[Pibe-division] Questions about Braille instruction - A Parent’s Perspective

Fri Feb 19 15:25:58 UTC 2010

Wow!

Thank you so much for this message.  I have read your responses for quite a while on the forum, but didn't know your story.  I am a TVI in a major metropolitan area, and will let you know that my colleagues and myself always advocate on the side of Braille whenever it is the best alternative.  I personally love teaching Braille, and have a vision resource classroom to support my students, who are all included in regular classes.  Your insight and resources are wonderful and encouraging, and I will be using them to address issues with classroom teachers and parents in the future.  I have been teaching in this field for 17 years, and believe there is no better place to be!

Sue Brewer, M. Ed, CTVI

Metro Nashville Public Schools

Sue 
Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything good in the world.  Helen Keller (1880 - 1968) 

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:10:58 -0800
From: pumpkinracer at gmail.com
To: pibe-division at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] Questions about Braille instruction - A Parent’s Perspective

Hi Jackie,
You have gotten some great advice.
I agree with Gail, Brandy, Mary, and others – it is crucially important to provide young kids with a firm foundation in braille as early as possible. I am a parent of 2 braille readers. The older one is now in 7th grade, the younger in 2nd. Both are mainstreamed & both are doing well in school.
As has already been pointed out, kids are learning the alphabet and words in kindergarten. Braille reading students should be reading & writing to the same degree as their sighted classmates. 
In kindergarten, both my kids were using both English & Lithuanian braille. They would write what the other kids were writing & read what the other kids were reading; it’s just that they did that in braille. Importantly, there is typically a big leap forward within a week of starting first grade & so students need to already have an established foundation in braille or they will be struggling with braille basics as the other kids move forward.
My youngest son started keeping a nightly journal on his BrailleNote in kindergarten – he continues to add a few sentences every night before he goes to bed, highlighting the day’s events – he has not missed a single day in nearly 2 years! It is pretty cool to think that he will have his own written record of the highlights of his life :-)
I love the story of a lady by the name of Kim Boshart in Nebraska who started teaching preschoolers to write with the slate and stylus "because she didn't know they couldn't learn it" that young. Guess what? They did learn! That comes from Ramona Walhof's 1993 NFB National Convention address entitled "BRAILLE: A RENAISSANCE" - it is definitely worth reading (www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm93/brlm9310.htm).
In preparation for IEPs at the beginning of each school year, as a barometer of were each child should be performing, I have made it a habit of looking at the district & state education standards for the current & the upcoming grade level every year. California is the first state to adopt formal Braille Reading Standards (www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/documents/braillereadstand.pdf) and Braille Math Standards (www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/documents/braillemathstand.pdf). These standards have already served our family in very real and practical ways. 
Jackie, you mentioned you were a beginning braille teacher. As a parent of a blind child (well actually 2), if I could deliver a single message to educators & administrators (general ed or blindness ed) it would be a request to truly adopt a paradigm of equal, age-appropriate expectations. My wife & I have tried to live up to this paradigm. If you are interested in how at least one family’s story, I invite you to read Equal Expectations: A Belief Paradigm or a Politically Correct, Feel-Good Phrase? (www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr27/1/fr270107.htm).
Best wishes on a rewarding, fruitful, & impactful career.
Respectfully,
Eric Vasiliauskas (a Dad)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 1:01 PM, Jackie Anderson <jackieanderson54 at yahoo.com> wrote:

Hello,

I am a beginning Braille teacher.  I was wondering where can I find information about time line for braille instruction?  By the end of kindergarten, what should the a student be expected to have covered?  

Jackie Anderson

A long journey begins with one step
There is a literacy crisis in America.
Only 10% of children who are blind are 
taught to read Braille.  

--- On Tue, 2/16/10, pibe-division-request at nfbnet.org <pibe-division-request at nfbnet.org> wrote:

From: pibe-division-request at nfbnet.org <pibe-division-request at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Pibe-division Digest, Vol 21, Issue 6
To: pibe-division at nfbnet.org
Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 6:00 PM

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Today's Topics:

   1. 40 New Books from Seedlings Braille Books! (Lee Truslow)

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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:43:03 -0600
From: Lee Truslow <specialcritters at hotmail.com> (by way of David
    Andrews    <dandrews at visi.com>)
To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Pibe-division] 40 New Books from Seedlings Braille Books!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seedlings Braille Books for Children
Announces: 40 New Low-cost Braille Books Now Available!
February 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seedlings' 2010 Catalog Update is ready!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are very excited to announce that our 2010 
Catalog Update will be in the mail to you very 
soon, but you don't have to wait. The new books 
are already listed on our website and are ready to be ordered!

New Print-Braille-&-Picture Books in Uncontracted Braille:
    Baby's Very First Touchy-Feely Book
    Clifford's Bedtime
    Let's Eat--Vamos A Comer (in English & Spanish)
    Little Quack Loves Colors

New Print-Braille-&-Picture Books in Contracted Braille:
    First Picture Nursery Rhymes
    Mama's Right Here

New Print-and-Braille Easy-Readers (no pictures):
    Caps for Sale (in uncontracted braille)
    Barack Obama: Out of Many, One (in contracted braille)

  New Braille Fiction in Contracted Braille
    (no print or pictures):

    Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls Book One: Moving Day
    American Girls: Happy Birthday, Molly!
    American Girls: Happy Birthday, Samantha!
    American Girls: Julie Tells Her Story
    American Girls: Thanks to Nicki
    Animal Rescue: Charlie the Home-Alone Kitten
    The Blind Outlaw
    Boxcar Children #25: The Amusement Park Mystery
    Boxcar Children #37: The Mystery of the Lost Village
    The Breadwinner--An Afghan Child in a War Torn Land
    Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy
    Dear America: When Will This Cruel War Be Over?
    The Egyptian Box
    Goosebumps Horrorland #1: Revenge of the Living Dummy
    Hardy Boys #59: Night of the Werewolf
    Igraine the Brave
    The Jungle Book
    Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal (#10)
    Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch (#19)
    Junie B., First Grader: Cheater Pants (#21)
    Lady Grace Mysteries: Conspiracy
    Magic Tree House #9: Dolphins at Daybreak
    Magic Tree House #37: Dragon of the Red Dawn
    Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew: The Zoo Crew
    Robinson Crusoe (Junior Classics edition)
    A Swiftly Tilting Planet
    Three Stories from Winnie-the-Pooh
    Wayside School Is Falling Down
    The Window

New Braille Poetry in Contracted Braille (no print or pictures):
    Where the Sidewalk Ends

New Braille Nonfiction in Contracted Braille (no print or pictures):
    First Kids: The True Stories of All the Presidents' Children
    Growl! A Book about Bears

You don't have to wait for your flyer to arrive. 
Check out our 1,000+ braille books right now on 
our accessible website: Seedlings' Online Catalog

For a list of the new books with authors and 
prices, see the What's New section.

To download a textfile version of Seedlings' 
Catalog with the new books added, please click 
this link: Seedlings' Catalog--Textfile Version

Seedlings' books are always "on sale": we sell 
them for only a fraction of what it costs to make 
them, and our prices have not been raised in 25 years!

"The road to knowledge begins with the turn of the page."
Order some books today!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2010 Book Angel Program ... Register Now!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seedlings' Book Angel Program is open to 
visually-impaired children who live in the US, 
and through this program each child can receive 2 
free Seedlings' books (you list 4 books from our 
catalog and we will send 2 of them.)

To register, just fill out the form on page 52 of 
the 2010 catalog, or better yet, fill it out 
online right now by clicking here: Seedlings' Book Angel Program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Easy Way To Help ... Use GoodSearch & GoodShop
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seedlings Braille Books for Children is a 501(c)3 
nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing 
the opportunity for literacy by providing 
high-quality, low-cost children's literature in 
braille. The services we provide are completely 
dependent upon the generosity of our supporters.

You can help in a very simple way:  you can earn 
money for Seedlings every time you search the 
internet or shop online! Just go to 
www.goodsearch.com and type "Seedlings" in the 
"Who do you GoodSearch for?" box. Be sure to 
bookmark the page and use it for all your searches and online shopping.

If you go through GoodSearch to your favorite 
online stores (there are over 1,000 stores ... 
everything from Amazon to Walgreen's), a 
percentage of your total will be donated to 
Seedlings by the vendor!  It doesn't cost you 
anything extra and the dollars donated to Seedlings add up quickly!

As always, we deeply appreciate all of your help 
and support! We couldn't do what we do without you!

With gratitute,
Debra J. Bonde, Director
Seedlings Braille Books for Children

Quick Links...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seedlings' Website
Seedlings' Online Catalog of Braille Books & Gift Items
List of New Books (with authors & prices)
  Special Projects (like our Book Angel Program)
GoodSearch & GoodShop
To Donate to Seedlings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seedlings' Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
website: www.seedlings.org
phone: 800-777-8552
fax: 734-427-8552
email: info at seedlings.org
mail: PO Box 51924, Livonia, MI 48151-5924
visit: 14151 Farmington Road, Livonia, MI 48154
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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