[AERNet] braille instruction

[Mindy Demaris]

Hi All,

This discussion brings to mind a question that I have had for a while: What level of tactile reading fluency have your students who currently have functional print vision, but are learning braille in case of later vision loss, obtained?
How will have your students retained these skills, and how well did they serve them when they faced vision loss later?

I really appreciate this discussion on how much time to devote to braille skills for these guys, and how well they transfer these skills later in life. Is there a position paper somewhere on this?
Can members of the list who were taught braille before their vision loss chime in on this thread? 
Thanks for all input!

Mindy Demaris TVI/COMS
Maryland

--- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jodi Sticken 
  To: Mario Cortesi ; cmlien at juno.com ; mack264wal at sbcglobal.net 
  Cc: aernet at lists.aerbvi.org 
  Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 10:55 AM
  Subject: Re: [AERNet] braille instruction


  Actually, the provision for braille instruction according to IDEA has nothing whatsoever to do with "legal blindness"; it applies to any student with an IEP who is eligible for specialized instruction due to a visual impairment (no acuity cutoff).

  At 01:37 AM 7/9/2007 -0500, Mario Cortesi wrote:

    Maybe I don't know IDEA that well after all, but isn't the language that if 
    a student is legally blind (which, functionally, is "can't read newsprint") 
    that the student is to be provided instruction in braille UNLESS there is a 
    documented, PRESSING reason not to?

    In addition, even if the student is still going to be using print for a 
    significant amount of time and even if the teacher is only providing 
    once-a-week itinerant instruction, just introducing the tactile tracking 
    skills and one new character configuration each session (with reviews of 
    previous characters) puts the student ahead. S/he may not become a braille 
    reader NOW, but at least a foundation has been laid and this opens up the 
    possibility for continued instruction when and if the need arrives.


    I disagree. i didn't teach braille or have a braille reader for the first 12 
    years of my TVI career and was able to come up--and surpass--my previous 
    levels with braille with just some review and a few slaps to my forehead 
    (Doh! That's right, it's this way).  Now this is not a data-based 
    observation, but even the gen ed students regain unused skills with a little 
    review.

    >Also, if the student does not keep up with his/her
    use of braille, whatever he/she has learned will be lost over time
    anyway. This is also a fact.

    _________________________________________________________________
    http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_2G_0507


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  Jodi Sticken
  Director of Orientation and Mobility
  Instructor and Clinical Coordinator
  Department of Teaching and Learning
  Northern Illinois University
  DeKalb, IL 60115
  815-753-8456




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