[blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 95, Issue 12

Krystal H Guillory kguillory at opsb.net
Wed Mar 14 18:16:43 UTC 2012


Dear Ben's Mom,

If Harry Potter is his interest, then have him practice reading short snipets of the series. Or, better yet, let him read fanfiction about Harry Potter. You can use fanfiction.com and search for Harry Potter, or use a direct site http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com/storysearch.php?fm=2. You, mom, or teacher may want to check articles for appropriateness beforehand. Keep in mind that the stories are found online, but I am suggesting that you copy them into a braille translation software and give Ben hard copy braille.

Just a thought,


Krystal Guillory, NCLB 

,Kry/al ,guillory


Teacher of Blind Students
Ouachita Parish School System
Phone: 318-432-5481
Fax: 318-432-5599
Cell: 318-245-8955
Email: kguillory at opsb.net




----- Original Message -----
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To:<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Cc:
Date: Wednesday, March 14 2012 12:12 PM
Subject: blindkid Digest, Vol 95, Issue 12
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Today's Topics:

1. Re: Braille Literacy IEP Question (Doreen Frappier)
2. Join Bookshare's Worldwide 10th Anniversary Celebration!
(Allison Hilliker)
3. Ben's Braille (Phouka)
4. Re: Braille Literacy IEP Question, long (trising)
5. Re: Ben's Braille (Crystal Schumacher)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:11:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doreen Frappier <dcfrappier at yahoo.com>
To: "Blind Kid Mailing List,    \(for parents of blind children\)"
    <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Braille Literacy IEP Question
Message-ID:
    <1331662301.37091.YahooMailNeo at web162803.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

One thing is that you could ask for a Learning Media Assessment. This would give a better understanding of how he learns best. It isn't right that they discontinue his only means of reading print. I think you have a valid point. The Texas School for the Blind website does have some good ideas for writing goals.

Doreen



________________________________
From: Crystal Schumacher <crystal_schu at hotmail.com>
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org 
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 1:00 AM
Subject: [blindkid] Braille Literacy IEP Question









Hello,

I would really appreciate some opinions on the question I am going to ask. I have a struggling braille reader. The question from the IEP team is as follows: Should we discontinue the Braille Literacy Goal which focuses on speed, fluency, and comprehension because Ben has made little growth for the effort put forth and he is missing other class time during this daily 30 minute pull out?

The Facts are as follows:

Ben is 11 years old and in the 5th grade. He was born 14 weeks premature and is blind with light perception from R.O.P. Ben is reading contracted braille at a 2nd grade level with a speed of 30 words per minute. He receives services from a TVI, 2 hours a day, who states he has learned most of the Braille code. He also receives services from the Special Education Teacher, 30 minutes a day, who is trained in teaching Reading Literacy. She is using a program called Read Naturally that was transcribed into Braille by the Texas School for the Blind. Ben is her only blind student and has been working with her since the middle of 3rd grade. The other students using this program are sighted. Ben has made some growth, but his progress remains slow. He has many Braille reversals and some tactile defensiveness. He writes Braille at grade level. Ben was tested for a reading disability, but do to the lack of statistics on blind children he could not qualify for our
school district. For example, when given the Woodcock-Johnson Normative Test in Braille, Passage Comprehension, he scored at a 2nd grade level. When given the same part of the test auditory, Ben scored at 6th grade level. The IEP team has decided that moving forward, Ben's should receive his text books and some assignments primarily in a digital format. He does use a Braille Note, but relies heavily on the voice when reading or editing papers.

I have a good relationship with my IEP team. They will write the goal how I want, but they need evidence to support it. He will be moving to middle school next year and blind kids typically get less services, not more. Ben may never be a great reader, but Braille is a skill, and I think he needs to be working on it everyday. If a sighted child had dyslexia, would they stop reading with that child? He has a great mind and being able to get information he needs quickly and efficiently via a digital format is important, but I think the Braille is too. Please let me know what you are thinking.

Thank You,
Crystal Schumacher
(Ben's Mom)
??? ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ? 
??? ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ? 
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------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:14:50 -0700
From: Allison Hilliker <AllisonH at benetech.org>
To: "Blind Kid Mailing List,    (for parents of blind children)"
    <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blindkid] Join Bookshare's Worldwide 10th Anniversary
    Celebration!
Message-ID:
    <D862367895B192479C33F05BA866425108A520F5D6 at VA3DIAXVS451.RED001.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear Parents,

Did you know that Bookshare is now 10-years-old? It's true! For a decade we've been happy to bring the joy of reading to thousands of people with print disabilities! We're celebrating throughout this year and you can join in the fun. Learn how by reading our most recent blog entry. http://blog.bookshare.org/2012/03/11/join-bookshares-worldwide-10th-anniversary-celebration/.
You may also read the anniversary press release here http://www.bookshare.org/_/aboutUs/2012/03/tenthAnniversary.

If your child is not a Bookshare member, you may create a free account for him/her at www.bookshare.org. If your child is already a member, please help us spread the word about the service. We love hearing from our members, so feel free to reply to this post and share your Bookshare-related experiences. Or share the news of our 10th anniversary through your favorite social media network.

Thank you to all of the members and partners who have helped Bookshare to become such a success over the past 10 years!

Happy Reading!

Allison Hilliker
Bookshare Collection Development Associate
allisonh at bookshare.org

Join us in celebrating our 10th Anniversary! 



------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:25:48 -0500
From: "Phouka" <Phouka at kc.rr.com>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blindkid] Ben's Braille
Message-ID: <002601cd0146$b6e175e0$24a461a0$@rr.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"

Dear Ben's Mom:



I agree with Denise: your son needs books that he wants to read. I can't
speak for braille literacy in particular, but with literacy in general, I'd
argue that it doesn't matter what you read as much as it matters that you
read. Are there fun magazines in braille he might be interested in? Are
there book series his peers are reading that he might like too, like Harry
Potter back in the day? If you can key in to his interests, you might be
able to get him to read more, and the more he reads, the better at it he
should be.



Good luck!!

--Eddie's Mom





*****************

Follow our adventures at http://peanutandphouka.wordpress.com



Join Eddie's Entourage for the 2012 Trolley Run! Learn more at
http://trolleyrun.kintera.org/eddiesentourage



Need magazines? Jewelry? Outrageously expensive cookie dough? Check out
http://www.efundraisingonline.com/eddiesentourage





------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:42:43 -0400
From: "trising" <trising at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Doreen Frappier" <dcfrappier at yahoo.com>, "Blind Kid Mailing List,
    \(for parents of blind children\)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Braille Literacy IEP Question, long
Message-ID: <558BD71571214C1CB0CDB596127BDAB5 at userPC>
Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="iso-8859-1"

Hello:

Recently, in the last two years, I have had the privilege of working with some teens to improve Braille reading speed. This has been 
during the past two summers, as the volunteer director of a week of programming of Braille Camp at Camp Tuhsmeheta in Michigan. 
Currently, I am helping three blind students from the local school district. We meet once or twice a week in my home. I am not a 
certified teacher , but I read Braille at close to 300 words per minute. I have been reading Braille since age 4. The parents are 
actually paying me for something I absolutely love to do! I teach these principles, and reading speeds begin to climb in three to 
nine hours of practice. I time reading speeds at the end of each hour of practice.
Fast readers read with both hands. Index fingers give details, but third and fourth fingers give the shape of the words. Fast 
readers do not always need to read letter for letter. More fingers means faster reading!!
2. Fast readers do not move their lips when they read.
3. Fast readers keep their palms up off the page. I ask each student what their least favorite food is. I often check their hand 
positions, especially when I do not hear the swish of hands on paper. If palms are down, I joke and say they have just slopped their 
least favorite food onto their nice clean Braille book with their palms. I make sure the book is hard copy Braille, and that it is a 
novel that the student is really interested in so that they will want to read it.
4. I try to get them to make sure that they keep in contact with the Braille as much as possible. If they keep their hands together 
for about two thirds or three fourths of the line, and then let their right hand read the last word or two, while the left tracks 
back on the line, and then moves down to the next, this improves tracking speed and, eventually minimizes the losing of one's place. 
Also, I let them know that the left hand is more sensitive than the right. Often, I find students using only one or two fingers to 
read. This contributes to struggle over letters and slow speeds. I am sorry I had to write a novella to explain this. 
Congratulations if you got this far, and I hope this helps someone

Sincerely,
Terri Wilcox
Secretary, National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
Ann Arbor Chapter President 




------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:43:19 -0700
From: Crystal Schumacher <crystal_schu at hotmail.com>
To: blindkid ask <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Ben's Braille
Message-ID: <COL120-W1804C264001C2EED918F64FF580 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


His interest is definately Harry Potter, but his reading level is Dr. Suess. A braille copy of Harry Potter would overwhelm him, but if I loaded it onto his Braille Note and had him read line by line with the voice first, as suggested, this may work. I hadn't really thought that the material from the reading program may also be boring to him. 

Thank You


> From: Phouka at kc.rr.com
> To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
> Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:25:48 -0500
> Subject: [blindkid] Ben's Braille
> 
> Dear Ben's Mom:
> 
> 
> 
> I agree with Denise: your son needs books that he wants to read. I can't
> speak for braille literacy in particular, but with literacy in general, I'd
> argue that it doesn't matter what you read as much as it matters that you
> read. Are there fun magazines in braille he might be interested in? Are
> there book series his peers are reading that he might like too, like Harry
> Potter back in the day? If you can key in to his interests, you might be
> able to get him to read more, and the more he reads, the better at it he
> should be.
> 
> 
> 
> Good luck!!
> 
> --Eddie's Mom
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *****************
> 
> Follow our adventures at http://peanutandphouka.wordpress.com
> 
> 
> 
> Join Eddie's Entourage for the 2012 Trolley Run! Learn more at
> http://trolleyrun.kintera.org/eddiesentourage
> 
> 
> 
> Need magazines? Jewelry? Outrageously expensive cookie dough? Check out
> http://www.efundraisingonline.com/eddiesentourage
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> blindkid mailing list
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for blindkid:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/crystal_schu%40hotmail.com


------------------------------

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End of blindkid Digest, Vol 95, Issue 12
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