[nabs-l] National Federation of the BlindApplaudsNewJerseyRuling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child

Fri May 11 02:51:45 UTC 2012

I got marked off, in Philosophy, because I couldn't spell the
philosophers' names.
I only have audio.
I wonder, if you could get those textbooks on your Blio, and Braille display.
Hmmm!
I'd prefer Braille, over audio, any day!
Blessings, Joshua

On 5/10/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Sophie,
> I'm confused too. Yes you could write by typing provided you know how to
> structure it; how to spell, where to punctuate your sentences, etc.
> As someone who learned to spell, punctuate words and sentences, learned the
>
> concept of a paragraph, and more from really reading in braille, I cannot
> see how you can grasp the english language without first seeing the
> language. If you can read print or read it before your vision declined which
>
> I think is Marc's case, yes you can remember the english structure and
> continue your literacy skills.
> But for someone young enough not to learn the structure and semantics of the
>
> english language, I fail to understand how you can learn it simply via
> audio. For instance, in audio I cannot see where one paragraph ends and
> another begins; this causes problems in college english classes because the
>
> professor says see paragraph 1, 2 etc on page 3 or whatever.
> When I only hear, I cannot see how to spell and therefore have to ask
> someone if I do not know its spelling already; I have been marked down in
> college papers for failing to spell technical terms like drug names in
> psychology papers. I did not
> ask a reader how to spell all of them. So these are just some challenges
> with audio learning.
> I think my literacy skills would be much weaker if I were not held to a high
>
> standard in elementary school and learned to spell and learned braille.
>
> Ashley
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sophie Trist
> Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:25 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of the
> BlindApplaudsNewJerseyRuling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>
> But I'm confused. Do you just use audio materials to read? For
> writing, I guess you just type on a computer--that's what I do
> too. I would be curious to know how someone who doesn't read
> braille or print can read.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Marc Workman <mworkman.lists at gmail.com
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Thu, 10 May 2012 15:34:07 -0700
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of the Blind
> ApplaudsNewJerseyRuling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>
> Hello Sophie,
>
> I haven't been able to read print for a good ten years. I'm not
> totally blind, no, but I'm near enough as makes no difference. So
> if not reading print and not reading Braille makes one
> illiterate, then I am one of those rare illiterates that spends
> most of his day reading and writing.
>
> I do think that, at least for a person who learned print, using a
> screen reader to listen to an email or a journal article is
> analogous to reading. I would be willing to lay down a small sum
> of money on the bet that performing an FMRI scan of my brain
> while i'm reading with a screen reader would show activity in the
> same parts of the brain that light up in sighted people when they
> read print. I don't know this for sure, just a hunch, especially
> since I often visualize letters and words as the screen reader
> echoes them. If anyone knows of research in this area, I'd be
> interested.
>
> Marc
> On 2012-05-10, at 1:06 PM, Sophie Trist wrote:
>
> Marc,
>
> I believe that when Chris said, "Without braille, we couldn't
> read or write,", she was speaking of the totally blind. From your
> e-mail, I gather that you still have a good bit of my vision
> left. I am completely blind, so there is no possible way that I
> could learn print. Okay, I can learn to sign my name, but that's
> about it. So for those of us who are totally blind or whose
> vision is not reliable enough for them to read print (sorry, but
> I think you're a minority on this list), without braille, we
> could not read or write.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Marc Workman <mworkman.lists at gmail.com
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Thu, 10 May 2012 08:40:45 -0700
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of the Blind Applauds
> NewJerseyRuling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>
> I guess I'm in a small minority of those who had Braille forced
> on them as a child. I resisted it with every argument an eight
> year old can muster. At several times throughout my primary and
> secondary education, I was made to learn and relearn Braille even
> though I didn't use it then and have rarely used it since.
>
> Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying I was right to
> resist. There are lots of things that children resist learning
> for one reason or another (e.g.,second and third languages,
> musical instruments, dance), and all of these skills contribute
> to the production of a more well-rounded and talented person.
> Braille falls into this category for me. Knowing it better would
> likely help me get a job, but so too would being more fluent in
> french, particularly in Canada.
>
> Where I do take issue, and I've expressed this before, is with
> statements like this one from Chris:
>
> "Without Braille, we can't read or write."
>
> And I'm not picking on you, Chris, I could have found others
> making the same point in this thread. If Chris's statement is
> true, then this email and every essay I wrote in my undergrad,
> masters, and PhD programs were written by someone who is
> illiterate. Without being too immodest, I think I write better
> than a majority of sighted people, and that's not bad for an
> illiterate person.
>
> Any child that wants to learn Braille or any parents that want
> that for their children should receive the instruction they
> desire. Adults too should receive the support to learn Braille if
> they so desire. What I think is worth pointing out is that
> Braille isn't necessary for blind people to be able to read and
> write, Braille isn't necessary for blind people to be successful,
> and in some cases, mine in particular, the dozens of hours spent
> learning Braille may more effectively be spent learning other
> skills.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Marc
> On 2012-05-08, at 5:41 PM, Chris Nusbaum wrote:
>
> A big amen to that! I couldn't have said it any better! I was
> actually
> having a similar conversation with my school librarian today,
> who asked me
> whether I saw Braille withering away with the advancement of
> audio
> technology. I told her I didn't, and even if I could see that
> happening, I
> wouldn't want it. Why do I not see Braille going away? Because
> there are
> enough blind people who are passionate about Braille to prevent
> that from
> happening! Why would I want Braille to continue as the primary
> source of
> reading and writing for the blind? Because reading books in
> audio format,
> although it is a good method for reading materials sometimes,
> isn't true
> literacy. Braille is our form of literacy. Without Braille, we
> can't read or
> write. This means that we can't get a job, or go to college, or
> keep up with
> our sighted peers. So, I think we definitely still need Braille
> because it
> is our form of literacy, and if we get rid of Braille, we should
> get rid of
> print too!
>
> Chris
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Arielle Silverman
> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 10:42 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind
> Applauds
> NewJersey Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>
> It's sad that this required three years of legal contention to
> resolve.
> What's even sadder is that for thousands of other children,
> these battles
> aren't being won in the end or even being fought in the first
> place. Parents
> capitulate to the professionals' insistence that their child
> doesn't need
> Braille, or they want to fight but don't have the time, energy
> or legal
> resources to stick it out.
> The saddest thing of all, and an irony too, is that so much of
> the denial of
> Braille instruction is being perpetrated by the very people
> entrusted to
> promote and teach Braille--teachers of the blind! I just read a
> few weeks
> ago about a preschool child whose TVI refused to provide her
> with Braille
> copies of the storybooks her classmates were given in school.
> Instead, the
> teacher thought it sufficient to give the child stuffed toys
> representing
> the characters in the stories. I can understand using toys to
> substitute for
> the pictures, but if the sighted kids are getting copies of the
> stories, why
> not give the exact same content to the blind child as well? I
> might add that
> in today's electronic world, and even before computers existed,
> transcribing
> a book for preschoolers is not difficult. And even in this case
> with the
> Millers, the NJ Commission for the Blind backed the school's
> decision not to
> provide Braille. If even the folks who are charged to teach us
> literacy
> don't stand behind Braille, who will? In my opinion a certified
> teacher of
> blind children who refuses to teach Braille, or who refuses to
> hold their
> students to competitive reading standards, is not deserving of
> that
> certificate.
> I sincerely hope that this victory will set a meaningful
> precedent to bring
> about big changes for those parents who are fighting for Braille
> today and
> in the future.
> Arielle
>
> On 5/7/12, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
> How old is the child?
> I got Braille instruction, when I was just starting school!
> Why is it, that they did this, with this child?
> Any word on how old he is?
> Thanks, Joshua
>
> On 5/7/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> I agree, how  sad.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Loren
> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 8:09 PM
> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list' ;
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org ; nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind
> Applauds
> NewJersey Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>
> It's extremely sad that this took 3 years to come to this
> decision.
> Would
> anyone deny a sighted child print instruction for that long?
> Congrats to the Millers for sticking with it.  You did a great
> thing for
> your child.
>
> Loren Wakefield
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 5:54 PM
> To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org; 'National Association of Blind Students
> mailing list'; nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind Applauds
> New
> Jersey Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Freeh, Jessica [mailto:JFreeh at nfb.org]
> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 8:57 AM
> To: Undisclosed recipients:
> Subject: National Federation of the Blind Applauds New Jersey
> Ruling on
> Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>
>
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>
>
> CONTACT:
>
> Chris Danielsen
>
> Director of Public Relations
>
> National Federation of the Blind
>
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>
> <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org> cdanielsen at nfb.org
>
>
>
>
> National Federation of the Blind Applauds New Jersey Ruling on
> Braille
> Instruction for Blind Child
>
>
> After Three-Year Battle, Hank Miller Will Receive Braille
> Instruction
>
>
>
>
> Oceanport, New Jersey (May 7, 2012): After a three-year
> administrative
> and
> legal battle against their local school board, the Oceanport
> Board of
> Education, Jeffrey and Holly Miller obtained a ruling (docket
> number:
> 2011
> 17218) from an administrative law judge that their
> eleven-year-old son
> Henry
> "Hank" Miller was improperly denied instruction in Braille, the
> reading
> and
> writing code for the blind.  The legal victory, obtained with
> the
> assistance
> of the National Federation of the Blind <http://www.nfb.org/>
> (NFB),
> comes
> on the heels of
>
>
> <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/Letter%20to%20Secretary%20
> Duncan%20re
> %20Braille%20Literacy.pdf> a letter from 26 U.S. Senators urging
> the
> Department of Education to take steps to ensure that blind
> children who
> need
> Braille instruction receive it.
>
>
>
> Holly and Jeffrey Miller brought the legal case on behalf of
> their son,
> Hank, whom they adopted from China and who is blind due to
> albinism and
> nystagmus.  Hank has limited vision that allows him to read
> enlarged
> print
> for short periods of time, but he is unable to read for
> sustained periods
> of
> time.  Although Hank's parents continued to tell school
> officials that
> their
> son was experiencing visual fatigue and was having difficulty
> reading,
> the
> school board and its consultant, the New Jersey Commission for
> the Blind
> and
> Visually Impaired (CBVI), insisted that Hank was a proficient
> print
> reader,
> notwithstanding his continued placement in a special resource
> room for
> language arts.  In a nearly ten-day hearing, held under the due
> process
> provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
> Improvement Act
> of
> 2004, Mrs. Miller testified that she watched Hank routinely
> struggle with
> his homework, suffering from eye strain and fatigue, but was
> unable to
> convince school officials or the CBVI that Hank needed Braille
> instruction.
> She also testified that Hank's schoolwork was not of the same
> quantity
> and
> quality as that of his classmates.  Although experts from the
> school and
> the
> commission claimed that Hank was a "visual learner" and should
> participate
> in the "sighted world," experts hired by the Millers and the NFB
> concluded
> after thorough assessment that Hank could not read print for
> extended
> periods of time without eye strain, neck and back pain, fatigue,
> and loss
> of
> reading speed and comprehension.
>
>
>
> In her order, Administrative Law Judge Lisa James-Beavers found
> that the
> school board and the commission displayed a clear "bias against
> Braille."
> She found that the school board and the commission had failed to
> assess
> Hank's "sustained reading ability" with print, relying instead
> on reading
> assessments involving only brief passages, and citing Hank's
> alleged
> failure
> to complain about struggling to read print.  The judge was
> unconvinced by
> the board and CBVI's contention that Hank could rely on audio
> technology
> as
> reading demands increased through his school years, noting that
> "as
> pointed
> out by all of petitioners' well-qualified experts, listening
> does not
> equate
> to reading.  One does not enhance the active skill of
> comprehending text
> by
> passively listening, even if one is following along with the
> reading."
> The
> order noted that "the CBVI failed to do what Oceanport relied on
> them to
> do,
> which is to help construct a program that would give H.M.
> meaningful
> educational benefit considering H.M.'s future needs."  Judge
> James-Beavers
> ordered that Hank Miller be provided with Braille instruction
> for
> forty-five
> minutes, five days a week, and that the school board provide
> compensatory
> instruction because of the three years that Hank was not
> provided with
> Braille instruction, in the form of intensive Braille summer
> programs or
> tutoring.
>
>
>
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the
> Blind, said:
> "Based on the experience of countless parents of blind children
> and blind
> adults who had never learned Braille and have contacted us over
> the
> years,
> the National Federation of the Blind has consistently argued
> that blind
> children are being improperly assessed and denied Braille
> instruction
> when
> it is clearly appropriate.  Now after a thorough and
> comprehensive
> examination of the evidence in Hank Miller's case, an
> independent judge
> has
> confirmed what we always knew.  We hope that school and agency
> officials
> across the nation take note of this landmark ruling and commit
> to giving
> blind children access to Braille, the true key to literacy for
> the vast
> majority of children who are blind or losing vision.  The
> National
> Federation of the Blind will continue to stand with families
> like the
> Millers who find themselves pitted against the educational
> establishment
> in
> obtaining the equal education to which their children are
> entitled and
> which
> they deserve."
>
>
>
> Holly Miller, Hank's mother, said: "I am obviously thrilled with
> this
> ruling, although I am still saddened that it took such a
> prolonged battle
> to
> achieve it.  I am stepping forward to tell Hank's story in hopes
> that
> other
> parents of blind children will not have to struggle as we did.
> I thank
> the
> National Federation of the Blind and all of the individuals and
> experts
> who
> came forward to assist in this case.  I plan to strongly and
> publicly
> advocate with the National Federation of the Blind for Braille
> instruction
> for blind children."
>
>
>
> The plaintiffs are represented in this matter by Sharon
> Krevor-Weisbaum
> of
> the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein, and Levy, and Jayne M.
> Wesler of the
> Cranbury firm Sussan and Greenwald.
>
>
>
> For more information about the National Federation of the Blind,
> please
> visit www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> .  For more information
> about
> Braille, the reading and writing code for the blind, please
> visit
> www.braille.org <http://www.braille.org/> .
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ###
>
>
>
>
>
> About the National Federation of the Blind
>
>
>
> With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the
> Blind is
> the
> largest and most influential membership organization of blind
> people in
> the
> United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through
> advocacy,
> education, research, technology, and programs encouraging
> independence
> and
> self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field
> today and
> the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened
> the
> National
> Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research
> and
> training
> center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
>
>
>
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