[nfb-talk] Fwd: The HumanWare Braille Literacy Award 2010

[David Andrews]

>From: "HumanWare" <marcom at humanware.com>
>To: "david.andrews at nfbnet.org" <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
>Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 05:34:43 +1000
>Subject: The HumanWare Braille Literacy Award 2010
>
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>HumanWare, the power is in your hands
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>The HumanWare Braille Literacy Award 2010
>
>
>
>HumanWare proudly sponsors a National Braille 
>Literacy Award each year to support the 
>importance of braille literacy in the early days 
>of a child's education. It is the highlight of 
>our year to receive the applications and 
>personal stories of so many amazing blind and 
>vision impaired children, their families and 
>teachers from across the country. The really hard part is to pick a winner!
>
>In 2010 the Award is granted to the Jones family 
>of Minnesota who received a complete Mountbatten 
>Braille Writer Learning System.
>Ethan, Evie and their Mother, Heather
>
>
>
>The Jones family clearly understands the 
>important of literacy, specifically braille 
>literacy, for the young children in their family. They wrote

>
>Literacy is the key to any child's future and we 
>are learning that "Braille" literacy is the key 
>to our second and third children because of 
>their visual impairments. Reading and writing is 
>a basic fundamental form of communication and if 
>you cannot read or write, you cannot support 
>yourself as an independent person. Braille will 
>be the only written communication for our daughter and second son.
>
>Brian and Heather, parents to three children, 
>valued and practiced being their first child's 
>teachers early in his life. They included 
>beginning reading and writing literacy skills in 
>their daily activities. Heather describes their 
>family activities with their first child, Jaxon, in the paragraphs below.
>
>Literacy is a fundamental value in our family. 
>If you would have asked me when my first child, 
>Jaxon, was born how important literacy would be 
>to his future I would have laughed at you 
>thinking it was a ridiculous question!
>
>I read to Jaxon the day I brought him home from 
>the hospital, and we still read to him every 
>night. As he grew, he played with his books and 
>looked at the words as I read them to him. He 
>began to pick up crayons about the time he was 
>one, scribbling and make "pictures" on paper. 
>Soon he began to recognize his name by sight. At 
>about three he could spell it and now at 5 he can write it.
>
>After the birth of their second child, Ethan, 
>who was born with a visual impairment, Heather 
>and Brian began to question their capabilities 
>to be Ethan’s first teachers because Ethan would 
>need to use braille to develop literacy skills. 
>Before Ethan was one year old, they were 
>introduced to the Mountbatten Brailler and they 
>began to realize that with braille books and 
>materials, powerful tools, and support, they 
>would also be able to be Ethan’s first teachers 
>in their home. Heather writes about beginning this journey.
>
>Ethan with the Mountbatten
>
>
>When Ethan was born, I again thought about that 
>wonderful process of reading because it is my 
>favorite thing to do. When we found out he was 
>visually impaired, it broke my heart. I thought 
>my baby boy was never going to be able to read. 
>At that point I didn't know anything about 
>braille. I have since learned that he will read 
>and he will write. He will be able to do almost 
>anything that any sighted child will.
>
>Ethan has followed in his big brother's 
>footsteps. He loves to read and we sit and read 
>his brailled books every day. He also began his 
>mark making at the age of one. Now at the age of 
>two he can write the letters a and c on the 
>brailler. Letter recognition is taking a bit longer but it is coming.
>
>We have purchased and made some books with 
>braille on them and they are his favorite books. 
>He also likes books with textures, however if 
>there is no texture or braille he becomes 
>uninterested. The Mountbatten system would not 
>only allow him to continue to become literate in 
>braille, it will also allow us to braille any 
>book that he may like to read. We believe that 
>the Mountbatten system in our home would be an 
>immense boost to their learning abilities. It 
>will allow the two of them to progress faster 
>and learn better if we have the ability to 
>remain their "first teachers” at home even 
>though they require special braille tools.
>
>When their third child, Evie, was born with a 
>visual impairment, they were on their way to 
>understanding their abilities to teach braille 
>literacy skills to blind children.
>
>When, Evie, was born, my heart was broken again 
>as I was told that my little girl would also 
>have a visual impairment similar to her brother. 
>Now we have the privilege of raising two visually impaired preschool children.
>
>While most sighted children are introduced to 
>the written word when they are infants, many 
>visually impaired children are not introduced to 
>braille until kindergarten. That is unacceptable.
>Evie with the Mountbatten
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>
>Having a Mountbatten in our home will help both 
>of my kids start their school years at the same 
>level as sighted kids. Braille is to Ethan and 
>Evie what letters and numbers are to Jaxon.
>
>Even though their children are young, Brian and 
>Heather realize the value of braille tools, not 
>only in their early childhood years, but when 
>they are also school age. They have a vision of 
>their children’s futures built on a strong foundation in braille literacy.
>
>The Mountbatten
>
>
>The Mountbatten will not only be of use when 
>they are young children but throughout their 
>lives. With the features of being able to hook 
>up to the PC the Mountbatten will play a huge 
>role in my children's educations...doing their 
>homework with it, learning on the computer, and writing their own stories.
>
>Reading and writing are the foundations of 
>learning. To my children braille is reading and writing.
>
>To me the Mountbatten brings fundamental 
>learning into my house. Beyond that it is also 
>the key to unlock the door to their imaginations 
>and explore the world of the written word. A 
>door they couldn't open without it.
>
>With braille literacy starting at home, our 
>children will be able meet or exceed the 
>literacy skills of sighted kids of the same age. 
>There is no education without literacy. There is 
>no success in life for a person who has no education.
>
>Congratulations to the Jones family and best 
>wishes for their commitment and support for braille literacy.
>
>An honorable mention goes to the Ingram Family of San Pedro, CA:
>"We see the Mountbatten as an amazing tool that 
>could open up the world of braille literacy to 
>our three special needs children. We believe 
>that literacy is the key to a full and rounded 
>life and that all should be provided the 
>opportunity and encouragement to learn. We 
>believe that those who have the potential, but 
>do not learn to read and write are imprisoned in 
>many ways and are kept from becoming all that 
>they can be, kept from full participation in 
>society, and kept from meaningful employment."
>Ingram family
>
>
>
>
>To learn more about how the Mountbatten can 
>introduce students to braille literacy in a fun and inclusive manner visit:
>
><http://hcamarketing.cmail2.com/t/y/l/bfldh/yhjdiylkr/j>www.humanware.com/mountbatten
>
><http://hcamarketing.cmail2.com/t/y/l/bfldh/yhjdiylkr/t>More 
>info about HumanWare support for Braille Literacy
>
>
>
>©2010 HumanWare. 
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                         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
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