there a fee associated with taking Hadley braille courses?

A: Like all Hadley courses, braille courses are offered tuition-free
for visually impaired students. Thanks to a federal braille grant,
"Introduction to
Braille" and "Contracted Braille" are currently free to sighted students.



On 8/26/12, Joshua Lester <JLester8462 at pccuaedu.onmicrosoft.com> wrote:
> I've been blind all my life, and was taught Braille in school, so I've never
> used it.
> Blessings, Joshua
> ________________________________________
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of
> Stephanie DeLuca [sjhhirst at gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2012 1:41 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] learning braille
>
> Ohhh I have heard of it.  Do you have experience with them?  How does it
> work?
>
> On Aug 26, 2012, at 1:30 PM, Joshua Lester
> <JLester8462 at PCCUAEDU.onmicrosoft.com> wrote:
>
>> This is a corespondence course from Hadley!
>> Blessings, Joshua
>> ________________________________________
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of
>> Stephanie DeLuca [sjhhirst at gmail.com]
>> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2012 1:24 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] learning braille
>>
>> Yeah, I guess the problem is that I can't really afford to take off 6-9
>> months to go to a training center.  I know that everyone will advocate
>> that, but I don't really want to do that.
>>
>> On Aug 26, 2012, at 1:15 PM, Joshua Lester
>> <JLester8462 at PCCUAEDU.onmicrosoft.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I'd learn through the NFB program.
>>> I wouldn't deal with VR, because they're only working with college
>>> students, and such.
>>> If you're in college, just remember, that VR is slow, sometimes.
>>> Blessings, Joshua
>>> ________________________________________
>>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of
>>> Stephanie H. DeLuca [sjhhirst at gmail.com]
>>> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2012 1:06 PM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] learning braille
>>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I was wondering how one goes about learning braille as an adult.  I'm 27
>>> and have been reading print all of my life because I do have enough
>>> vision
>>> to do that.  However, I'm regretting not learning it when I was a child.
>>> Well, I did learn the alphabet, but not really much further than that.
>>> What are the steps one takes to learn braille?  Do you go through
>>> vocational rehab?  I don't necessarily want to take time off to go t a
>>> living center, but I think weekly lessons or something would be fine.
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> Stephanie
>>>
>>> In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.
>>>   ~Louis Pasteur, lecture 1854
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>>
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