[blindkid] The Top Dumbest Reasons For Not Teaching Braille

Dr. Denise M Robinson deniserob at gmail.com
Fri Oct 21 17:28:22 UTC 2011


Loving This !!!
Denise

On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 10:07 AM, Hai Nguyen Ly
<gymnastdave at sbcglobal.net>wrote:

>
>
> http://www.monitorserver.org/the-top-dumbest-reasons-for-not-teaching-braille-the-not-time-yet-excuse/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
>
> The Top Dumbest Reasons For Not Teaching Braille: The Not-Time-Yet Excuse
>
> The Top Dumbest Reasons For Not Teaching Braille: The Not-Time-Yet Excuse
>
> If your house isn’t burning right now, do you really need smoke detectors?
> If you have a good income, do you really need savings? If you know that
> “yes” is the answer to these questions, you already understand the faulty
> logic behind the Not-Time-Yet excuse for not teaching Braille.
>
> Studies by the Jernigan Institute (Baltimore) link Braille literacy to post
> graduate degrees, employability and earning over ,000 a year. Since the
> 1950s, when blind children started being mainstreamed into public school,
> Braille literacy has been declining. A shortage of qualified Braille
> instructors is the top reason listed by the National Organization of Parents
> of Blind Children. Parents, however, are given excuses not reasons.
> Accepting these excuses can sentence their children to lives of dependence
> and low achievement.
>
> Most of the kids who should be learning Braille are legally blind or very
> close to it and have normal intellects. Legal blindness is 20/200 in the
> best eye with correction or a visual field of 20 degrees or less. People
> with this degree of visual loss cannot receive drivers’ licenses.
> Nonetheless, many of them have enough vision to see print. They are,
> therefore, encouraged and even forced to read print. Large print books and
> CCTVs (Closed Circuit Televisions) are common remedies for these students.
>
> ]]>
>
> But, being able to see print on a page or enlarge twenty times or more on a
> screen is not the same as being able to read at a level appropriate to the
> child’s grade and intellect. Many of these kids need to get right on top of
> the screen or book and need far longer than their peers to complete
> homework. Some suffer painful headaches. As reading becomes more complicated
> and homework increases, many visually impaired children fall behind both
> academically and socially. Even when this happens, parents who ask if it
> isn’t time for Braille are given the Not-Time-Yet excuse.
>
> “He won’t need Braille for years.”
>
> Yeah, like after he’s graduated and you don’t have to pay for it. Large
> print, CCTVs and audio books are far cheaper for budget-conscious schools
> than hiring a qualified Braille instructor. Don’t allow the school to
> balance its budget at the expense of your child’s future!
>
> Many visually impaired kids have degenerative eye conditions such as
> Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). While they may not be totally or even legally
> blind during their school years, experience shows that most will be unable
> to read by the time they get into college or out in the working world.
> Giving them a skill which can improve their independence while they are
> young is the prudent thing to do. Children pick up many things more easily
> than adults, and adulthood is not the time to be learning something that
> should have been part of your basic education.
>
> Relatives and friends of families with blind children can get help and
> information by visiting the National Organization of Parents of Blind
> Children (NOPBC):
> http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Parents_and_Teachers.asp
>
> Learn more about Braille at:
> http://www.braille.org
>
>
>
> Donna W. Hill is an author, singer/songwriter, speaker and avid knitter.
> She works to improve opportunities for blind Americans through the
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind.
> http://www.padnfb.org
> Hear clips from her CD “The Last Straw” at:
> http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>
>
>
> Click On The Banner Now!!!
>
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-- 
Denise

Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
CEO, TechVision
Specialist in blind technology/teaching/training
Email:  yourtechvision at gmail.com <deniserob at gmail.com>
Website with hundreds of lessons: yourtechvision.com



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