What are some strategies for teaching braille to children, including mainstreamed students and older students, who are making the transition from print to braille? Following are some of the ideas these experienced teachers have shared:
 

• Build tactual sensitivity before formal instruction.
• Build finger strength and flexibility. Squeeze and pound clay, crack peanuts with fingers, do "finger plays," and "scribble" with a Perkins brailler.
• For kids who are tactually defensive: put a sheet protector (such as a thin piece of plastic) over the braille to cut its "sharpness."
• Important to bring creativity and excitement to the process. Show your enthusiasm.
• Work with parents: literacy starts early.
• Build from experiences of the child. If the child knows it, she can read and write it.
• Teach the "What do I know? What did I learn? What do I need to know?" system of reading self-monitoring.
• Make sure your lessons are pertinent and interesting. Identify interests and needs of the student and start from there.
• Use curriculum materials designed for the pupil's age. Older students with lower reading levels still want to read materials appropriate to their interests.
• Have the student write personal experiences.
• Student can read and write Grade 2 simple sentences to "show off" to peers.
• Students can teach their peers to read and write braille.
• Students can write about an interesting news item they heard about on the radio or TV (e.g., sports event, current events, television show review, etc.).
• Students can keep a personal journal or write down a secret wish.
• Use braille to write the instructions of a favorite game or to put together a toy.
• Use braille to write directions to a place of interest (incorporate mobility skills).
• Put the menu from a favorite restaurant in braille.
• Have the students write a letter or note to a friend or a celebrity.
• The student can write a short script and read it into a tape recorder or act it out (alone or with friends).
• Practice by generating lists of things that are categorized.
• Write Christmas or birthday "wish list" in braille to share with friends.
• Techniques to facilitate reading: make story boxes, writing own books, sports cards, Language Master machine, tape braille of same text, use of familiar texts.
• Make instruction helpful for independent needs, especially economic: students can learn how being braille literate can help with future employment options.
• Introduce rewards into learning: pen pals, games with rewards, Scrabble(r), Trivial Pursuit(r).
• Help readers learn how to choose a book for themselves.
• Address literacy issues: comprehension, decoding skills, ESL, etc.
• Address special needs as well. A student's reading problems may not be because of the braille per se, but have other underlying causes. Careful assessment is important.
• Some students with low vision who are learning braille may benefit from learning the braille letters and symbols visually (enlarged) while they learn them tactually.

Use of whole language materials:

• Have blind students participate in these activities;
• utilize older students and peers;
• Students can write their own books and reading material.
• Give plenty of time to practice specific skills, such as assignments expanded over
• frequent intervals.

Delivery of services:
Inservice with regular classroom teacher on how to incorporate and promote braille;
Flexible scheduling so student does not always miss the same period every day, or; use of Study Hall or other "off" period-and make sure the student gets school credit for language arts or related class for taking braille.

Other Ideas

• Keeping up with classroom rate: Develop cooperative learning groups.
• Have your students read books to younger children. Can use print/braille books, or regular braille books. Have your student practice putting lots of expression into reading aloud.
• Play games, and do braille word puzzles.
• Read magazine articles of high interest.
• Download public domain material from the Internet and run through braille embosser to get a wider variety of reading materials for your students.
• Put popular song lyrics in braille (watch content!).
• Do braille scavenger hunts.
• Put recipes, menus, and grocery lists in braille.
• Look for creative opportunities to match vocabulary level (e.g. signs in the hall, on streets, put braille on posters in your room, etc.).
• Use books of high-interest/low-vocabulary when necessary.
• Help students identify ways that braille can make their lives easier.
• For the reluctant learner, identify the student's first priority and see how braille can be part of that. For example, if your student is immediately concerned with finding his locker or with organizing his materials, show how braille labels can help.
• Have a library of interesting braille books available that student can choose from.

Adapted by Meredith Walsh
Visiting Teacher – D.E.E.T. Northern Metropolitan Region
 

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