[Ohio-talk] Braillewriters

[rchpay7 at gmail.com]

Thanks so much for attending.  am posting this to our listserv but also will
be poling our state board of directors to help.

 

From: Wild, Tiffany [mailto:wild.13 at osu.edu] 
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2017 10:02 AM
To: Richard Payne <rchpay7 at gmail.com>
Cc: Fast, Danene <fast.40 at osu.edu>
Subject: Braillewriters

 

Richard,

 

Thank you once again for allowing me to speak at the NFB Ohio Convention.
It is great to see so many familiar faces.

 

Today is the LAST day that people can donate funds on our buckeyefunder page
for braillewriters.  The link to this campaign is below

https://buckeyefunder.osu.edu/project/7599/wall

 

However, we are also working with our department to accept donated machines
as was suggested at the convention.  

 

Below is more information about our need:

Early Childhood Braille Transcription Project

Beginning in the fall of 2018, OSU will begin accepting up to 35
undergraduate students in a teacher licensure program that will allow those
students the opportunity to be certified as both an early childhood teacher
and an intervention specialist for the visually impaired.  However, as
excited as we are to start the program we have a problem - we need
braillewriters for our students to learn to read and produce braille and
Nemeth (braille math code).  Braille knowledge is required for licensure
testing and must be taught to students with visual impairments who need this
instruction as required by law.

Our project is aiming to purchase 35 braillewriters and braillewriter
backpacks in order to allow each of the incoming students their own
braillewriter to borrow from our lending library for use in their coursework
and to practice braille production 24/7.  These braillewriters will be
returned each year to allow future teachers the opportunity to learn
braille.  The braillewriter backpacks will allow for ease of transport and
will protect against wear and tear from transport.

Need for Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVIs):

Did you know..????

*	70% of school aged and preschool students served by the Ohio State
School for the Blind outreach service were found to not be receiving the
services they needed 
*	The entire southeastern quadrant of Ohio has almost no TVIs
available to serve the children 
*	TVIs are responsible for helping to make accommodations and
modifications students who are blind and visually impaired need in order to
access school curriculum 
*	Most general education teachers are not provided the information
needed in their training programs to begin to be prepared to have a child
with visual impairment in their classroom 
*	OSU will be one of only 5 universities offering TVI training at the
undergraduate level; and 1 of 2 offering the dual licensure program 
*	Dual licensure combinations makes new teachers highly competitive in
the job market. 

The need for qualified TVIs is great in Ohio and across the country.  We
need your help  to secure proper training materials for our students so that
OSU can help to alleviate this problem.  We will acknowledge your
contributions in print form and for our larger donors, your donations will
acknowledged on a plaque in our library and plates on the braillewriters as
noted on our contribution list.  Thank you for your support of this program.
Your contribution is greatly needed and appreciated!

 

 

Thank you so much for your help!

Tiffany