Reflections on Teaching Reading in Braille

Abstract

A five-year-old's tiny fingers move hesitantly across a line of braille characters, searching for the first letter of her name.... Four years later, these same fingers race across page 500 of a Harry Potter novel in an all-consuming effort to discover whether her hero lives or dies. Such are the intangible rewards of teaching. During my three decades as a teacher of students who are visually impaired, nothing has given me greater pleasure and fulfillment than teaching reading to young children who use braille. All of us who interact with these students--teachers of students with visual impairments, classroom teachers, parents, orientation and mobility instructors, and others--have a role to play in their literacy development. However, it is my belief that the teacher of visually impaired students is initially responsible for laying the foundation of literacy skills that will create strong, motivated readers. Quite simply, teaching braille to a young child means teaching reading. The two are inseparable. Preliminary results from the ABC Braille Study indicate only about half of the students followed from kindergarten through third or fourth grade during the study remained on grade level in reading (Barclay, D'Andrea, Erin, Hannan, Holbrook, Sacks, & Wormsley, 2007). This is a finding of great concern, given the importance of reading for educational and vocational success. The problem appears to be broader and more complex than whether students were taught in contracted or uncontracted braille. Even before more detailed analyses are completed, these results point to the importance of the involvement of teachers of visually impaired students in all aspects of their students' literacy development--from teaching beginning reading skills and the braille code to promoting fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension skills. In advocating for appropriate services for all students, Phil Hatlen recently wrote, We cannot continue to sacrifice literacy for (2007). Although I suspect he was referring to the role of residential schools in the continuum of services for students with visual impairments, his words carry a message for those of us in the public schools. Beginning braille readers require significant one-on-one time with teachers of students with visual impairments in the first years of their literacy learning. Although, because of this one-on-one instruction, they may miss inclusion in some mainstream language arts activities, literacy needs to be the first priority of teachers of visually impaired students. Braille readers have a much greater chance of participating fully in mainstream literacy instruction during the remainder of their schooling if they develop solid literacy skills and a positive attitude toward reading and writing in their first few years of school. IS A SEPARATE CURRICULUM NECESSARY? People sometimes ask me to recommend a braille curriculum. On the surface, this sounds like the perfect solution for teaching braille--a preset sequence of letters and contractions with ready-made drills, activities, and assessments. However, I believe separating instruction in the braille code from other literacy instruction wastes valuable time when students could be learning the code using the meaningful, motivating materials that are currently available. This assertion does not mean that teachers of visually impaired students do not use teacher-made or commercially available materials to focus on specific aspects of the braille code; our goal, though, is to insert these isolated skills quickly into broader literacy instruction. Rather than relying on a single approach or program for teaching reading to braille students, we can strive to thoughtfully adapt (Duffy & Hoffman, 1999) a variety of methods and materials to match students' individual needs and interests. Motivation is the key to success in literacy instruction. By demonstrating genuine enthusiasm for a child's interests and integrating them into instruction, we can provide the student with authentic reasons for persevering and achieving. …