Tracing the effectiveness of braille reading patterns in individuals with blindness: Handedness and error analysis

Abstract

Braille reading is a very demanding active tactile process. Forefingers of both hands play a predominant role in braille reading, because the pulps are extremely sensitive in tactile exploration and recognition. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the potential effects of handedness on braille reading patterns during braille text reading. Thirty-two Greek students (from Grades 3 to 12) with visual impairments, who used systematically the braille code as a reading medium, participated in this study. Handedness was assessed through a modified version of the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, while their reading level was estimated via a standardized test. In turn, participants read 18 texts, which were chosen randomly from their textbooks. Results indicated that handedness affected braille readers’ selected reading patterns during text reading. A variety of reading patterns were recorded and the selected data were correlated with tactile reading strategies in terms of dominant hands and fingers. It seems that readers who selected one-hand braille reading patterns performed significantly more errors with the index of their dominant hand, whereas those who chose to read with both hands faced more difficulties toward the effective collaboration of the indices of their hands. Finally, the findings of the present study are discussed in relation to educational practice, relevant theory, and subsequent research.