[Brl-monitor] The Braille Monitor, February 2013
Brian Buhrow
buhrow at lothlorien.nfbcal.org
Thu Jan 31 19:11:35 PST 2013
BRAILLE MONITOR
Vol. 56, No. 2 February 2013
Gary Wunder, Editor
Distributed by email, in inkprint, in Braille, and on USB flash drive
(see reverse side) by
THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
Marc Maurer, President
telephone: (410) 659-9314
email address: nfb at nfb.org
website address: http://www.nfb.org
NFBnet.org: http://www.nfbnet.org
NFB-NEWSLINE® information: (866) 504-7300
Letters to the president, address changes,
subscription requests, and orders for NFB literature
should be sent to the national office.
Articles for the Monitor and letters to the editor may also
be sent to the national office or may be emailed to gwunder at nfb.org.
Monitor subscriptions cost the Federation about forty dollars per year.
Members are invited, and nonmembers are requested, to cover the
subscription cost. Donations should be made payable to National Federation
of the Blind and sent to:
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230-4998
THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION
SPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES.
ISSN 0006-8829
© 2013 by the National Federation of the Blind
Each issue is recorded on a thumb drive (also called a memory stick
or USB flash drive). You can read this audio edition using a computer or a
National Library Service digital player. The NLS machine has two slots--the
familiar book-cartridge slot just above the retractable carrying handle and
a second slot located on the right side near the headphone jack. This
smaller slot is used to play thumb drives. Remove the protective rubber pad
covering this slot and insert the thumb drive. It will insert only in one
position. If you encounter resistance, flip the drive over and try again.
(Note: If the cartridge slot is not empty when you insert the thumb drive,
the digital player will ignore the thumb drive.) Once the thumb drive is
inserted, the player buttons will function as usual for reading digital
materials. If you remove the thumb drive to use the player for cartridges,
when you insert it again, reading should resume at the point you stopped.
You can transfer the recording of each issue from the thumb drive to
your computer or preserve it on the thumb drive. However, because thumb
drives can be used hundreds of times, we would appreciate their return in
order to stretch our funding. Please use the return label enclosed with the
drive when you return the device.
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Palm-lined drive leading to front entrance to Rosen Centre
Hotel]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Members attending the 2012 convention check out the
sculptures outside the Gossip Bar]
Orlando Site of 2013 NFB Convention
The 2013 convention of the National Federation of the Blind will take
place in Orlando, Florida, July 1-6, at the Rosen Centre Hotel at 9840
International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819. Make your room reservation as
soon as possible with the Rosen Centre staff only. Call (800) 204-7234.
The 2013 room rates are singles, doubles, and twins, $79; and triples
and quads, $85. In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at
present is 13.5 percent. No charge will be made for children under
seventeen in the room with parents as long as no extra bed is requested.
The hotel is accepting reservations now. A $90-per-room deposit is required
to make a reservation. Fifty percent of the deposit will be refunded if
notice is given to the hotel of a reservation cancellation before May 28,
2013. The other 50 percent is not refundable.
Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Reservations may be made before June 1, 2013, assuming that rooms are still
available. After that time the hotel will not hold our room block for the
convention. In other words, you should get your reservation in soon.
Guest-room amenities include cable television; in-room safe;
coffeemaker; hairdryer; and, for a fee, high-speed Internet access. Guests
can also enjoy a swimming pool, fitness center, and on-site spa. The Rosen
Centre Hotel offers fine dining at Executive Chef Michael Rumplik's award-
winning Everglades Restaurant. In addition, there is an array of dining
options from sushi to tapas to a 24-hour deli. The hotel has first-rate
amenities and shuttle service to the Orlando airport.
The schedule for the 2013 convention is:
Monday, July 1 Seminar Day
Tuesday, July 2 Registration Day
Wednesday, July 3 Board Meeting and Division Day
Thursday, July 4 Opening Session
Friday, July 5 Business Session
Saturday, July 6 Banquet Day and Adjournment
Vol. 56, No. 2 February 2013
Contents
Illustration: NFB Protest at Amazon Headquarters
Information and the Right to Live in the World: The Challenge for the Blind
of the Twenty-First Century
by Gary Wunder
The Braille Symposium: Providing High-Quality Braille Instruction to Blind
Children and Adults
by Natalie Shaheen
My Love Affair with Braille
by Sandy Halverson
Code Master Methodology for Teaching Braille to Adults
by Emily Wharton and Ryan Strunk
Beginning with Braille: Challenges and Choices
by Anna M. Swenson
Teaching English to Blind Immigrants and Refugees
by Sharon Monthei
Setting up Teachers for Success in Their University Braille Courses:
Creating and Maintaining High Standards
by Sheila Amato
Braille and Technology
by Jennifer Dunnam
How Braille Saved a Blind Chemist
by Henry Wedler
Braille and the IPA: Empowering Careers in the Language Sciences
by Robert Englebretson
Is Braille Still Relevant?
by Buddy Brannan
Make the Scene in 2013!
by Dan Hicks
Convention Scholarships Available
by Allen Harris
Recipes
Monitor Miniatures
NFB Protest at Amazon Headquarters
On December 12, 2012, blind people from around the nation converged on
Seattle to say no to Amazon's plans to place inaccessible electronic
reading devices into the K-12 classrooms of the nation. The Kindle, a
machine capable of letting people read books, listen to music, and watch
movies, is unfortunately not usable by the blind. After years of sharing
our expertise and making clear the importance of accessibility for the
blind only to have our heartfelt concern fall on deaf corporate ears, the
National Federation of the Blind finally took its message to the streets.
Though the weather was damp and dreary, the spirits of the blind Americans
who assembled were not. Shown here are people with dogs, canes, signs, and
a determination to ensure that our blind children who are K-12 students
will not be left behind to satisfy Amazon's short-sighted attempts to
dominate the electronic book market.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Line of protestors carrying signs in the Amazon protest]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Gary Wunder]
Information and the Right to Live in the World: The Challenge for the Blind
of the Twenty-first Century
by Gary Wunder
To kindle is "to arouse or inspire," a fine name for a product
intended to transmit knowledge. But the name makes a promise to some, while
denying that promise to others.
Several large companies are currently competing for dominance in the
marketplace for the distribution of electronic books: who will publish them
and in which proprietary formats? Where will people buy them, and what
devices will they use to display them? These questions are setting the
course for some of the largest technology companies in the United States
and the world, and the blind have a major stake in the outcome of the
struggle.
Amazon is the largest print bookstore in the world; it is also one of
the nation's largest retailers, certainly the largest in the online arena.
The Kindle is Amazon's device for reading the electronic books it
publishes, and, just as it has done in print, the company is trying to
become the dominant retailer of electronic books in the format it has
developed.
The Kindle has gotten favorable notice by the public for several
reasons. One is its relatively low cost. Amazon has chosen to sell versions
of the Kindle at a loss. The strategy is not unique to the company. Many
computer printers are sold at a loss because the company knows it will make
a profit on the ink or toner required to use them. Amazon believes it will
recover the cost of its book reader as customers purchase Kindle books.
The Kindle is also known for the realistic way it displays books. So
intent are the designers of e-book readers to emulate the reading of a
printed book that turning a page has the look of doing it with paper. So
elaborate is this scheme that one can even simulate the wrinkling of a
page, a concept completely foreign to the e-book but frequently experienced
by the reader of a traditional paper book.
To gain and retain market share, Amazon has made a significant effort
to enter the public schools. If textbooks and recreational reading in the
classroom are made available using a Kindle, children will come to
associate the device with the joy of reading in the same way many associate
that pleasure with the touch or the smell of a bound volume. Amazon
believes so strongly in this strategy that it has not only offered its
products to schools at a loss but offered to give Kindles to schools if
they will purchase books from the company.
So what do blind people have against the Kindle and its introduction
into the public schools: in a word, inaccessibility. The Kindle is
advertised as having the ability to turn text into speech; Amazon therefore
argues that this makes its device and its books accessible. Unfortunately
that argument is flawed, and it is the job of the National Federation of
the Blind to tell Amazon and the general public why.
Since 2009 Kindle has indeed had the ability to speak, but early on it
made an agreement with publishers to disable its speech if a publisher
requested it be disabled. Authors and publishers argued that the sales of
audio books might be diminished if the Kindle could provide narration
through its text-to-speech option. Anyone who has heard the quality of
synthetic speech and really wants a quality audio experience will
understand that this concern has no merit. Even blind people who read using
synthetic speech overwhelmingly prefer human narration when it is
available, and few sighted people can come to understand the synthetic
voices used on handheld devices without hours of exposure and
concentration.
The second flaw in Amazon's argument that the Kindle is accessible is
that the menus used to operate the product do not reliably speak. Before
one can read a book, he or she must be able to open the book shelf (the
Kindle can also play music and movies), find the desired book, open it, and
activate the function to start playing it. Only after these steps can a
reader take advantage of the book's contents. But reading, especially
reading textbooks, is more involved than starting and stopping narration. A
student must be able to review a passage he or she has already read,
sometimes examining it sentence by sentence, word by word, and even
character by character to determine the spelling of a word. None of these
functions can be performed on most versions of the Kindle, and few can be
performed on the most current model.
To simplify the comparison between the Kindle and other e-book readers
on the market, the NFB prepared a chart which lists ten features each
device should have and then identifies which of the units being compared
can perform that function. The products compared are the Kindle, the iBook,
and Blio. In all ten cases the Kindle cannot perform the identified
function, while the iBook produced by Apple and Blio, book-reading software
that runs on many platforms, can. Since it is the schools that are being
asked to embrace the Kindle, each function is connected to the Common Core
State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in history/social
studies, science, and technical subjects. These are the standards by which
students and their schools are evaluated.
. The first function is to read character by character. This aids a
student in learning grammar, including punctuation, capitalization,
abbreviations, and contractions. A student can also learn word
spelling and develop phonetic awareness and decoding skills.
. The second function is to read word by word. Using this feature
enables a student to dissect sentences to locate phrases, clauses, and
modifiers, all of which leads to mastering sentence structure. It
allows a student to comprehend word order, to decode sentence meaning,
and to appreciate the author's semantic and cultural nuances.
. The third function is to use a built-in dictionary. Use of a
dictionary built into a reader gives the student the tools to learn
grade-level vocabulary as well as identify synonyms and antonyms or
resolve issues of complex or contested word use.
. The fourth function is to use a built-in encyclopedia. To have access
to an encyclopedia while reading encourages a student to explore
surrounding issues while reading as well as to develop essential age-
appropriate research skills. This in turn encourages the student to
become digitally literate.
. The fifth function is to allow the student to highlight text. This
allows a student to select text for closer inspection (e.g., main
ideas, comparisons, and contrasts). Without this function a student
cannot mark specific text to return to at a later time, such as when
researching.
. Following closely is function six, the ability to make notes. Being
able to take notes in the text allows a student to make connections
between or within texts. Note taking can also be used as a reading-
retention strategy.
. The seventh function is the ability to connect to a Braille display.
This function converts reading from a passive to an active skill. It
also allows deaf-blind students to access the material.
. Function eight is to navigate the table of contents and select
sections to read. This function allows a student to keep up with
classmates, achieve understanding of a book and its layout, and use
the book for study or research.
. The ninth function is closely tied to the eighth, because it is the
ability to find a specific text and navigate directly to it. This
allows a student to locate references and key words and skim text
effectively, and it increases overall comprehension of the text.
. The tenth function is to bookmark in order to navigate to specific,
nonconsecutive pages. This function is crucial if students are to
follow teacher directions to find passages or locate relevant
information for essay assignments. It is also necessary for older
students who need to cite appropriate pages when writing research
papers.
There you have the comparison, but wait: Amazon advances another
argument to support the use of its books in the public schools. It has
developed software called Whispercast that will allow its books to be read
on other devices such as the popular iDevices from Apple and the Android
devices from Google. The pitch is "Let the students bring their own
devices," a bonus to the schools who won't have to buy them. Since Android
and iOS devices have been built with accessibility for the blind in mind,
one might assume that the inaccessible Kindle e-books would be accessible
when transferred by Whispercast to one of these, but the sad truth is that
they are not.
After years of discussion between the National Federation of the Blind
and Amazon, meetings characterized by promises of access soon to come and
subsequent releases of devices that still did not talk or allow access with
refreshable Braille devices, last fall the Federation decided it was time
to act. Marketing a book-reading device that the blind couldn't use was bad
enough given how easily computing devices can be made to talk and work with
Braille displays, but pushing to get them into our nation's schools crossed
a line that the blind dared not ignore. On December 5, 2012, we paid to
publish an ad in the magazine Education Week. The goal was to reach
teachers and school administrators and remind them that both the Department
of Justice and the Department of Education have jointly written and signed
a letter saying that devices used in K-12 schools must be usable by blind
students and staff. We wrote and distributed press releases with the same
message.
Keeping the promise we made in the release, on December 12, 2012,
nearly a hundred Federationists and supporters took our message to Amazon
headquarters in Seattle by carrying signs and shouting chants to make it
clear that blind people will not stand for technological inequality for our
children and will not let Amazon turn our schools into places where blind
people go to observe passively while others read, write, and learn. Here is
the press release issued before the Amazon protest in Seattle.
National Federation of the Blind Condemns Amazon's Push to Put Kindle E-
books in Schools
Blind Americans Will Protest at Amazon Headquarters
In protest of a recent push by Amazon.com to put Kindle e-books, which
are inaccessible to blind students, into K-12 classrooms across the
country, members and supporters of the National Federation of the Blind
will conduct an informational picket at the company's headquarters on
Wednesday, December 12. The action comes on the heels of Amazon's launch of
Whispercast, a system designed to allow teachers and school administrators
to push Kindle e-books to different devices, theoretically allowing the
sharing of content among devices brought to school by the students.
Kindle content, unlike some other e-book products, is not accessible
to blind students, even on devices that are themselves accessible to the
blind, such as personal computers and iPads. This is because Amazon makes
Kindle content available only to its own proprietary text-to-speech engine,
if at all, rather than to accessibility applications of the reader's
choice. Furthermore, the limited accessibility features that Amazon has
implemented do not allow for the kind of detailed reading that students
need to do in an educational setting. Although the books can be read aloud
with text-to-speech, the student cannot use the accessibility features of
his or her device to learn proper spelling and punctuation, look up words
in the dictionary, annotate or highlight significant passages, or take
advantage of the many other features that Kindle devices and applications
make available to sighted students. Kindle e-books also cannot be displayed
on Braille devices, making them inaccessible to blind and deaf-blind
students who read Braille.
Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "Amazon has repeatedly demonstrated utter indifference to the
recommendations of blind Americans for full accessibility of its Kindle e-
books and failed to follow the best practices of other e-book providers.
Blind Americans will not tolerate this behavior any longer. While we urge
Amazon to correct the many obvious deficiencies in its implementation of
accessibility and remain willing to work with the company to help it do so,
we will oppose the integration of these products into America's classrooms
until Amazon addresses these deficiencies. Putting inaccessible technology
in the classroom not only discriminates against blind students and
segregates them from their peers but also violates the law."
For more information on this important issue, please visit
<www.nfb.org/kindle-books>.
So said the release, and so too said those who came to Seattle with
the message that blind people are not willing to be consigned to lives of
idleness and illiteracy. For three hours Amazon employees and those on the
street where the building was located saw signs with messages on both sides
saying:
Fix Kindle Books Now!
Don't Leave Blind Kids Behind!
Equal Access in the Classroom!
Make Kindle Books Accessible!
Stop Segregating Blind Students!
Stop Sending Broken Books to Schools!
Echoing the same themes, pedestrians and drivers with their windows
open got a bit of Christmas cheer with a song created for the occasion
(sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells").
Kindle books, Kindle books, we should have them too/Without access for the
blind, the Kindle is boo-hoo/Amazon sells e-books, but keeps them from the
blind/But when those books are used, the schools are truly in a bind/Blind
kids wish to read, but Bezos tells them no/Amazon please fix your books or
they will have to go/Dashing through the school, with a Kindle in their
hand/O'er the words they go, this device should be banned/Cannot really
learn, making blind kids struggle/But oh what fun it would be if it were
accessible.
For a little more holiday cheer and information we sang:
All I want for Christmas is a Kindle I can read, a Kindle I can read, a
Kindle I can read; All I want for Christmas is a Kindle I can read, so I
can read along with my peers.
I'm dreaming of an accessible Kindle, just like iBooks on the
Blio,/Where I navigate freely, and read seamlessly/All of my core
curriculum.
All we are saying, is we want to read.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Marc Maurer leads people of all ages to demonstrate for the
right of K-12 students to be literate and to read alongside their sighted
classmates.]
Of course what is a protest without a few chants?
Two, four, six, eight, whose e-books do not rate? Amazon, Amazon,
Amazon
What e-books discriminate against the blind: Kindle,/Who should fix
them: Amazon.
No access to Whispercast speaks louder than words!
Kindle teaches inequality in the classroom!
Inaccessibility equals inequality!
Amazon's whispered message is inaccessibility!
More books for us!/More money for you!/Why not do what you're
supposed to do!
Amazon has books!/Blind guys have money!/The lack of access isn't
even funny!
Four, three, two, one!/Whose e-books are no fun?/Amazon's, Amazon's.
Mid-way through our three-hour visit, NFB President Marc Maurer, NFB
Director of Strategic Planning John Paré, and NFB General Counsel Mehgan
Sidhu delivered fifteen letters addressed to Jeff Bezos, the president and
chief executive officer of Amazon. These had been written by students,
parents, and others concerned that blind students be provided an equal
chance to read and write. One of those letters was written by Carlton Ann
Walker, the parent of a blind daughter. Here is what she said to Mr. Bezos:
November 27, 2012
Dear Mr. Bezos,
I write to you concerning Amazon's efforts to deploy Kindle devices,
e-books, and related software in elementary and secondary schools
throughout the United States. I am both an attorney and a teacher of
students with blindness/visual impairment. I am also the mother of a blind
child. While I enjoy e-books and recognize the value of technology in the
classroom, I am concerned that Amazon Kindle products are not accessible to
individuals who are blind.
"What's the problem?" some may ask. Can't blind children just use
other, accessible technology, even if it doesn't contain all the features
of the Kindle products? No. "Separate but equal" has been discredited as an
effective educational methodology. When our blind students are excluded
from the general curriculum by inaccessible technology, they are excluded
from the education to which they are entitled. Federal law prohibits school
districts from utilizing inaccessible technology. Through this program
Amazon is inducing school districts into illegal action. Surely Amazon does
not want to engage in such dubious behavior.
This matter hit home with me just a few months ago. Prior to the
start of sixth grade, my daughter came to me crying. In addition to the
typical fears of entering middle school, she was petrified of her school's
plan to utilize Kindle technology throughout her classes. She knew that
Kindles are inaccessible to her. She knew the Kindle e-books are
inaccessible, even when she attempts to use them on her accessible devices.
My little girl saw Kindles as yet another way she would be excluded from
her peers. Please make the Kindle and its e-books accessible so that my
daughter may experience the wealth of learning and collaboration
opportunities Kindle and its associated products offer.
The saddest part of this whole matter is that accessibility is not
difficult to achieve. Even extremely visual technologies, such as the iOS
GUI, have been made accessible to individuals who are blind/visually
impaired. I simply cannot understand why an innovative company such as
Amazon has not yet built accessibility into its products. I hope that
Amazon will soon do so.
Technological accessibility is no different from the physical
accessibility offered by wheelchair ramps. Despite early concerns that
wheelchair ramps would not integrate well into our society, we now know
that ubiquitous wheelchair ramps have proven a boon to all. They have even
spawned an explosion of products, such as wheeled suitcases and rolling
carts that utilize the omnipresent ramps. My request for an accessible
Kindle is no different.
By creating accessibility with universal design in mind, Amazon can
and should produce a better, more desirable product for all its consumers.
Thus Amazon will be providing accessible technology, helping schools comply
with the law, including all students in the benefits of the technology, and
innovating beyond its competitors. Win, win, win.
I thank you for your attention to my letter. Please feel free to
contact me with any questions and/or concerns. I am
Very truly yours,
Carlton Anne Cook Walker
President, National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children
Attorney at Law
Teacher of Students with Blindness/Visual
Impairment
No protest would be complete without a little street theater, so the
Grinch who stole Christmas made an appearance, took some questions from the
crowd, and in his answers conveyed the attitude all too typical of Amazon
and its leadership: our product is accessible, and, if it isn't, that's too
bad. You say you don't remember The Grinch Who Stole Christmas? Let's
review the story as it was presented on the streets of Seattle.
The Grinch Who Stole E-Books
Every blind kid in school liked reading a lot,
But the Grinch who ran Amazon thought the blind weren't so hot.
The Grinch blocked access, he thought the blind were teasin'!
Now please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason to recall,
May have been that his wallet was too fat after all.
But whatever the reason,
His shoes or his bucks,
He blocked their books, thought that the blind were just stuck.
Amazon's Grinch thought the story was done,
But the blind and their books were not to be shunned.
The blind wrote letters, made videos, sent Tweets,
And surprised the Grinch by showing up on the streets.
Yes, that Grinch Bezos had thought he knew best,
But the blind would continue to pursue access with zest.
Will our Grinch change his mind,
Or will his unfair practice put the business behind?
The blind want to read and compete with them all,
We won't let our kids be left in the hall.
To Bezos we say, "Don't you have a heart?"
To show us, equal Access to Kindle would be a good start.
We will not rest until books we have too,
The blind of the nation are here to face you.
If you insist on keeping us out,
We'll have no choice but to shout.
We will block Amazon from selling to schools,
We will not let the public be played for fools.
We are done for today, but we will not stop,
For access to reading we all want a lot.
Now is the time for access to come true,
And, Jeff Bezos, until you do,
We will not trust Kindle Books from you!
The question that must be asked after all of the letters, the press
releases, the protest, the signs, and the chants is, did the press get it
and communicate it to the public. National Public Radio got it. So too did
the Seattle Times in an article that appeared on December 12, 2012. It
said, in part:
The push to use technology in the classroom may have a downside for
blind students if the technology favored in schools is one that is less
accessible, as Amazon's push to put Kindle e-books in K-12 classrooms
demonstrates.
Carrying a sign that read "Equal Access in the Classroom," former New
York Governer David Paterson joined about seventy members of the National
Federation of the Blind outside Amazon.com's Seattle headquarters Wednesday
to urge the company to make its Kindle e-books fully accessible to blind
students. The protesters argued that, while Kindle books can be read aloud
with Amazon's text-to-speech engine, they lack key features available in
other products, including Apple's iBooks. Those features include the
ability to annotate important passages and check spelling or punctuation.
They also said Kindle books, unlike iBooks, cannot be read with a Braille
display that connects to devices, hurting students who are both blind and
deaf.
The two-hour protest came on the heels of Amazon's recent launch of an
online tool called Whispercast, which partly seeks to raise its presence in
schools by enabling teachers to push Kindle books to different devices.
"Disabled people are more disoriented than ever as we shift to technology
that leaves them out," said Paterson, only the second legally blind
governor of any state in U.S. history.
Now that the protest is behind us, what is Amazon's reaction, and what
plans do we have? Amazon no longer claims that it is working with us to
make its products accessible. Officials have gone so far as to say they
will no longer meet with us. No doubt this is our punishment for speaking
out, but continued contact with Amazon would be meaningful only if it led
to products the blind could use. Since 2007 we have offered our best
technical people, have met with their engineers, and have tried to persuade
their leadership. The result has been products that keep coming to the
market that are of no use to the blind and an attempt by Amazon to pretend
that this doesn't matter. To the libraries they go-to the grammar schools
and the high schools, to the colleges and universities, and never a thought
do they give to what it is like to be a blind student confronted with its
technology and the demand to be productive with it. When those with whom we
work have a genuine desire to make products we can use, we get behind them
and lend our name to their effort. When it becomes apparent that we are
being played and used, we press for change from without.
The law is on our side, and the industry has clearly demonstrated that
accessibility is not only a possibility but a reality. Apple with its
products that use iOS and KNFB Reading Technology with Blio have set the
bar. Products using the Android operating system are striving to reach it,
and so too is Barnes and Noble with its recent release of an iOS app that
allows reading the books it produces for the Nook with the speech built
into the Apple line of products.
It is commonly accepted that the pace of change in technology is
almost overwhelming, yet with all this progress how often are we who are
blind asked to wait, wait, wait? Access will come soon, they say, but soon
will be far too late if we have children who don't learn to read and aren't
encouraged to read because the preferred device in their schools doesn't
work nonvisually. If we let Kindle become the device on which reading is
done and it is not usable by the blind, the major message education will
send is that it is the role of the blind to be spectators while others take
the field, get the glory, take home the memories, and go on to better
things.
The hope of blind people to assume our place as normal and capable
human beings rests on a good education and the opportunity to pursue the
jobs it should secure. E-books can and will be a part of our education and
a part of the education received by all Americans, but none of us should
settle for tools that keep out those who are willing and able to learn and
who are anxious to make their financial and spiritual contribution to the
world. The blind will not settle for such an outcome, and neither will the
sighted once they come to understand that a company's short-term
determination to dominate the market is undermining the contract the public
has made with the blind: "We will rehabilitate and educate you, and in turn
you will work for the benefit of us all."
----------
Consider a Charitable Gift
Making a charitable gift can be one of the most satisfying
experiences in life. Each year millions of people contribute their time,
talent, and treasure to charitable organizations. When you plan for a gift
to the National Federation of the Blind, you are not just making a
donation; you are leaving a legacy that insures a future for blind people
throughout the country. Special giving programs are available through the
National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
Points to Consider When Making a Gift to the National Federation of the
Blind
. Will my gift serve to advance the mission of the NFB?
. Am I giving the most appropriate asset?
. Have I selected the best way to make my gift?
. Have I considered the tax consequences of my gift?
. Have I sought counsel from a competent advisor?
. Have I talked to the NFB planned giving officer about my gift?
Benefits of Making a Gift to the NFB
. Helping the NFB fulfill its mission
. Receiving income tax savings through a charitable deduction
. Making capital gain tax savings on contribution of some appreciated
gifts
. Providing retained payments for the life of a donor or other
beneficiaries
. Eliminating federal estate tax in certain situations
. Reducing estate settlement cost
Your Gift Will Help Us
. Make the study of science and math a real possibility for blind
children
. Provide mentoring and hope for seniors losing vision
. Promote state and chapter programs and provide information that will
educate blind people
. Advance technology helpful to the blind
. Create a state-of-the-art library on blindness
. Train and inspire professionals working with the blind
. Provide critical information to parents of blind children
. Mentor blind people trying to find jobs
Your gift makes you a part of the NFB dream!
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[PHOTO CAPTION: Natalie Shaheen reading Braille]
[PHOTO CAPTION: Natalie Shaheen works with a student on cane travel at the
West Virginia School for the Blind.]
The 2012 Braille Symposium
Providing High-Quality Braille Instruction to Blind Children and Adults
by Natalie Shaheen
From the Editor: Efficiently reading and writing Braille is crucial
for blind people, so determining a way to get quality Braille instruction
is essential. Helping a motivated student become a competent and
enthusiastic teacher of the blind who believes in Braille requires
coordinating the work of many organizations and those members who set
policy. Too often there is a lack of critical communication among all of
the parties required to bring Braille to literacy-hungry blind students, so
one of the reasons for the symposium was to bring together blind consumers,
teachers of the blind, college professors, and K-12 school administrators.
Much of this issue is devoted to covering the Braille Symposium that
took place in the fall of 2012. Here is what Jernigan Institute Education
Director Natalie Shaheen, who organized the conference, has to say about
the participants, the reason for conducting it, and the strategies agreed
upon to increase both the quality and quantity of Braille instruction:
Thanks to the efforts of knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers,
some blind children and adults in this country have access to excellent
Braille instruction; however, this is not good enough. It shouldn't be just
the lucky students like those who attended the Braille Symposium who have
access to great Braille instruction; all blind students, young and old,
should have such opportunities.
To encourage progress towards this end, the NFB Jernigan Institute
hosted the 2012 Braille Symposium to promote the promising practices used
by creative educators, to develop solutions to long-standing problems that
create barriers to providing quality instruction, and to share the daily
life experiences of blind people who use Braille. This event, which was
held in late September, was unique in format and diverse in audience. A
discussion-based model was adopted for the Symposium to allow all
participants-blind people, teachers, university faculty, parents, and
librarians-to share their knowledge and experience. The goal was not only
to communicate information but to come together to create new knowledge and
understanding.
The sessions offered at the Symposium came in three varieties:
promising practice sessions, problem/solution sessions, and vignettes
showing the way Braille is used daily by blind people. The sessions and the
related discussions were moderated by Mark A. Riccobono, executive director
of the NFB Jernigan Institute, who urged and ensured that conversations go
beyond defining problems and remain focused on solutions.
The Symposium was effective in creating greater understanding among
diverse groups of people passionate about Braille and in developing plans
for systems that can provide high-quality Braille instruction to blind
students of all ages. Some highlights of the innovative ideas that were
born of the conversations at the Symposium follow.
Many blind people around the country are fluent Braille readers, and
some of them hold the National Certification in Literary Braille (NCLB). It
would be advantageous for teachers and Braille-literate blind Americans to
establish connections so that they can impart knowledge and communicate
with each other to strengthen instruction for blind students. Blind people
could serve as Braille tutors and mentors for struggling and beginning
readers or provide enrichment for students who excel in reading Braille.
Federationists from several affiliates already successfully work with
teachers and students in this way; expanding this work would be beneficial
to all parties. One idea for facilitating connections between Braille-
literate adults and teachers would be to ask a question on the NCLB test
about whether the test-taker is interested in being a resource to teachers
of the blind. When trying to make these connections, both parties, the
blind adult and the teacher, must remember that relationships are easier to
build in neutral spaces with no conflict. That is to say, it's hard to
build a relationship in a conference room during a contested IEP meeting.
Many educators are required to take an introduction to special
education course that covers all areas of disability, including blindness.
The professors who teach these courses frequently know little about
blindness and as a result do not like to lecture on the topic. A Blindness
101 YouTube video or lecture on iTunes U could be created for this purpose.
Then information about it could be disseminated to university faculty. This
would help raise general awareness and foster a positive attitude about
blindness and Braille among the general teacher population.
Mainstream literature and research about reading almost never mentions
Braille as a means for literacy. Working with authors and researchers to
increase the discussion of Braille in mainstream texts about reading would
help raise awareness about Braille. Much time is spent debating what
percentage of students are not getting Braille. Let's stop debating and
instead focus on doing something about the outrage that many students who
should be taught Braille do not have that opportunity. Enrichment programs
like the NFB Teacher of Tomorrow program are helpful in providing future
teachers of the blind with rich experience interacting with blind people of
all ages.
Directors of special education frequently oversee teachers of the
blind, yet they rarely know much about blindness and the critical role of
Braille. Making an effort to get to know directors of special education
programs and teaching them about blindness, the importance of Braille, and
the amount of time needed to provide quality Braille instruction will
significantly improve the instruction blind students receive. Knowledgeable
administrators are more likely to provide their teachers with adequate
supports and listen to those teachers when they argue for for hiring
additional teaching staff to ensure that the school is providing adequate
support to its blind students.
Many high school students and college underclassmen who are
considering education as a profession don't know about teaching blind
students and what a difference good teachers of the blind can make.
Additionally short lessons about Braille taught to elementary school
classes by a teacher of the blind or a blind person are great for sparking
early interest.
Laws that govern the size of a class in a given grade exist in many
states. Similar statutes that regulate the maximum number of students a
teacher of the blind may have on his or her caseload would make it easier
for school administrators to justify hiring badly needed teachers of the
blind.
The articles that follow address a good deal of the material that was
covered at the Braille Symposium. To educate yourself on the latest
research on Braille and the promising practice, be sure to read the other
articles from the Symposium.
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[PHOTO CAPTION: Sandy Halverson]
My Love Affair with Braille
by Sandy Halverson
From the Editor: Sandy Halverson is a Federation leader who now lives
in Virginia. Braille has been an integral part of her working and
recreational life since she first learned to read. She established the
positive tone that characterized the Braille Symposium by describing her
use of the code throughout an active and useful life. This is what she
said:
I am totally blind and always have been. I am literate because
teachers like some of you in this room made me learn, sometimes ad nauseam,
that the i goes uphill and the e downhill, and, no matter how many tears I
shed on any given day, I would learn the differences between f, d, h, and
j. I knew things had come full circle when I observed my sighted son's
frustrations as he was learning handwriting--printing and cursive, upper
and lower case letters. I figured I had had it easy because of that little
dot six [the capital sign].
In elementary school, if I couldn't be the best at anything, I didn't
bother with it. For example, I hated making my bed. There was just too much
sheet. Today I would probably be signed up for occupational therapy to
strengthen my hands so that I could grasp the sheet, give it a proper fling
over the bed, and make all those trips around or over the bed to make sure
the sheet was even, tuck it in, and do the next piece of the job. But I
loved Braille and became the fastest reader and writer with the Perkins
Brailler. However, imagine my annoyance at poor, innocent Judy Brisbine, a
new fourth- or fifth-grade student who came from Iowa and could write
faster with a slate than I. How dare she. My only excuse was that I was
exhibiting normal adolescent behavior. She wrote those dots so quickly that
I just had to work harder so that she wouldn't be better than me! The slate
and stylus became my pen and paper, but I was also building literacy
skills. Judy and I did become friends because I remember her showing me her
slate with the four-line section that can be opened so you don't have to
take the paper out to read what you have written. Of course I had to buy
one, and I thought of her whenever I used it.
During my high school years I remember newly blind students who came
to the Maryland School for the Blind. Their initial experiences with
Braille were not nearly as much fun as mine. My regret is that I lacked the
maturity to have a positive impact on the development and strengthening of
their literacy skills.
Yes, I used a slate and stylus with regular, cheap spiral-bound
notebooks for note-taking. I got really fast at removing the slate from the
bottom of one page, flipping the next page to the left, and clamping the
slate to the top of the new sheet during my four-year college psych degree
and court reporting classes. My battery never ran down, and I didn't have
to worry about that cussed power cord or use structured discovery to find
the nearest electrical outlet.
During my work as a rehabilitation teacher, I used Braille to label
client files, and, as good as I am at problem-solving, I cannot figure out
how an iPhone would help with that. I also have some pretty well-used
Braille knitting patterns, and I just can't see keeping my Braille Sense in
my knitting bag. During my employment as both a court official and a
freelance court reporter taking depositions, I had to maintain Braille
notes. My steno machine was connected to a computer which was connected to
a Braille display for read back purposes when requested by judge or
attorney. If you've ever spent time in court, you know how quickly cases
are called. I was lucky to have time to write on my Braille notetaker the
last names of the defendant and his attorney and the time the case was
called. It was easier and faster to maintain this separate list for my
records rather than trying to search across the computer task bar looking
for my list and trying to get back to the transcription document in time
for the first question. Braille was a much better tool in my tool box.
In my current work as a medical transcriptionist, there are conflicts
between the Word Clone transcription software we use and Microsoft Word, so
during transcription Microsoft Word documents may not be accessible. I have
a Braille Sense notetaker file with orthopedic, cardiac, and neurosurgical
terms and the names of specialty knives, saws, needles, hemostatic agents,
and related data so I won't have to remember all that vocabulary. That's my
hardcopy medical dictionary, pharmaceutical reference, etc. It's all in one
file, no need for volumes and volumes of hardcopy Braille that cannot be
updated.
The only job I ever had in which I did not have to convince my
employer of the benefits of Braille was when I worked as the receptionist
at the National Federation of the Blind headquarters, but I still had to
figure out how to keep track of who was in the building, take and deliver
phone messages, and do related clerical tasks.
Thirty years ago some parents of blind children among others (I was
not a part of the group then) designed the NFB Braille Readers Are Leaders
children's reading contest. Teachers and parents were concerned that the
only Braille materials to which their children or students had access were
textbooks, and they probably weren't on time unless they came through APH
quota funds for residential schools. In the early 1990s I was asked to
serve as a judge for that contest. Imagine my surprise when I came home
from work one day to find a post office mail bag with hundreds of pieces of
print and Braille contest-related correspondence. I'm sorry I didn't get a
picture of that because it was a most impressive obstacle blocking my front
door.
The children who were not winners in their grade categories were
probably not as excited about the contest as the winners, but the teachers
and parents had finally identified something that would motivate their
students and children to want to read Braille for fun. Reviewing book lists
and other contest data made me want to go to my nearest library to read
long-forgotten favorites, but the real message was that there simply was
not enough Braille for blind kids.
I served as a judge for several years. It was exciting to observe
gains made as students increased the number of pages read and demonstrated
through community service projects how their knowledge of Braille was
helping with their integration in their local communities. Several
participants recognize this contest as having encouraged them to become
excellent Braille readers and writers. They recognize that the high
expectations of teachers and parents led to their academic and employment
successes. Two of my colleagues this weekend were participants in that
contest and are now proficient young adults recognized for their Braille
reading prowess. Our contest will soon have a much different look, and the
hope is that parents and teachers will find it easier to involve their
Braille-reading students and that the students will network in different
ways with their peers from other parts of the country.
Some of you in this room have either been involved in or heard of our
Braille Enrichment Through Literacy and Learning (BELL) programs in several
states throughout the country. This program continues to grow. For two
weeks each summer blind and low-vision students spend a minimum of six
hours a day learning Braille using a combination of reading, Perkins and
slate writing, games, contests, Braille musical chairs, body Braille--which
has nothing to do with piercing--and field trips organized and led by blind
role models, where students look for Braille in public places like restroom
signs, elevators, McDonald's cup lids, and the DC metro. The self-
confidence these kids gain in two weeks has to be seen to be believed. I
live in Virginia, and teachers have commented to me on the gains some of
our BELL participants have made.
While our BELL programs are great for the youngest among us, we still
have a lot to do, and I want to be a part of making positive change in the
literacy rates of blind students and helping to get them motivated to see
the importance of reading and writing Braille, not only to do well
academically, but to increase their employment opportunities. Our National
Association to Promote the Use of Braille listserv can make you weary
because of the volume when you open your inbox, but the discussions are
thought-provoking. Recently a blind man has asked how he can increase his
slate speed, admitting that he did not do well in college because he didn't
have access to hardcopy math and foreign language materials and was not
fast enough to create his own. A woman sought suggestions regarding Braille
access technology to use with her iPhone, or there may be a request for
foreign language Braille instructional materials for use with ESL
individuals. It's free, and our moderator does a wonderful job limiting
posts to Braille-specific topics.
Six years ago I was contacted by the grandmother of a legally blind
child. She was a retired public school teacher, and the mother had taught
for a couple of years and decided she preferred being a stay-at-home mom.
The child who was then four, could recognize large print letters, was
inquisitive, and loved books. The mom and grandmother thought that was all
well and good but recognized that she would not succeed with print only; at
four, she was slow, so I was asked if I would tutor this child during the
summer. Both adults knew I have no teaching credential, but I do know
Braille, have a sighted child who is fortunately a literate adult, and they
liked what I proposed to do for short, thirty-minute lessons. The child
liked flash cards and silly sentences, and, if she did really well, I would
let her write things on my BrailleNote with the speech on so she could
listen to the speech and check her accuracy on the Braille display. It was
simply a way to make Braille fun.
Imagine how surprised I was to get a call from her first teacher of
blind students who said I had done everything wrong. I didn't insist on
proper posture with feet on the floor. I didn't use the Sally Mangold
series or any other Braille teaching curriculum. And what could I possibly
have been thinking to let this child get her hands on a BrailleNote. Our
conversation ended after I politely replied that my chairs are no longer
child-friendly; they're adult chairs. Neither of my parents was an
educator. They introduced my sighted siblings to letters and words through
cereal boxes, signs observed while driving down highways, and lots of other
places where print is abundant. No one told them they shouldn't be teaching
their children print. After I hung up, I thought about how fortunate I was
not to have had her as a Braille teacher.
One of the things I do in Virginia is work with parents who find the
IEP process frustrating and service delivery abominable. They want help
getting the proper services to meet specific educational goals. We do have
some great teachers in Virginia, and my regret is that there simply is not
enough time to talk with them long enough or often enough for me to learn
what they do and how I might be able to help.
I'm glad to be here this weekend. By Saturday evening we'll have
identified more resources than can be Tweeted-I hope that's the correct
verb tense, so you now know something else I don't do yet. We won't solve
all the issues we will be considering, but what a great beginning! Thank
you.
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[PHOTO CAPTION: Emily Wharton]
Code Master Methodology for Teaching Braille to Adults
by Emily Wharton and Ryan Strunk
From the Editor: Emily Wharton and Ryan Strunk are both employed by
BLIND, Incorporated, the NFB training center located in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Emily is the Braille instructor, Ryan the technology instructor.
Both are dedicated to helping blind people graduate as literate adults.
For a long time complaints about materials for teaching Braille to
adults have been a topic of discussion between blind adults and their
instructors. Emily has tried to address this by creating a new system for
teaching Braille. The system includes a textbook, but it is far more than
just another book on teaching Braille. Because using new technology is a
part of this system, Ryan's role has been critical.
For the benefit of those who are not familiar with Braille, here are
some pointers and definitions. Words in Braille can be written letter by
letter, as they are in print, or can be represented by contractions and
short forms. Some commonly used words are represented by dot combinations
that are not already used for numbers, letters, or punctuation. Words such
as with, of, for, were, and was are represented in this way and are called
contractions. A short form is a letter standing by itself that represents a
word. The letter b standing by itself is the word but, the letter c the
word can, and the letter d the word do. Every letter represents a word. If
a letter standing by itself is not intended to be a word, it is preceded by
a special symbol called a letter sign. This makes it possible to represent
a list in which a is the first item, b the second, and z the twenty-sixth.
A peg slate is used to introduce students to Braille. Pegs are
inserted into the holes of a board to make the shapes of the Braille
symbols.
Here is the written version of the remarks presented by Ryan and
Emily at the Braille Symposium on September 28, 2012:
Introduction
When I began teaching Braille in the adult comprehensive program at
BLIND, Incorporated, in March 2009, our students had a generally negative
attitude about Braille and were performing below expectation in Braille
reading and writing proficiency. They complained that Braille was hard and
not useful for them in their daily lives. These adults complained of
feeling like a first grader and acted as if using a slate and stylus was a
punishment. They were also taking five months or more to learn the Braille
code and budgeting very little time to work on building speed and fluency
before they completed the program. In short, we had a bad Braillitude going
on, and we needed to turn it around.
Reflecting on my own experiences as an adult Braille learner and
consulting with other Braille enthusiasts who learned Braille as a teenager
or adult, I [Emily] began work on a new method for teaching Braille to
adults. In order to address the problems I was seeing, I needed for this
method to incorporate the following elements: decrease stress and increase
enjoyment, make studying outside class easy, show how useful Braille is,
teach to the student's learning style, focus on "sight words" and context
to increase fluency, leverage the power and promise of technology, foster
mastery motivation, and customize material to the student's interests.
I was teaching Braille using this method by the fall of 2009. I
completed the first version of the Code Master textbook around this time,
and we have been using it as our primary teaching text since then. In
January of 2010 we combined Braille and technology into a single class
called Communications, and I instructed my colleague Ryan Strunk on
implementing this method. Ryan and I have been using it since with all
Braille learners in the general adult comprehensive program.
Overview of the Method
The Code Master Adult Learning System consists of five components: 1)
the Code Master Adult Learning System manual, 2) a three-ring binder for
customized notes, 3) an audio CD or MP3 files for textbook tutorial, 4)
instructions for customizing the curriculum for students, and 5) methods
for incorporating technology into Braille instruction. The following
sections explain these components more completely.
When students begin the program knowing no Braille, they start by
learning the dot configurations. They work on this orally and using a peg
slate. On day one they learn the first ten letters. Students are given
textbooks, peg slates, and audio materials. They receive instruction in
reading technique and are encouraged to work on reading the textbook and
touch pages outside class, but the method and overall class structure are
discussed so that students understand the process and know that reading
technique will not become a focus of lessons until later in the course.
Generally, within the first two weeks students know the alphabet, numbers,
basic punctuation, and alphabet signs. They have also learned to write
using a Braillewriter and Braille notetaker. They then move immediately to
learning contracted Braille. This is done orally and by writing words and
sentences. The class time is divided between writing words and sentences
and drilling signs. The proportion of time spent on each depends on the
student's learning style. Students learn to use the slate and stylus in the
third or fourth week and begin turning in out-of-class slate assignments.
After students have assimilated the concepts of contractions and short
forms, they begin working on reading Braille on a refreshable Braille
display. Reading from the display is generally easier for students because
they learn to distinguish the shapes made by the dots and also build
confidence. The students then begin reading double-spaced Braille in the
textbook and worksheets. Timing for these transitions depends on the
individual student's performance and initiative. The method and materials
are designed to teach the entire code in six weeks; however, this can be
achieved sooner by more motivated students. Generally students with below
average or low motivation levels tend to finish within eight to ten weeks.
After learning the code, the students begin reading articles and
books of their choosing outside class. They read self-selected and
instructor-selected material in class. Students can choose any book in the
library, request an article on a particular topic, or request a book from
BARD or Bookshare to be embossed or read on a refreshable Braille display.
The goal is to get students started reading actual material that is
interesting to them and from which they can use context to increase their
reading speed and fluency as soon as possible. Braille reading speed is
increased by reading, so we want to get them reading at the earliest
possible moment. Braille embossing, Braille displays, and the Internet have
made nearly infinite quantities of Braille available, and the sooner people
can dive in, the better.
Implementation
Decrease Stress and Increase Enjoyment
This method breaks down the process of learning to read and write
Braille into its two basic parts. When an adult student approaches a page
of Braille, she is asking herself two questions: "What dots am I feeling?"
and "What do those dot configurations mean?" These questions can be
addressed separately, and, by so doing, we can spread the stress over a
larger period of time and substantially decrease the student's frustration.
This creates more positive feeling, which in turn leads to more time spent
studying outside class. Introducing the Braillewriter first and then
working on using the slate and stylus after learning the alphabet also
redistributes frustration and creates a more positive view of the slate.
Students can see more advanced students using slates and can look forward
to receiving theirs as a mark of progress.
Make Studying Outside Class Easy
Out-of-class study is an essential component of the Braille learning
process. However, it is often difficult for instructors to get students to
spend their out-of-class time studying. When I asked students why they
weren't working more in the evenings, I was told, "I don't have time," "My
book is too big to carry around," "I tried, but I got stuck on this word,"
and "I'm just brain-dead at the end of the day." I wanted to take away
these rationales and give students so many ways to work on learning Braille
and make it so convenient that they would have no excuses for failing to
study outside class.
The Code Master Adult Learning System textbook was designed to group
the signs in a way that would make them easier to memorize. Short forms,
which are typically easier for adults to remember, are introduced
immediately after the alphabet. The contractions are introduced in an order
that highlights the basic logic of the code. The use and repetition of
sight words is both in line with whole-word reading pedagogy and extremely
useful for cementing signs into a student's memory. The book also contains
mnemonic sentences like "Brice has a boundless passion for country dance."
and "Science movements require usefulness, clarity, and strong direction."
These sentences contain all of the dot four-six and dot five-six signs
respectively.
The book was created for a thirty-cell Braille line so that it would
fit in a standard three-ring binder. It is important that students be able
to take their books with them in a backpack or briefcase or remove pages to
study while on the bus or in a doctor's waiting room. The binder is divided
into three sections, with dividers to make things easier for a new Braille
reader to find. The first page is a grid of the print and Braille alphabet
and digits. I first made these sheets for our seniors program but realized
they would be a useful reference for both Braille learners who learned to
read print and native Braille readers who needed to learn the shapes of
print letters and numbers. After this page is the textbook itself. In the
second section are touch pages. These are lines of Braille characters that
students can use to practice tracking lines and developing their sense of
touch. We point out that this is a less mentally taxing way to get more
practice in at the end of a long day. The third section contains references
and charts listing the various contractions and punctuation. I remembered
being terribly frustrated as a Braille student trying to find a particular
sign in my textbook when I couldn't remember how it was made or used. I
wanted to give students reference materials they could use while reading
and writing, as well as raised-line charts, which are useful for people
with a visual or other special learning style.
An essential component of the textbook is the audio materials. The
binder also contains two CDs. One CD is a recording of all of the dot
configurations as they appear in the textbook. Students use this for
memorizing signs as well as for looking up signs they may not remember.
They can use this CD to study while they are doing dishes or folding
laundry. A sighted agency staff trainee told me that she listened to this
CD as she drove to work.
The other CD, in MP3 format, contains a recording of the entire
textbook. Students can use it to get themselves unstuck when they are
reading at home. They can also read along with the CD to build speed. A
common problem for new Braille readers is running across a sign that they
do not recognize and lacking the context to deduce the meaning. This CD
allows students to overcome this problem independently. It is also very
useful for people wishing to brush up on rusty Braille skills on their own.
A couple of our alumni who wanted to strengthen their knowledge of the
Braille code have used the book and CD combination without wasting time and
expense hiring an instructor.
These audio files are also available as MP3 files, so students can
transfer them to their iPods or other audio devices. We are currently
working on converting them into DAISY files that can be played on the NLS
players for greater access and easier navigation. The added markup will
allow navigation by page and by line. It will also be easier to change
playback speed to make it simpler for students at all levels to follow
along with the recording. Another idea for future consideration is an iOS
app that would play the audio files as well as provide quizzes on each
lesson.
Teach to the Student's Learning Style
Students with an auditory learning style excel at memorizing the dot
configurations and learn well from the drills and CDs. Students with a
kinesthetic learning style retain the signs by typing words and sentences
on a Braille notetaker. Students with a visual learning style respond well
to the peg slate and reading from Braille displays and books. We make a
point of talking about both the dot numbers and shapes of the signs until
we figure out which makes the most sense to the student. We then tailor the
classwork accordingly. Everyone has to learn to read and write, but
focusing on the best method to increase retention makes the learning
process faster and more efficient.
Focus on Sight Words and Context to Increase Fluency
The textbook contains the thousand most common words in the English
language, broken into individual lessons dealing with the signs they
contain. These words only appear correctly contracted so that students get
used to seeing them correctly. Most lessons contain numbered sentences to
increase recognition of numbers and show the rules in action. The sentences
are generally simple and contain as many sight words as possible to
increase exposure to these essential words and make the textbook useable by
anyone with at least a high school reading level, possibly lower.
Leverage the Power and Promise of Technology
Some people say that technology is making Braille obsolete; however,
it is actually the opposite. Technology is making Braille abundant and
providing new possibilities for Braille teaching. Typing on a Braille
notetaker with a Braille keyboard gives students instant audio feedback on
what they are writing, as well as the ability to read what they have
written on the Braille display. Having a student read from a Braille
display while the instructor types the lesson on the computer allows an
amazing and immediate level of customization. The instructor can drill on a
particular sign that is giving the student trouble or can write out song or
movie titles to sustain the student's interest. We have found that Braille
on a Braille display is generally easier for new readers to read and is an
effective way of easing students into standard-sized Braille. By the time
students are reading on the display, they have learned enough signs to
build many common words that allow them to create engaging lessons. These
techniques have also served to show students that technology and Braille
are actually complementary rather than an either/or choice. It encourages
them to want to use a Braille display with a computer or mobile phone
instead of relying solely on speech.
Foster Mastery Motivation
Mastery motivation is the intrinsic confidence and desire to learn
Braille that stem from the rapid mastery in learning the code much more
quickly than using previous instructional methods. Because mastery of the
code is gained much faster than in traditional methods, the student's
confidence is increased, and the motivation to continue mastering Braille
is increased as well.
Telling students that they will learn the Braille code in six weeks
has helped them realize that learning Braille really isn't as hard or
complicated as some people suggest. When they hear that it has been done
and see others doing it, they generally rise to the occasion. Many people,
especially book lovers, are thrilled to be reading again quickly. We make
it very clear that they won't be reading fast at this point and that
building speed will take time, effort, and mileage under the fingers, but
they will be reading, and they will be reading real books and articles
instead of just lessons in a textbook.
Customize Material to the Student's Interests
The only way to become a better reader is to read, and the best way
to get people to read is to give them something that they want to read.
This is the whole point behind getting people through the code quickly.
While students are given specific pieces to read in class to build
particular skills, they take home material they choose and select projects
that are interesting and useful to them. This builds intrinsic motivation
and creates a situation in which instructors need to provide less external
motivation, which is generally less effective in the long run. Not every
student enjoys reading books. A good number of our students have never read
for pleasure and have no desire to do so. Our goal is to make it possible
for them to read books if that is what they need or want, but at a minimum
we want them to obtain the functional literacy that is critical to success
in school and the workplace. We emboss many short articles on topics such
as sports, history, or gardening for students who request them. We show
students that they can read newspapers and magazines on a Braille display
using the NEWSLINE app and that they have this material on the same day
those articles are released.
While access to Braille embossers and displays makes this easier, the
techniques can be used by resourceful instructors who do not have access to
these tools to obtain or create customized material. A greater degree of
planning and resourcefulness is required to get materials from different
sources. The new talking Braille writer developed by the American Printing
House for the Blind accomplishes the same audio feedback during writing as
writing on a Braille notetaker, but at a fraction of the cost. Getting
donations of older Braille notetakers is often possible. The relative lack
of bells and whistles they have makes the older models perfect for use in
these exercises, and people who upgrade often appreciate the tax credit
they can get for donating them.
Show How Useful Braille Is
Students are required to complete three small projects and one large
project as part of their communications responsibilities. These projects
can be chosen from a list of suggestions or proposed by the student and
approved by the instructor. The small projects often include things like
Brailling a deck of cards, creating a Braille address book or password
list, keeping a journal in Braille, finishing a book or a certain number of
pages within a given time, and other practical projects. Final projects are
more complicated. These show how useful and relevant Braille is to daily
life. Providing Braille reference sheets of computer commands helps
reinforce the convenience of having a hard copy available for quick
reference, as well as increasing retention of the computer commands.
Observations
While we were not equipped to keep statistics or produce hard data,
after three years of implementing this teaching method, we have been able
to observe the following:
Students have a better attitude toward Braille.
This is evidenced by the following:
More students purchase additional slates and styluses, especially full-
page slates and card slates.
Students volunteer to read aloud more often in seminar.
Students do not complain about reading Braille recipes in home management
or writing measurements with a slate and stylus in industrial arts.
Students show as much pride in their Braille projects as they do in other
accomplishments, such as their preparation of large meals or their
independent mobility drop-offs.
Students encourage each other to do homework and teach newer students how
to use the slate and stylus.
We see very little conflict between Braille and technology.
Very often people say that they don't need Braille because they have
technology. The integration of Braille displays and notetakers has
demonstrated that Braille and speech are not mutually exclusive. The fact
that they are taught in the same room by the same instructor shows that
they are complementary rather than oppositional. The same is true of high-
tech versus low-tech Braille. They are both shown to be useful in different
situations. While many students still prefer to use a computer rather than
a slate and stylus, they know that they can use both, and they aren't bound
by the battery life of the high-tech devices.
Students' difficulties are easier for instructors to pinpoint and correct.
Breaking the learning process down in the way that we have makes it
much easier to know if a student is having difficulty with retention or
touch. It is very easy to tell if the student is unable to remember the
sign or unable to feel the dots correctly. If the issue is retention, we
can see it right away. We can shift the emphasis from writing to drills or
from drills to writing. If the trouble is with touch, we will know it with
greater certainty and can proceed from this point. This has been extremely
useful with students who have educational deficits, memory loss, and
neuropathy. Figuring out the exact nature of a student's difficulties makes
dealing with them much easier for both the instructor and the student.
Knowing what the specific problem is and having specific exercises to
address the problem makes working through challenges less frustrating for
adult students.
We have seen improved performance in students with high motivation and work
ethic.
While we have not been able to keep statistics, we have observed
generally faster reading speeds and improved fluency among those students
with high motivation and strong work ethic compared with the levels we were
seeing before we began using this method. These students tend to reach a
reading level where they can fully process what they are reading and follow
the story of a text (generally around twenty to thirty words per minute)
sooner than such students did using the traditional method. Students with
average or below-average motivation and work ethic seem to show a small
improvement over previous levels. Braille reading mileage is the biggest
factor in Braille reading success, and those who don't put in as much
effort outside class will always be at a substantial disadvantage. However,
the more positive outlook and reduced stress do seem to make these students
more likely to put in time reading outside class. This method also appears
to make a more noticeable difference with students who have higher levels
of educational achievement. The logic behind the method seems to appeal to
students with better analytical skills. The lack of difficult or obscure
vocabulary in the textbook makes it much easier for students with
educational deficits to study than the book we previously used.
Conclusion
Over the past three and a half years we have seen a remarkable
improvement in our students' Braillitude. They are excited about Braille
and about how it can improve their lives. They are also more positive and
efficient in their learning of the Braille code. We hope to be able to
produce and sell our system within the next year so that others can
implement it. We also hope this will enable us to gather data and continue
to improve and refine the system to make it as effective as possible.
----------
Beginning with Braille: Challenges and Choices
by Anna M. Swenson
>From the Editor: Anna Swenson is a Braille literacy consultant in the
Fairfax County, Virginia, Public Schools. She delivered the following paper
at the 2012 Braille Symposium sponsored by the NFB Jernigan Institute. For
a list of references used in the original paper, contact <gwunder at nfb.org>.
This is what she said:
Five-year-old Ally sits with her teacher of the visually impaired,
Kelly James, at a table just outside her kindergarten classroom. Much of
the time she's learning with her classmates, but this is her daily
individual lesson time. She's excited to have me as a visitor and eager to
show off a new book that she's writing about sandwiches. Each page, shaped
like a slice of bread, features a Braille description of the ingredients
written phonetically by Ally on her Mountbatten Brailler.
"Pickles and butterflies," reads Ally, as her thumbs glide across the
words.
"Ketchup and dragonflies." She smiles broadly.
"Cheese and ladybugs." A burst of giggles.
On the next page she hesitates momentarily, considering the "p" at
the beginning of the word. "Peanut butter and mosquitoes?" she asks.
"Yes," answers Ms. James.
And, turning to me with an enticing grin, Ally says, "Do you want to
eat it?"
Listening to Ally's joyful rendition of her silly sandwich book
reminds me of several important aspects of teaching Braille to young
children. The first is the highly individualized nature of our work. Ally,
for example, has only two fingers on each hand, so she is learning to read
Braille with her thumbs. Today we are teaching Braille to dual media
learners, beginning English speakers, children with mild to moderate
cognitive disabilities, and many others. Each child deserves a specially
crafted, individualized plan to meet his or her potential as a reader and
writer. The second aspect of teaching that Ally's lesson brings to mind is
the power of motivation. If instruction is meaningful to students, if there
is a connection with their lives, they will engage with us and persevere
when the going gets tough. How do we foster motivation in children? The
secret is knowing our students well and integrating their interests into
our instructional plan.
Quite apart from the issues of caseloads and service time, teaching
Braille to young children involves instructional challenges. How do we
build a solid foundation in literacy skills at the preschool level? How do
we meet the literacy needs of non-traditional learners? How do we balance
the benefits of the inclusive setting with students' need for specialized
instruction? There is no single curriculum or right way to teach Braille
literacy skills, but we do know that meaningful instruction and motivation
contribute significantly to children's success in learning to read
(Gambrell and Marinak, 2009). And, as in Ally's case, it is apparent that
teaching Braille to a young child involves countless thoughtful
instructional choices by the Braille teacher in collaboration with
classroom teachers, specialists, and families.
The ABC Braille Study
Findings from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study (the
ABC Braille Study) have added new urgency to the challenge of teaching
young Braille readers. This was the first longitudinal research to follow
children's acquisition of beginning reading skills in Braille (Emerson,
Holbrook, and D'Andrea, 2009). The study took place from 2002 to 2007 and
included a total of thirty-eight participating students, none of whom had a
disability other than blindness. Its original purpose was to compare the
literacy outcomes of students who started formal literacy instruction with
fully contracted Braille and those who started with uncontracted Braille.
Results indicated that most of the participants learned the Braille code
with relative ease; those who learned more contractions earlier scored
higher in the areas of vocabulary, decoding, and comprehension, regardless
of whether they initially began with contracted or uncontracted Braille.
However, a more critical finding was that Braille readers started out on
level with their sighted peers in basic reading skills like phonemic
awareness and phonics, but fell farther and farther behind in reading as
the years progressed. By the end of the study over half the students were
reading below grade level, with vocabulary and comprehension the major
areas of deficit.
The ABC Braille Study findings have significant implications for
teachers in the field. To begin with, they reinforce the importance of
teaching the Braille code to young children within the context of reading
instruction. Teachers of beginning Braille readers are also teachers of
reading, and it is essential that they incorporate basic literacy processes
into their Braille lessons. These include phonemic awareness, phonics,
fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written language, all of which can
be taught simultaneously from the very beginning. Braille teachers also
need to understand where their students are performing in each area of
literacy by analyzing results from a broad range of assessments. These
consist of Braille-specific measures, e.g., the number of contractions a
child has mastered, and those tracking progress in general literacy skills,
which are often administered in conjunction with a classroom teacher.
Finally, the poor performance of many study participants in the areas of
reading vocabulary and comprehension point to the importance of concept
development and listening skills long before children begin formal reading
instruction.
Early Emergent Literacy
Literacy growth is now viewed as a lifelong process that begins early
in life and continues throughout adulthood (Dooley, 2010). Children benefit
from building a strong foundation of literacy skills during their preschool
years, a goal that is often more challenging for young Braille readers who
lack access to the incidental learning readily absorbed by typically
sighted children.
Young children who are learning to read in Braille need to develop two
types of concepts: those based on a general knowledge of the world around
them and those specifically related to literacy. Families, classroom
teachers, and specialists sometimes need guidance in knowing when and how
to take advantage of real world learning opportunities. The article, "Dad,
Where's the Plunger?" (Holloway, 2011), written by the father of a young
Braille reader, offers numerous suggestions for hands-on learning,
including trips to Home Depot; it can serve as an excellent resource for
members of the IEP team and is available at
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr30/3/fr300302.htm>. Linking
real-world knowledge to literacy by creating books with young children
provides a motivating way of reinforcing literary concepts, such as
identifying the parts of a book, turning pages, and relating Braille words
to objects or tactile pictures. For example, a Home Depot book might
feature a zipper bag on each page with an object inside, such as a light
switch or a small piece of carpet, with a Braille word or simple sentence
underneath (Smith, 2011). Real world and literacy concepts are also
developed through interactive read-alouds, another area in which families
may need modeling and guidance to ensure that their child participates in
the activity. Reading aloud to children in an interactive way helps them
acquire vocabulary and concepts, develop higher-level thinking skills, and
become familiar with the book language they will encounter later on when
they read by themselves.
Young children require maximum meaningful hands-on Braille time.
Modeling Braille reading and writing behaviors and allowing children to
imitate them are critical to building a strong literacy foundation. All
members of the IEP team can ensure that this happens by becoming familiar
with the basics of Braille, although of course the very best role models
are those who are proficient Braille readers. Adults can model Braille
reading by tracking the text in teacher-made or commercial books with the
child's hands on top of theirs. They can model writing lists, birthday
cards, letters, labels, journals, and stories. Parents and teachers can
encourage the child to scribble on the Braillewriter or pretend to read a
familiar book with tactile pictures. These approximations of reading and
writing behavior are an important part of a child's literacy foundation.
For many children, beginning formal literacy instruction in Braille
should not wait until kindergarten. Literacy expectations for
kindergartners have been increasing and will continue to do so with the
implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Hatton, Erickson, and
Lee (2010) report that most sighted children already know fifteen letters
of the alphabet when they enter kindergarten. In contrast, they found that
most children who are blind know none in Braille, placing them at a
disadvantage at the beginning of formal schooling. Introducing children to
key words of interest to them is a motivating way to begin reading
instruction at the preschool level. One three year old who was fascinated
by insects learned "ant" and "spider" as her first Braille words, long
before she knew any letters of the alphabet. These two words were easy to
tell apart, and, with the addition of some common alphabet letter
contractions, she was soon reading short, meaningful phrases like "go go
spider." After she had mastered a foundation of tactile sight words, the
student began learning letters, starting with those in her key words--and
by the time she entered kindergarten, she could identify nearly all the
letters of the Braille alphabet and read simple sentences and teacher-made
stories. Children with additional disabilities may not learn Braille as
early or as quickly as typical learners, but they too can benefit from
starting with key words of interest to them. The Individualized Meaning-
centered Approach to Braille Literacy Education, or I-M-ABLE (Wormsley,
2011), offers a structured, highly motivating process for teaching Braille
to nontraditional learners.
Literacy Learning in Kindergarten and the Early Primary Grades:
Incorporating Braille Instruction into the Standard Curriculum
Braille teachers who work with students in inclusive settings often
feel challenged by the need to balance time in the general education
classroom with individual instruction in specialized skills. They recognize
that the social nature of language arts instruction in the early grades is
extremely important. Children learn from each other as they talk about
books, share writing, participate in reading groups, and work on group
projects. On the other hand, individual instructional time is needed to
reinforce aspects of the Braille code (within the context of reading),
preview classroom assignments, and address the goals and objectives of the
Expanded Core Curriculum. The eventual goal for each child in an inclusive
setting should be meaningful group participation, whether in a general
education class or in a specialized setting, if the student has additional
disabilities. Sometimes, however, it takes more individual instruction at
the beginning to ensure that the student masters the skills needed to
participate independently in a group setting later on. Ongoing, broad-based
assessments in each area of literacy, careful documentation of progress,
and regular consultation with the classroom teacher(s) and other members of
the IEP team all help to determine the appropriate balance between
inclusion and individual instruction at any given time.
Facilitating Inclusion: Tips for the Braille Teacher
1. Prioritize positive collaboration with the classroom teacher(s):
Establishing a positive relationship with the classroom teacher(s)
provides the Braille student with maximum benefits in the areas of
academics, socialization, and self-determination. In the inclusive
setting, step back whenever possible to allow the classroom teacher to
take ownership of the student--and explain why you are doing this. At the
same time offer to contribute to the learning of other children in the
class through Braille-awareness lessons, games, and general assistance,
such as helping another child with writing while your student is working
independently. Assess and evaluate Braille students' progress with
classroom teachers, and listen carefully to their concerns.
2. Provide teachers and classmates with access to students' work: Teach
keyboarding early and use the visual display function available on most
note takers to allow teachers and classmates to see the Braille user's
written work on a monitor. This removes the Braille teacher as an
intermediary and allows direct, real-time communication between the
student and classroom teacher.
3. Take advantage of instructional materials that facilitate inclusion:
High-quality materials such as the Word PlayHouse and the Early Braille
Trade Books, available from the American Printing House for the Blind,
include both print and Braille and are ideal for blind and sighted
students to use together.
4. Promote independent work habits: Avoiding learned helplessness is one of
the greatest challenges the Braille teacher faces. Provide opportunities
for even the very youngest students to work independently during
individual lessons, and transfer these expectations to the regular
classroom.
5. Advocate for technology: Many of our beginning Braille readers are stuck
in a technological Stone Age with only the traditional Perkins Brailler
available for writing. While young students definitely benefit from
hardcopy Braille when learning to read and write, they also need hands-on
time with devices such as note takers with refreshable Braille that allow
them to master beginning technology skills--just as their sighted
classmates are doing.
In Closing
Like the "peanut butter and mosquitoes" in Ally's sandwich at the
beginning of this article, good teaching is a combination of common sense
and creativity. Of course young beginning Braille readers require thorough
assessments, careful lesson planning, and close collaboration among members
of their IEP teams. However, they also thrive on instructional choices that
reflect their own interests and spark their imaginations. Whether the child
is a preschooler eagerly exploring the pages of her Home Depot book or
first grader writing a story about his favorite superheroes, motivation is
the key to their future success as readers and writers.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Sharon Monthei]
Teaching English to Blind Refugees and Immigrants
by Sharon Monthei
From the Editor: Sharon Monthei works at BLIND, Incorporated, one of
the three training centers operated by the National Federation of the
Blind, where she teaches English to refugees and immigrants. Monitor
readers are familiar with her work as an author of several books on
teaching and Braille. Here are the remarks she made at the Braille
Symposium that describe the challenging job she has and the way Braille
makes it possible for her to offer students the gift of literacy:
In this paper I want to discuss issues in teaching English to our
blind new Americans. This issue was brought to my attention when I was
asked to attempt to improve relations between Minnesota State Services for
the Blind and local programs working with blind immigrants and refugees.
Our Braille section, where I worked part-time, provided Braille materials
to programs serving blind students. However, there were issues with
integrating these students successfully into their classes.
The problem that these blind immigrants and refugees experienced when
attempting to learn English was that their teachers, who know how to teach
English, didn't know how to teach Braille or to work with this population.
Conversely, Braille teachers don't know how to teach English. However, one
thing they share is the knowledge that reading constitutes literacy. For
blind students that means Braille.
After coming to understand the difficulties beginning English learners
were experiencing at a local English Language Learning (ELL) program, I
went to Seattle for a week to receive training in the way to teach English
to our blind new Americans. When I got back, I realized I did not know
enough, so I enrolled at Hamline University in St. Paul to learn how to do
it and spent a year taking courses.
Unfortunately for blind students, English Language teachers are
taught to use nonverbal methods to communicate with their students,
especially in the lower levels. Pictures and drawings are prominent, and
teachers use gestures and mime to get their point across. Two examples
illustrate this. When I was taking courses in English Language Learning,
the teacher brought in what she called "realia" [objects or activities used
to relate classroom teaching to real life-the bag contained receipts] to
show the class. To me it was a bag of paper. Then there was the
demonstration lesson which included mime interspersed with Russian words. I
had no idea what she was doing. The rest of the class appeared to learn the
words.
I already had considerable experience in teaching Braille, but this
was different. Not only did many of my students not know Braille or
English, they had also never learned to read in any language. Humans learn
to read once in their lifetimes, and this skill is transferable to other
languages they may learn. But if they never learned to read, that skill
must be taught as well. This may seem impossibly hard, but sighted
immigrants learn to read print and speak English all the time, whether or
not they were literate in their native languages.
Armed with all of this background, I began teaching English to blind
immigrants and refugees in the summer of 2008 at BLIND, Incorporated. So
how is it done? I start with an interpreter for a period of time ranging
from a few days to three weeks. The interpreter helps me and my students
establish some words and concepts so I can communicate with them. I begin
by getting a cane and showing the student how to get around inside our
building, including how to go up and down the stairs. I want them to begin
their independence immediately.
I have a wide variety of objects which I use to develop vocabulary.
These include vehicles, animals, cooking items, basic shapes, and toy
replicas of people and furniture. I use a modified version of a book which
Jan Bailey and Chris Cuppet wrote for teaching seniors uncontracted
Braille. I teach the letters without being too concerned about the meanings
of the words they are reading. I do begin to teach the various sounds of
each letter at that time in a general way, understanding that the vowels
are the hardest and that people learning English may not be able to hear
all of the sounds of English. I also begin to teach the student how to use
a Braillewriter while I have an interpreter. Writing is a key part of
learning English, and I want them to write a lot to help them remember the
words that they are learning.
Then I use a beginning book which I transcribed into uncontracted
Braille in double-spaced format. It covers chapters on personal
information, family relationships, rooms and furniture, things in the
classroom--including counting, clothing, and food. I also use a book called
English in Action which I read to begin to teach common English sentences
and to practice speaking and listening. Because it takes as much as forty-
two repetitions of a word to make it part of a student's vocabulary, I
repeat and repeat basic words in complete sentences orally, and I have
students read them and write them. Sometimes we even act out some concepts
like in front of, behind, beside, and under. The more senses that are
engaged, the more learning takes place.
After this I use parts of a book called Personal Stories, which I got
from another ELL teacher, and a series of books called Talk of the Block.
All of these books were designed for adults. Topics covered include family,
home, shopping, and health. I also use parts of a phonics book, a grammar
book, a vocabulary book, and a math book designed especially for new
English learners. Many of my students have also never learned to do math,
so we begin with counting and learning the names of the numbers and
addition facts.
These are some things to keep in mind in teaching beginning English:
. There is often a silent period at first in which the student is
listening and learning but doesn't feel confident or comfortable
enough to talk.
. Don't correct spoken English at all. Communication is the important
thing. Correct tenses and syntax will come in time.
. Speak slowly and clearly at first.
. English has sounds that speakers of other languages may not be able to
hear, and other languages have sounds that the teacher will not be
able to hear.
. Talk to students a lot, even though they may not always understand.
After a while they will. Speak in complete sentences.
. People learn to read once in their lifetimes. If they are literate in
their own languages, they will be able to transfer the skill to
English, and this is a great advantage for them.
. Humans are hardwired to learn spoken language, not so with reading and
writing.
. A few adults, especially older adults and those with learning
disabilities, may not be able to learn to read. However, there isn't
any way to determine this in advance. There is no test of mental
function for English Language Learners at this time. Most students
will still be able to learn to read, especially if they are of working
age.
. Contracted Braille demands too much decoding for beginners, so delay
this until they have a good working knowledge of English.
. For adults, developing good touch may be the single most challenging
part of learning Braille.
. Much time must be devoted to having students read aloud in order for
them to develop speed and good pronunciation abilities.
. Alternate reading and writing exercises. Writing will reinforce the
spelling and word acquisition.
I cannot teach students all of the English that they will eventually
need to know, so I also teach basic computer skills, which include typing,
writing, and basic document editing. I also teach students to use email if
they are interested. The Internet is beyond my beginning students, because
they do not possess the vocabulary to understand what's happening on most
webpages. Students will need to have a computer to take to class so that
their later English teachers can read what they write in order to critique
the work.
At BLIND, Incorporated, I begin working with students before they
enter the full program. This may take from three months to a year, but more
typically six to nine months. Then they begin cane travel, and, if that
goes well, they transition to the full program from one to three months
after that. There they acquire survival English in a very practical way.
I teach some math to my students because many of them do not have a
math background. Money is an excellent way to start-counting various coins
and discussing our base ten system. If I have time during the training
process, I use a math book called Number Sense which was designed for this
population.
What equipment do new English learners need?
. White cane
. Braillewriter
. Braille slate
. Braille paper
. Recording device with long-playing capability
After the first few months, when computer instruction begins,
students need a portable computer with adaptive software-they will need it
for use in mainstream ELL classes to write so that they can receive
feedback from their teachers. They need to be able to touch type and use a
word processor for writing and editing documents in class.
The Importance of Immigrant and Refugee Status
. Refugees are eligible for SSI immediately; for state or federally
funded rehabilitation programs; and for adult basic education, public
housing, and healthcare.
Other immigrants are not eligible for SSI for five years. They are
eligible for state or federally funded rehabilitation programs and for
mainstream adult basic education and public housing. Whether they are
eligible for healthcare depends upon the state.
. People granted asylum are eligible for SSI, Medicaid, public housing,
and rehabilitation services. However, those in the process of getting
asylum status are not eligible for SSI, but they are eligible for
rehabilitation services and emergency healthcare.
. Illegal residents are not eligible for state or federally funded
programs. They are eligible for adult basic education and mainstream
ELL programs. They may or may not be eligible for public healthcare
services beyond emergency services.
I may be contacted at <smonthei at blindinc.org> if readers want to ask
questions or get a resource list that I have developed.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Sheila Amato speaking at the 2012 Braille Symposium]
Setting up Teachers for Success in Their University Braille Courses:
Creating and Maintaining High Standards
by Sheila Amato
From the Editor: Dr. Sheila Amato was the 2003 recipient of the
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award presented by the National
Federation of the Blind. She has recently retired after a thirty-eight year
career teaching blind students and those with other impairments.
What Dr. Amato wrote was tailored for academic publications. We have
changed the text in which she refers to herself in the third person and
have made other edits to conform to Monitor practice. Here is the paper she
submitted after the Braille Symposium:
Beginning in 1989 with a presentation at the annual convention of the
National Federation of the Blind, Dr. Susan Spungin identified her
perceptions on eight major reasons for the increasing illiteracy of people
who are blind. One of these concerns involved the lack of standardized
Braille teaching methods and of quality control to ensure high standards of
teaching. Seven years later Spungin wrote an article, "Braille and Beyond:
Braille Literacy in a Larger Context," in which she outlined concerns
related to the inadequacy of Braille instruction provided to blind
children. Spungin noted at that time that Braille illiteracy is a major
symptom of a larger problem.
One way to address the problem identified by Spungin is to examine
the practices of university programs that prepare teachers of students with
visual impairments (TVIs). Intrigued and concerned by Spungin's comments,
in 2000 I explored the practices of university programs in meeting
professional standards in literary Braille. I conducted a descriptive study
of standards and criteria for competence in Braille literacy in teacher-
preparation programs. In this I explored the specific roles played in the
achievement of proficiency in Braille literacy by university teacher
preparation programs in blindness and visual impairment and concluded that
there was "widespread diversity and a lack of consistency" in the way that
professionals are prepared in literary Braille. I called for the
development of objective outcomes for university graduates to ensure that
their students are taught by professionals who are competent in the Braille
code.
For more than a decade this work was not expanded by university
programs that prepare teachers of students with visual impairments. Then in
2010 Rosenblum, Lewis, and D'Andrea confirmed my findings and reiterated
the need to establish minimum levels of Braille competence for graduates of
university preparation programs. Their research attempted to establish the
content validity of several performance statements associated with basic
knowledge, production, and reading of Braille by beginning teachers.
Implications for Practitioners
The implications of this work support the premise that the
identification of content-valid performance standards establishes a
stronger research base on which to create voluntary standards for defining
the Braille competence of future TVIs who complete university programs. The
adoption of such standards can reduce inconsistencies among university
programs and to increase the proficiency of program completers in their
ability to read and produce literary Braille.
The writings of Spungin (1989, 1996), Amato (2000), and Lewis et al.
(2012) are examples of the handful of attempts by professionals in the
field of education of individuals who are blind/visually impaired to
identify both problems and solutions in this vital area of education: that
of literacy for individuals who are blind.
It is now 2012, nearly twenty-five years since these problems were
voiced by Spungin at the NFB convention: a lifetime for the blind young
adults who are now entering college or the workforce with often inadequate
literacy skills. Yet twenty-five years later we are still identifying these
same problems. What are the solutions to assure that those who use Braille
as their literacy medium have qualified professionals to teach them to read
and produce Braille?
The topic of ensuring that pre-service teachers of the blind have a
firm understanding of the Braille code was presented during the Problem
Solution Session titled "Setting up Teachers for Success in Their
University Braille Courses: Creating and Maintaining High Standards," which
was held on September 28, 2012, from 4:05 to 6:00 p.m. in the NFB of Utah
Auditorium at the Jernigan Institute. I was the presenter at this session,
a university teacher trainer and retired teacher of students with visual
impairments. The session was moderated by Mark Riccobono, executive
director, Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind.
In this session I identified thoughts on perceptions why future
teachers of students who are blind are (or are not) receiving proper
instruction in Braille and thoughts on strategies that could be implemented
to increase their competence in Braille literacy tasks. Participants, led
by moderator Riccobono, discussed possible solutions. We traveled the road
from where we are, through where we need to be, to how we are going to get
there. Shifting paradigms of education lead us to identify continued new
challenges.
During my talk I described five concerns for university programs
preparing TVIs. At the conclusion of the presentation audience participants
were given the opportunity to comment on how these concerns could be
addressed.
The first concern was recruitment. In the current model there is a
documented shortage of TVIs in our nation. Participants in the session
suggested the following strategies could be used to improve recruitment
. Find out why people go into this field of education of children/adults
who are blind in the first place. How do they find out about it?
. Include parents of blind children, who are often passionate about the
education their children are receiving.
. Encourage current teachers to return to school for add-on endorsements
in blindness education.
. Reach out to high school programs; teach Braille to high school
students to pique their interest in Braille.
. Support enrichment programs such as the Teacher of Tomorrow Program.
. Offer scholarships for future TVIs based on academic ability; fund
after the fact, not before.
. Encourage TVIs to conduct lessons on Braille for regular education
students.
. Invite guest speakers who are Braille users to go to university
programs to speak with future TVIs.
. Build into the National Certification in Literary Braille (NCLB) a
question about candidate willingness to become a mentor for a future
TVI or to become a member of a pool of resources.
. Investigate having our organization (NFB) connect more with teachers.
. Pursue innovative ways to show the general public what Braille is.
. Address special education administrators about the literacy needs of
blind children.
The second concern was related to geography. There is limited access
to education and training for future TVIs in diverse geographic regions
that do not have teacher training programs. The online method of education
is one method of service delivery with promise, but it is still problematic
in areas without high-speed Internet access or when the platform used by
the college or university does not afford full accessibility.
Participants in the session suggested the following strategy be used
to improve accessibility to such educational programs:
. Consider summer institutes in which students come to campus for
a period of weeks during the summer and do other parts of the
program online. Hybrid online instruction with face-to-face
requirements is already occurring at many universities.
The third concern, about time, with its many broad definitions,
involved the following:
. Clarify online instruction and daily coming-to-class
requirements and interaction with the professor and classmates;
many university students just do not put in this time.
. Support the varying time management strategies used by future
TVIs in training.
. Advise university students about the challenges of courses while
holding down a job and/or caring for a family.
. Pursue discussion of whether the typical university semester
provides an adequate time in which to learn the Braille code to
a high level of proficiency.
The fourth concern was the future TVI's array of personal skills:
. Advise future TVIs on knowing their own learning style and
choosing a program that is a good fit.
. Advise future TVIs on issues of time-management skills, self-
discipline, self-motivation, organizational skills, and study
habits required for successful study.
. Assess future TVIs' knowledge of English grammar, spelling, and
sentence structure before enrollment in the program.
. Assess future TVIs' computer skills in navigating course
websites, creating files, and using email before their
enrollment in an online program.
. Provide reasonable accommodations for future TVIs with
disabilities; this does not mean lowering the standards.
The fifth area of concern identified was technology:
. Continue discussion of teacher preparation on the best method(s)
to use for Braille instruction-Perky Duck simulated Braille
program vs. Perkins Brailler.
. Continue to work towards the full accessibility of online
platforms.
. Explore better ways to communicate Braille across the Internet.
. Ask ourselves what drives our service delivery? Does the fact
that we can offer online courses mean that we should do so?
Participants in the session suggested that the following strategies
could be used to address some of the issues in technology:
. Use of video technology to demonstrate pedagogical skills such
as inserting paper into the Brailler or proper hand position for
reading Braille.
. Use of video technology in Braille instruction.
. Use of mobile devices to access course materials.
. Use of social-networking sites to support learning.
. For the past twenty-five or more years we have continued to
identify these same concerns about literacy instruction for both
TVIs and their students. The future is in our hands. It will be
up to us to continue such collaborative sessions with the
ultimate goal of developing solutions so that our blind children
will be empowered with the literacy skills they need to be
successful adults.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Jennifer Dunnam at the 2012 Braille Symposium]
Braille and Technology
by Jennifer Dunnam
From the Editor: Jennifer Dunnam is the president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, a member of the Braille Authority of
North America representing the National Federation of the Blind, and a
person who clearly spends a lot of time thinking about the role of
information and how important Braille is in acquiring it. Here is what she
said to the Braille Symposium:
The following has fascinated me ever since I heard it delivered as
part of a speech back in 1990. The speech may be familiar to some of you,
and it starts like this: "If the engineers of 1800 had possessed complete
drawings for a transistor radio (one that could be bought today for $10),
they couldn't have built it, not even if they had had billions or trillions
of dollars. They lacked the infrastructure--the tools, the tools to build
the tools, and the tools to build those; the plastics, the machines to make
the plastics, and the machines to make the machines; the skilled workforce,
the teachers to train the workforce, and the teachers to train the
teachers; the transportation network to assemble the materials, the
vehicles to use the network, and the sources of supply. All of this is
generally recognized, but it is far less well understood that what is true
of material objects is also true of ideas and attitudes. In the absence of
a supporting social infrastructure of knowledge and beliefs, a new idea
simply cannot exist."
The speech, delivered by Dr. Kenneth Jernigan on the occasion of the
fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the National Federation of the
Blind, goes on to discuss ideas and the progress in opportunities and
attitudes that has been made for blind people through our self-organizing
and application of our collective experience. "The Federation at Fifty" is
worth reading for anyone.
Although it is intriguing to contemplate the evolving infrastructure
in the realm of ideas, at the time I first heard the speech I found it
equally fascinating to give thought to where we have come from in material
objects. Of course the infrastructure has further evolved since he gave
that speech a short twenty-two years ago; we now have objects and
infrastructure that we might never have imagined then. In 1990 the
Americans with Disabilities Act had not yet become law. The Internet was
available to only a few people and bore little resemblance to the rich
venue that we use now. The music we bought was all on vinyl records or
cassettes or compact discs. Most people did not have mobile phones, and the
phones that did exist were meant for making and receiving telephone calls.
Life was different in countless ways.
To think about these technological changes in conjunction with
Braille brings a sense of wonder. Not only have the changes of the last
twenty years made a difference in the ways we can use Braille, but they
have the potential to change for the better the way that we think about
Braille and its role in bringing about the integration of blind people in
society. The frequently used phrase "technology cannot replace Braille,"
while certainly well-intentioned, sets up a false distinction, equating
"technology" with "audio." Braille can and should be as integral to and
indivisible from technology as is the screen. Sighted children become
fluent readers by being immersed in print all around them. It is on
everything in our world. It is becoming possible to have a similar
immersion experience in Braille, and it will get even more possible still--
not just for the learner, but for any Braille reader.
Sometimes I wish I could show my younger self how things are now-the
many things I used to wish for but could not imagine coming true ...
Upon getting up in the morning, many may read the daily newspaper
with their morning coffee (whether on paper or online). I can now do this
in Braille as well, using a refreshable Braille display with NFB-NEWSLINE®
or other online newspapers. This means literally hundreds of newspapers or
other periodicals at our fingertips, available to Braille readers at the
same time as to print readers. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I was
fortunate in that most of my school books were transcribed into Braille.
However, if the class was assigned to read an article from the newspaper
about a current event, I needed to have someone read it to me. While this
was certainly doable, it meant that I did not do much reading of the daily
papers outside of class assignments except when someone felt like reading
aloud what they happened to be reading. Some of the happiest moments of my
life came when I received magazines in Braille--it didn't matter that they
were two-month-old issues. Likewise I received Braille library books in the
mail, but it was usually months or years between the publication of a print
book and the release of the Braille version. What a difference now to be
able to download a book the day it is released to the public and read it in
Braille--even to purchase that book at the same price as the print reader
pays.
I keep my calendar in Braille on an iPhone, connected to a
refreshable Braille display, which also syncs with my computer. Certainly
Braille calendars are not a new idea, but never has there been such
flexibility. Now others can propose meetings on my calendar, whether they
know Braille or not, and I can view the calendars of others. I can get a
quick overview of the appointments for the week or month using the grid
layout of the calendar on the touch-screen.
I can easily access any number of city bus schedules in Braille using
the smart phone as well. I can also communicate using Braille with any
number of friends and colleagues on email, social media, and text
messaging. When I was a child and teenager, hardly any of my friends knew
Braille unless I taught it to them, so my written communications with
friends were rare.
In my work I use Braille all day long, not only to write notes for
myself, but in a variety of interactive ways-emailing, taking down info
from calls, writing documents, proofreading documents, looking things up in
online references, and using a variety of websites. If I collaborate with
colleagues on something, we use the exact same file, not a separate copy
for me. I can read and type in it in Braille while they read and type in
print.
As a child I wrote all of my homework and took all of my tests in
Braille, which was vital to my development of literacy. However, in order
for others to read it, someone else had to write out a print version of my
work, or, as I got older, I did so myself on a typewriter. Computers with
speech access came into widespread use long before refreshable Braille was
widely available; Thus during that time it became easier simply to skip the
step of Brailling the work and instead type it directly using the computer.
It is fortunate for my literacy that such an option was not available to me
as a student in school.
In college I studied several languages and did not have access to
books in Braille. The literature classes proved to be the most challenging.
On occasion the books were available in audio format. Often the readers
read at a normal speaking pace, but my knowledge of the language was not
always up to the task of understanding at that speed. If the book was not
available on cassette, I needed to find a reader who could read so I could
understand. I depended heavily on class discussions and was able to do well
in the classes but certainly would have benefitted from Braille books. Also
a portable dictionary is an invaluable tool when working to learn a
language. Now downloads and scanning/OCR technology make these books and
dictionaries far easier to get.
If during work I should happen to go to lunch with colleagues, the
restaurant menu may be available in Braille on paper, but more often it can
be viewed online in refreshable Braille, again through a mobile device.
Back at work I can access meeting agendas and reports, take notes, and run
slide presentations using refreshable Braille. If another speaker uses a
slide presentation, there is even software that lets me view the
information in Braille as the slides change.
Refreshable Braille can facilitate participation in all kinds of
other activities. For example, during choir practice I can easily find the
correct page in the music and make notes directly in the music as the
director points out things for us to remember. If a new piece is passed out
during a rehearsal which was not available to be Brailled in advance, I can
quickly type the words while the group is singing through it for the first
time so that I can still participate in further rehearsal of the piece.
Certainly I did all these things using a slate and stylus on paper before
refreshable Braille, but the technology makes for a quick and smooth
experience.
Embossed Braille cookbooks have been available for many decades. However,
an infinite number of recipes are now easy to find online. To avoid damage
to the technology while cooking, the Braille-using cook can place the
refreshable Braille display in a plastic bag and feel the dots easily
through the plastic.
For those who may want to spend a bit of time on the couch in front
of the TV or listening to music after a long day, a bluetooth Braille
display can be used much like a remote control if connected to an iOS
device plugged into a larger entertainment system. One can scroll through
options of movies, music, or television shows, reading the names and
information in Braille, and control the playback. Online shopping can be
accomplished all in Braille as well.
Certainly there is still much to do to ensure that Braille readers
can operate on an equal footing with print readers. Today's Braille
displays, although becoming more economical over the past few years, are
still beyond the price range that many can afford. Many websites,
documents, programs, and other print material are designed in a way that
makes them unusable by people who read using assistive technology.
Sometimes issues of incompatibility arise between mainstream technology and
screen readers. Still Braille is more widely available than ever before in
history, and the direction of the future holds much promise because of the
focus, passion, and know-how of people who recognize that Braille is as
essential as literacy. The technological realities of today seem amazing
when viewed from the perspective of decades past. They will likely seem
primitive a few years from now.
During a recent airline flight a fellow passenger who saw me reading
asked me about the purpose and use of my Braille display. A few minutes
after we finished the conversation and settled back into our individual
activities, she suddenly asked: "May I read along with you?" For a moment I
was puzzled, since she had made it clear that she knew nothing about
Braille. Then, realizing what she meant, I gladly agreed that she could
read along; my iPhone, on which I had downloaded the book, was on the tray
next to my Braille display. She could see the very same book in print on
the screen. What a pleasant sign of the possibilities for integration with
society. If we keep our focus on thinking about and pushing for this type
of integration, things will only get better.
----------
[Photo/Caption: Henry Wedler]
How Braille Saved a Blind Chemist
by Henry Wedler
From the Editor: Henry "Hoby" Wedler is an NFB tenBroek Fellow, having
been awarded NFB scholarships in 2005 and 2011. He told the Braille
Symposium attendees a bit about how useful he finds Braille as a doctoral
student in organic chemistry. This is what he said:
Contrary to social perceptions, blindness is not what holds us back.
Rather it is low societal expectations about what blind people are capable
of. We must believe in ourselves and hold high expectations. Dr. Maurer
recently told us that we don't need a consensus or a study to tell us how
many blind people in the United States are literate or are employed. The
National Federation of the Blind knows that these statistics are dismal.
Not enough blind people read Braille, and not nearly enough are employed.
We are here this weekend to change these sad facts.
Braille provides blind people with independence. Before we had ready
access to Braille, we were dependent on print readers to read us materials
aloud or audio recordings. Using Braille, we are able to read what we want
to, when we want to.
Blind Americans must strive to use Braille to maintain high
expectations for ourselves and ultimately to take responsibility for our
successes and failures. With the availability of Braille a blind student,
for instance, cannot say, "I couldn't complete the assignment because I
couldn't find someone to read it to me." With Braille blind students and
blind professionals are expected, as they should be, to read and not use
excuses for not being able to access materials.
Though we still have a long way to go before Braille is as widespread
as we would like, we must acknowledge that because of technology advances
we can have Braille at our fingertips. It is possible, for instance, to go
to a restaurant with a Braille display, read the menu using a smart phone,
and order with no sighted intervention. As Jennifer Dunnam accurately
pointed out, a blind chef can put his Braille display in a plastic zip-top
bag and use it to read recipes in a kitchen, in which the display could be
significantly damaged if not properly sheathed.
I love events like this one because the information provides me with
ideas as a blind chemist. Blind students can get protective sleeves for
Braille displays or hardcopy Braille documents and read them in the
laboratory around chemicals that one would not want to contaminate
notebooks or Braille displays. These simple yet genuinely creative ideas
inspire everyone here to be innovative. I have a Braille embosser, so, if I
choose, within minutes I can have any accessible text from the Internet
Brailled as a hard copy that I can take wherever I want. Therefore, despite
the many Braille challenges still facing us, technology does make Braille
documents readily accessible.
My Story
Unlike most other blind children in the United States, I had parents
who have held extremely high expectations of me and my abilities for as
long as I can remember. My sighted brother and I were held to the same
standards. We all worked together on projects around our home. We did our
homework together, and our parents expected both of us to do very well in
school. They established a model of parenting which should be adopted for
both blind and sighted parenting. They respected my brother and me
tremendously and expected excellence of us. They displayed excellence to us
and expected it back. Ultimately my identity was not the blind kid in the
family; I was Hoby Wedler, who happened to be blind.
My mother is a teacher of the visually impaired and orientation and
mobility specialist of twenty-five years who steadfastly supports the work
of the National Federation of the Blind. She and my father knew that, in
order to be successful in the world, I would have to be literate. I thus
began learning Braille at three years old and am always grateful that I
learned it proficiently so early. This has helped and will undoubtedly
continue to help me for the rest of my life.
I found the NFB at the first Rocket On! Science Academy, held at the
then new Jernigan Institute in 2004. As a partnership between the NFB and
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, this week-long program
paired blind high school students interested in science with blind mentors.
I never knew blind professionals in the sciences before this experience. I
wanted to pursue a chemistry degree in college, but, until this academy and
my grand introduction to the NFB, I didn't know it was possible.
I use Braille and tactile figures daily as a graduate student in
organic chemistry at the University of California, Davis. When I arrived at
Davis, I was put in contact with a wonderful reader and assistant, Sarah
Cohen, who knew very quickly that I would need high-quality tactile figures
to tackle organic chemistry and upper-division mathematics courses.
She and I worked together to develop a method of tactile figure-making
in which an image is drawn about double the size of the print
representation on smooth heavy-weight twenty-four-pound laser printer
paper. The sheet of paper is then flipped over and placed on a soft surface
like a notebook or rubber mat. The image from the facing side is then
traced with force using a pen. These figures hold up very well and are the
very best I have found because they optimize speed, durability, and
accuracy. I've also found that Braille holds up on this paper very well;
thus the figures can be easily labeled.
When I came to Davis, Cohen also realized that no good system was in
place for Brailling exams. Remarkably, she learned Braille in less than six
months and Brailled all of my chemistry, physics, and mathematics exams as
well as quantum mechanics lecture notes when I was an undergraduate
student. I used and still use Braille every day to survive as a graduate
student.
As a blind organic chemistry student I must visualize complex figures
generated by a computer. Thus, we are working hard to implement a
successful three-dimensional printing system that is fully accessible to
me. The research that we do in Professor Dean Tantillo's lab requires us to
look at geometries of organic structures as they are optimized
energetically by our quantum mechanical calculations. We often observe
chemical reactions and transition state structures between reactive
intermediates. These transition states often have bonds that are longer or
shorter than average. For a blind student to be successful, he or she
should feel these structures in three dimensions in order to fix the figure
in his or her mind.
Hence we are developing a three-dimensional printing system that will
print atoms as spheres and sticks connecting them to represent bonds. This
system will soon apply Braille labels (also generated by the 3-D printer)
on the structures, indicating atom labels. We are also devising ways to put
notches on chemical bonds to be used as a ruler for me to observe as a bond
lengthens and shortens.
Another inaccessible part of computational organic chemistry is
inputting large complex structures in the computer program we use. We are
thus discussing and soon will be implementing a three-dimensional scanning
system that will scan structures built by me with RFID scanning tags on the
pieces. We will build a custom molecular model kit for constructing these
models. The RFID tags will be adhered to critical parts of the model before
scanning.
Since my theme is Braille, we are also looking into brailling labels
on these RFID matrices and having the labels I make scanned into the
system, recognized, decoded, and placed as labels on the structure,
eventually to be shown on the computer screen. Ultimately, this idea
revolves around scannable Braille morsels on RFID tags.
You may know that I collect wine and have something of a collection. I
learned very early on that having to ask someone over and over what type of
wine I had and not ever getting the right bottle on the first try became
tedious. Thus I label each of my bottles using a Braille labeler when I
stock it. This method paired with some crucial organization skills allows
me to manage my wine collection completely independently, again thanks to
Braille. I also cook extensively and use a similar system for labeling
things that are difficult to identify in my kitchen.
Ultimately, as with anything else, we need to use what makes us most
efficient and most successful in the long run. If you know Braille and can
use it quickly enough to make it effective, use it. If audio works better
for you, use it. Use whatever makes you an efficient, productive member of
society. I use a combination of Braille and audio to access materials for
my work and personal life. Braille is extremely useful, but sometimes, for
instance when I need an organic chemistry handout or document read,
Brailling it would take four hours and reading it aloud would take four
minutes. Clearly I'll choose to have it read aloud to save time.
Braille is extremely important and should be taught to blind Americans
much more than it is being taught. We have heard at this symposium many
ways Braille has been advanced in the past few years. I am always elated by
our innovation because I honestly don't know what Braille will allow us in
the next five, ten, or twenty years. Groups like ours dream and think
together and come up with the most exciting and innovative uses for Braille
in our futures. We still have a long way to go, but we should all leave
this evening knowing how far we have come. We will turn dreams into
realities using our high expectations of ourselves and using Braille.
Always hold high expectations of yourself, whether you are sighted or
blind. Never lower the bar. Take responsibility for your successes and
failures. With our hard and steadfast work, the blind will find and hold on
to equality in society. Keep working hard and never ever stop dreaming up
new and exciting ideas. Thank you very much; this has been a fantastic
symposium.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Robert Englebretson]
Braille and the IPA: Empowering Careers in the Language Sciences
by Robert Englebretson
From the Editor: Dr. Robert Englebretson is an associate professor of
linguistics at Rice University. He is the author and editor of several
books and research articles and teaches a broad range of linguistics and
cognitive science courses. His primary research areas include discourse and
grammar, language in social interaction, American English, and colloquial
Indonesian. Additionally, Englebretson seeks to promote Braille as a
relevant and fruitful research topic for the cognitive sciences and, vice
versa, seeks to highlight the relevance of general findings from
linguistics and cognitive science for ongoing research on Braille. He
developed and taught an upper-level course on this topic at Rice University
in 2009 in conjunction with the bicentennial celebration of the birth of
Louis Braille. Englebretson has served as the U.S. representative to the
International Council on English Braille's Foreign Languages and
Linguistics Committee, under whose auspices he published the current
Braille system for representing the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA
Braille). He currently serves on the Research Committee of the Braille
Authority of North America.
I learned to read when I started school in the mid-1970s, and I soon
became quite a bookworm. At the time Braille seemed completely unremarkable
to me. It struck me as basic common sense that, while sighted classmates
learned to read and write print, I would learn to read and write Braille.
This was simply how things worked--and I never realized until much later
what an amazing gift this actually was. In general I had excellent teachers
with high expectations. And, most important, I had supportive parents with
even higher expectations, who understood that Braille is the key to
literacy, education, and employment.
I believed then, as I do now, that Braille is both normal and
necessary. Whatever task a sighted person accomplished using print, I
expected to accomplish the same task using Braille. Of course I knew there
were differences-books were much larger and heavier and came in multiple
volumes, and I soon learned to use books on audio cassette when Braille was
not available. But, while I recognized the importance of being flexible and
acquiring a virtual toolbox of alternative techniques, I did not change my
core attitude, valuing Braille as both normal and necessary.
When I started college in 1988, students had no support for obtaining
university textbooks and course materials in Braille. As we all did in
those days, I relied on cassettes; live readers; and, much later, a
computer with a scanner and speech synthesizer-and finally a Braille
notetaker and display. I continued to use Braille for my own notes, for
writing paper drafts before typing them on the computer, and for the
occasional bit of leisure reading whenever time allowed.
One of the courses I signed up for on my very first day on campus was
an introductory linguistics course. In fact it is a course that I have now
taught at least a dozen times. And after that course I was hooked.
Linguistics is a broad and fascinating field that approaches language from
a variety of perspectives and disciplines. I was fascinated by the
questions linguistics was asking, such as what language is; how it works;
in what ways the grammars of the world's languages are similar and in what
ways they differ; why specific languages are the way they are; and,
ultimately, what kinds of things languages teach us about the human mind,
societies, and cultures. I was also drawn to the idea of doing fieldwork
far away from the United States, to find out more about other languages-
something which I eventually did, when I lived in Indonesia in the mid-
1990s doing research for my doctoral dissertation.
One of the first things a student in an introductory linguistics
course must learn is the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). The IPA is
an internationally adopted set of symbols recognized among professionals in
the language sciences. It is developed and maintained by the International
Phonetic Association, and its goal is to represent unambiguously all of the
sounds in the approximately six thousand languages spoken on earth today.
By "unambiguously" I mean that the IPA is not tied to the writing system or
the spelling system of a specific language, rather an IPA symbol has the
same pronunciation regardless of which language it is notating. In fact it
is often used when working with speakers of languages that have no writing
system at all.
The IPA comprises nearly two hundred unique symbols. These include
symbols for consonants (including a number of rare consonants like clicks,
ejectives, and implosives), vowels (including the sixteen or so that are
used in American English, and many more that show up in other languages),
suprasegmentals (tone, stress, and other features of intonation and
prosody), and a number of diacritics (symbols that indicate a modified
pronunciation of a sound, such as lengthening a vowel, aspirating a
consonant, and so on.) Typically a student learns a basic version of the
IPA in an introductory course, just for the sounds of English, and then
will go on to take a series of courses in phonetics that go into depth
about all of the sounds notated by the IPA and will learn about the
physiology and acoustics of speech.
The IPA is used in numerous language-related endeavors for a range of
purposes. Field linguists use it when documenting and describing endangered
languages. This is of particular focus and humanitarian interest right now,
since it is widely estimated that over half of the world's nearly six
thousand spoken languages will become extinct by the end of the twenty-
first century. There is currently a good deal of collaboration among
linguists and indigenous communities to document and describe languages
before they disappear. Sociolinguists use the IPA when studying regional
varieties of English or other languages, when it is necessary to capture
exact pronunciations. Clinicians, specifically speech and language
pathologists, use the IPA when diagnosing and treating voice and
communication disorders. Computational linguists often use the IPA when
working on speech synthesis and recognition. The IPA is used for teaching
purposes, such as in many pronunciation guides and textbooks, and in some
ESL and second-language learning materials. The IPA is also used in the
performing arts, for vocal music pedagogy as well as in accent training for
actors. And, by the way, Wikipedia uses the IPA to show pronunciation in
Wikipedia entries-and they usually do a fairly good job with it. In short,
the IPA is required in any endeavor in which it is desirable or necessary
to capture specific nuances of pronunciation, voice quality, and
intonation.
For those of us who are blind and who work or are studying in these
fields, a Braille notation of the IPA is crucial. So one of the first
things I wondered as a freshman student sitting in an introductory
linguistics course was: "How do you do this in Braille?" Given my belief
that, if a sighted person could do something using print, a blind person
could likewise accomplish the same task using Braille, I figured there must
certainly be a Braille notation for the IPA. And indeed there was, except I
soon discovered that the situation was complicated by the unfortunate fact
that the available IPA Braille notations were incomplete and out of date.
The earliest Braille notation of the IPA was Merrick and Potthoff
(1934), published in London by the organization that is now called the
Royal National Institute of Blind People. This volume was developed by an
international council that met in Vienna in 1929; W. Percy Merrick (the
lead author) was a British musicologist who was well known for compiling a
collection of folk songs, was an Esperanto proponent, was a world traveler,
and happened to be blind. He was traveling and working in a time when most
blind people were not. Merrick and Potthoff worked with Daniel Jones at the
University College, London, who was one of the best known phoneticians in
the early twentieth century. They collaborated to develop the 1934 IPA
Braille notation in order to open up language-related fields to blind
people. [Editor's Note: In the following sentence the author presents a
sample of the IPA Braille code. We have inserted a representation for our
Braille readers, a different one for our print readers, and yet another for
readers of the audio edition.] A review of the Merrick and Potthoff
notation (Quick 1936) in the Journal of the International Phonetic
Association concluded: "[ð?s buk ?z ð? r?z?lt ?v m?t? pe??nt t??l ?nd w?l
h?lp t? me?k p?s?bl f? bla?nd stjudnts ? st?d? f? w?t? ðe? me? bi pri-
?m?n?ntl? sjut?d]" (Quick 1936: 51). {This book is the result of much
patient toil and will help to make possible for blind students a study for
which they may be preeminently suited.} Of course from our early twenty-
first century perspective, the idea that blind people might be
"preeminently suited" for a particular career would rankle most of us as
being both limiting and stereotypic-but, I would contend that in the late
1930s it was quite radical even to mention Braille in a mainstream academic
journal, much less to suggest, as this review overtly does, that this
Braille system would enable blind people to engage in study and work.
Potential stereotypes aside, Merrick and Potthoff, as well as the review's
author, clearly recognized the importance of Braille.
The 1934 Merrick and Potthoff Braille IPA notation was adopted in the
UK, in most countries in Europe, and in North America. It was the version
reproduced in the 1977 Code of Braille Textbook Formats and Techniques
(AAWB 1977: Rule XIX, section 45), which I discovered when I sought to
answer the question of how to represent the IPA in Braille, and it was the
version that I tried to use throughout my undergraduate and graduate
coursework. Reprinted versions were available from the RNIB in London, from
the Blindenstudienanstalt in Marburg, Germany, as well as from other
libraries around the world.
However, serious problems had begun to emerge regarding the Merrick
and Potthoff notation. First, it was poorly publicized and not well known.
I was never able to find a Braille transcriber who would transcribe
linguistics material using it. Several blind individuals I have met over
the past two decades have told me that they tried to take a linguistics
course in college but found the IPA too daunting, and a couple of students
insisted to me (despite evidence to the contrary) that it was impossible to
represent the IPA in Braille. Second, the Merrick and Potthoff notation had
not been updated to reflect the additions, deletions, and major changes to
the print IPA during the course of the twentieth century. While the core of
the system remained relatively stable, there had been major revisions to
the print IPA since the 1932 chart that the Merrick and Potthoff notation
was based on. By 2008, when I oversaw the publication of a fully updated
and revised Braille notation, the Merrick and Potthoff system was seventy-
six years out of date. Numerous print symbols had no Braille counterpart,
and conversely numerous Braille symbols had print equivalents that had
become obsolete and were no longer used. There was no way that the Merrick
and Potthoff notation could be used in advanced linguistics work. I and
other blind linguists tended to make up our own symbols and techniques on
the fly-which of course meant material could not be shared and was often
inconsistent.
Finally, in 1997 the situation got even more complicated with the
publication of a completely unrelated Braille notation for the IPA, in
Braille Formats (BANA 1997: Rule 18). No linguist that I know of ever used
it, and it was already based on an out-of-date print IPA chart when it was
published. It also led to the unfortunate situation that the International
Phonetic Alphabet was no longer remotely international, since the US and
Canada were now officially using a different Braille IPA system from the UK
and most of Europe, which were still using the Merrick and Potthoff
notation.
In 2005 I was invited to work with ICEB (International Council on
English Braille) to serve on the Committee on Foreign Languages and
Linguistics. One of the main goals of this committee was to unify the
Braille IPA notation used in the US with that used in the UK and much of
the rest of the world. I began by seeking input from other Braille-reading
linguists. All of us had been inventing our own idiosyncratic systems as
needs arose, based loosely on the Merrick and Potthoff 1934 notation. I
aimed to ensure that the revised Braille IPA notation was fully usable,
international, and as broadly available as possible. I announced the
Braille IPA project widely on linguistics and phonetics e-mail lists for
public comment and received feedback and suggestions from both sighted
phoneticians and, most important, other Braille readers. I piloted the
revised system with blind students in university-level linguistics courses,
including one that I taught at Rice University. As much as possible the
revision kept the core of the Merrick and Potthoff notation, since that was
clearly the system that Braille IPA users were the most familiar and
comfortable with, although the notation for diacritics and suprasegmentals
had to be completely revised. Another goal was to ensure that the updated
Braille IPA notation was fully computable, was Unicode compatible, and was
able to be forward-and-back-translated between print and Braille.
The end result was published in a two-volume set (Englebretson 2008),
with a foreword by Dr. Fredric Schroeder. The full citation and URL are
listed in the references of this article. It is freely downloadable from
the ICEB website and can also be obtained in hard copy. The first volume
contains an introduction to the IPA and a complete overview and explanation
of IPA Braille. It includes tables of symbols, typographic and articulatory
descriptions of each symbol, and the corresponding Unicode codepoints. The
second volume consists of tactile illustrations of each print IPA glyph,
side by side with the corresponding Braille symbol.
After publishing the revised IPA Braille notation in 2008, the next
step was to make the wider community of linguists and phoneticians aware of
it. To this end I wrote an article about IPA Braille (Englebretson 2009),
which was published in the Journal of the International Phonetic
Association, one of the top peer-reviewed journals in the field. The goal
of this article was to call professional awareness to IPA Braille so that,
when blind students enroll in linguistics courses, their instructors will
easily be able to refer their students to IPA Braille, and students will be
able to locate it easily without having to dig through Braille codebooks.
IPA Braille is also included in recent releases of the Duxbury Braille
Translator. It was adopted by BANA as the official code for transcribing
IPA in the US and Canada and is being used successfully in the UK and in
other ICEB member countries.
Those who would like more information about IPA Braille can contact me
directly at the e-mail address at the end of this article. My website, also
listed there, contains links to a number of resources. These include
information for configuring screen readers (such as JAWS) to read IPA
symbols and links to Unicode fonts, keyboard mappers, and other technology
for reading and typing IPA.
This paper has been about extending Braille into new arenas in order
to facilitate people's studying and working in a variety of language-
related careers. It is amazing that the six dots of Braille are used for
such a diverse variety of purposes and can empower us in so many different
ways. In conclusion, for those seeking careers in the language sciences,
IPA Braille enables us to do the same tasks as those who use the print IPA.
Returning to the core belief about Braille that I grew up with, Braille is
both normal and necessary-and IPA Braille is simply an extension of this
basic value.
Dr. Englebretson may be contacted at the Department of Linguistics,
Rice University, by calling (713) 348-4776 or by writing to him at
<reng at rice.edu>. We are not reprinting his extensive list of references,
but they can be sent to anyone who requests them by writing to
<gwunder at nfb.org>.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Buddy Brannan]
Is Braille Still Relevant?
by Buddy Brannan
From the Editor: Buddy Brannan is a member of the National Federation
of the Blind and serves as the vice president of the Erie chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania.
Most of the articles printed in the Braille Monitor are written
specifically for our magazine; some we reprint from other publications.
Some items come to our attention through email posts and, though not
intended as articles, they articulate something so important that it should
be captured and shared with our readers.
The following email remarks by Buddy Brannan, which were circulated
in June 2012, reflect the frustration some of us feel acutely when a method
for reading and writing using the sense of touch is greeted with skepticism
while a method for getting information through the eyes is accepted without
question. Here is one blind man's reaction to the notion that audio devices
may be robbing the sighted of the ability to spell while simultaneously
being proposed as the way to free blind people from the need to learn
Braille.
Perkins just asked in an email they sent out if Braille is still
relevant in a high tech world. They said the answer was a resounding yes,
as it certainly should be, but here is my response which I sent to Perkins
and posted to my blog:
Hi,
First, do I love my Perkins Brailler? Of course I do. I don't really
want to talk about that, though. Rather I want to address the question you
posed: is Braille still relevant in a technological world? Of course you
got the answer, and in my view the correct one, but what disturbs me is
that the question was even asked in the first place. I think it is the
wrong question. In short, what happens if you replace the word "Braille"
with the word "print"? Does the question change? Does the relevance of the
question change with the medium? Does the answer change? What about the
perceptions of the question--do those change?
A couple of weeks ago, I was a fill-in host on the Serotek podcast,
where we discussed an article about the decline in spelling skills among
today's youth. However, I didn't take away what was probably the intended
message of the article. I took away a double standard. Now that it's
sighted children who use print and are losing the ability to spell, form
proper sentences, and so on, we have a tragedy, and our electronics-centric
lifestyle is to blame. Think of texting as the most often blamed culprit.
Yet where was this outcry for our blind kids twenty years ago, when as now
we were told that talking computers and recorded textbooks are good enough?
Double standard? Why is it, do you suppose, that learning to read print and
having access to print are essential to teach sighted children the
fundamentals of grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but such skills are
adequately taught to our blind kids with talking computers and recorded
textbooks? Or is it that our blind kids and their skills and abilities in
these areas just aren't important enough to give the same amount of
attention or priority? Why is--pulling a number out of the air here--a 10
percent illiteracy rate among the sighted a national tragedy, yet a 10
percent literacy rate among the blind acceptable?
If you gather that I'm angry, you're right. I am absolutely livid.
This is only one example of this double standard where blind and sighted
people are concerned. The thing is, it's a huge example, and it doesn't
even seem as though we ourselves always recognize it for what it is,
because we still ask questions like "Is Braille still relevant?" As long as
literacy is relevant to gainful employment, career advancement, educational
opportunities, and all the other things life has to offer, the answer
should be obvious.
As I said, you're asking the wrong question. There are probably a lot
of right questions, but the one that comes to mind, setting aside the
obvious one, "Why is this double standard acceptable?" is, "How do we get
Braille into the hands of more kids and get more of our kids learning it,
and more of our teachers teaching it?" Let's start there; there's much,
much more that we should be asking as follow-ups to that.
Parenthetically, I note that the word "Brailler" was flagged by my
spell checker. Moreover, it was autocorrected to "broiler." That speaks
volumes.
----------
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Dan Hicks]
[PHOTO/CAPTION: Four youngsters joyfully explore the hotel at the 2012
convention of the National Federation of the blind.]
Make the Scene in 2013!
by Dan Hicks
From the Editor: Dan Hicks is the president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Florida. Here is what he has to say about our
upcoming convention in Orlando:
Some of you are reading this with your heat running, or wrapped in a
blanket, or maybe both. This is a good time to stop thinking about the snow
on the ground and the ice on the sidewalk and to start dreaming about the
warm, sunny weather in Orlando, Florida.
For the second time this decade, the NFB's Florida affiliate wants to
invite each and every one of you to take part in the 2013 National
Federation of the Blind Convention at the Rosen Centre Hotel on World-
famous International Drive in Orlando. The convention will take place from
July 1 through July 6 and will include all of the usual convention events
that make our annual gatherings the envy of other groups.
The Central Florida Area, which is where you will find Orlando, is
home to many outstanding theme parks and recreation areas, such as
Universal Studios Florida, Disney World, and Sea World, just to name a few.
Orlando is less than a two-hour drive from the award-winning Busch Gardens
Tampa and Florida's version of Legoland. Come a day or two early or stay a
couple of days late. Play tourist for a while. Florida is the only state in
the Continental United States to have two coasts. Enjoy either or both.
Come help the members of the NFB of Florida celebrate the summer. We
promise you sunshine, fun, and lots of chances to get wet.
We are always looking for door prizes. Remember that they should have
a value of at least twenty-five dollars, should be something that people
can transport home. Please send them to Dan Hicks, president, National
Federation of the Blind of Florida, 3708 West Bay to Bay Blvd., Tampa, FL
33639.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Allen Harris]
Convention Scholarships Available
by Allen Harris
From the Editor: Allen Harris chairs the Kenneth Jernigan Convention
Scholarship Fund committee. He has an important announcement for those who
would like to attend this year's national convention but find themselves
short of funds. This is what he says:
The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund is looking for
individuals who can use some financial assistance to attend our national
convention in Orlando, Florida. At the 2012 convention in Dallas we were
able to assist sixty-three people. In 2013 our convention will begin on
Monday, July 1, and run through Saturday, July 6. The convention is a day
shorter than you might expect, ending with the banquet Saturday evening.
Who is eligible to receive a Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship?
If you are a member of the National Federation of the Blind who has not yet
attended a national convention, you are eligible to apply.
What do I have to do to apply for a Kenneth Jernigan Convention
Scholarship? You must do the following and are responsible for meeting
these application requirements:
1. Each individual who applies for a Kenneth Jernigan Convention
Scholarship must write a letter to the selection committee. You will send
your letter of application to your NFB state affiliate president. A list of
state presidents is posted on the NFB website <www.nfb.org>. He or she will
forward your completed application, along with his or her recommendation,
to the committee at <kjscholarships at nfb.org>. You and your state president
should make contact by telephone so that he or she is well aware of your
financial need and your wish to attend the convention in Orlando. If you
have questions, you may also send a message to the Kenneth Jernigan
Scholarship chairman by addressing your email to the scholarship submission
email address.
2. You must write a letter to the Kenneth Jernigan Fund committee
expressing the reasons why you want a scholarship. Describe your
participation in the Federation and what you think you would contribute and
receive at the convention.
3. You must register for and attend the entire convention, including
the banquet.
What else must I do to insure that my application will be considered?
We must have all of the following information:
1. Your full name
2. Your address
3. Your telephone numbers (home, business, and cell)
4. Your email address (if you have one)
5. Your state president's name and the name of your local chapter, if
you attend one
All applications must be received by April 15, 2013.
How do I get my scholarship funds? You will get a debit card at the
convention loaded with the amount of your scholarship award. The times and
locations to pick up your debit card will be listed in the notice you
receive if you are a scholarship winner. The committee is not able to
provide funds before the convention, so work with your chapter and state
affiliate to assist you by advancing funds you can pay back when you
receive your scholarship.
When will I know if I have been selected as a Kenneth Jernigan
Scholarship winner?
The committee makes every effort to notify scholarship winners by May 15,
but you must do several things to be prepared to attend if you are chosen:
1. Make your own hotel reservation. If something prevents you from
attending, you can cancel your reservation.
2. You will receive a letter with the convention details which should
answer many of your questions. It is also helpful to find a mentor from
your chapter or affiliate to act as a friend and advisor during the
convention. Although you will not know officially whether or not you have
been selected until mid-May, you must make plans to attend and then adjust
your arrangements accordingly.
Last summer in Dallas the Jernigan Fund scholarship committee awarded
sixty-three Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarships. Grants ranged from
$400 to $500. The amount we can give will depend on the funds available; we
attempt to award additional funds to families. You can include in your
letter to the committee any special circumstances which the committee may
choose to take into consideration. Above all, please use this opportunity
to attend your first convention and join several thousand other blind
Federationists in the most important meeting of the blind in the world.
If you have questions or need additional information, call Allen
Harris at (205) 520-9979 or email him at <kjscholarships at nfb.org>. We look
forward to seeing you in Orlando.
----------
Recipes
This month's recipes are contributed by members of the NFB of
Louisiana.
[PHOTO CAPTION: Krystal Guillory]
KG's Red Beans and Sausage
by Krystal and Eric Guillory
Krystal and Eric Guillory are active at all levels of the Federation.
Krystal serves as a teacher of blind students and an early interventionist
in northern Louisiana, and Eric is director of youth services for the
Louisiana Center for the Blind. Both are officers of the National
Organization of Professionals in Blindness Education (PIBE). They are the
proud parents of Austin, age seven, and Brilyn, age four.
This dish is a tasty way to economize and is a wonderful entrée for
large gatherings. While it is a nice option all year, it is particularly
great during these chilly winter months.
Ingredients:
1 large bag of dry red beans
2 pounds beef, pork, or turkey sausage, or to taste, sliced into bite-size
pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 large bell peppers, coarsely chopped
2 dill pickles, coarsely chopped (or dill relish)
Salt and pepper to taste
Note: We like Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning better than
salt and pepper but realize that it is not easy to obtain in other parts of
the country.
Method: Place dry beans in a large covered saucepan or stock pot and
soak in water for at least five hours to soften. Drain beans and replace
water, bringing the beans to a medium boil. Use lots of water since much of
it will evaporate during cooking. Continue this medium boil for at least an
hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning or sticking. While the beans
are boiling, brown the sausage and onions in a frying pan. Once browned,
add these to the boiling pot. Next add the dill pickle and bell pepper to
the mix. When the beans are done, reduce the boil to a simmer, stirring
occasionally. Allow the beans to simmer for at least two hours. For a
creamier texture place a ladle-full of beans into a separate bowl and mash
smooth and return them to the simmering pot. Serve over your choice of rice
or simply enjoy as a standalone dish.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Eric and Krystal Guillory with their children, Brilyn and
Austin.]
Ruby's Banana Pudding
by Krystal and Eric Guillory
Named in honor of Eric's mom, this recipe gives a twist to a recipe
popularized by Chef Paula Deen.
Ingredients:
2 boxes French vanilla instant pudding
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
8 ounces condensed milk
1 12-ounce container Cool Whip
3 7.25-ounce packs Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
4 bananas, sliced
Method: Prepare the pudding as directed. Blend together the condensed
milk, cream cheese, and Cool Whip. In a large mixing bowl fold blended
mixture into pudding and mix thoroughly. In a 9-by-13-inch pan layer
cookies, sliced bananas, and pudding mixture, ending with cookies. Cover
and refrigerate. Serve cold and enjoy.
----------
Bacon-Wrapped Cajun Jalapenos
by Jewel Ardoin
Jewel Ardoin is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, Cajun country.
Jewel is a technology instructor at the Louisiana Center for the Blind and
an active leader in the affiliate. As well as being an outstanding cook,
she is also famous for her massage fundraiser at the state convention. She
is a certified massage therapist.
Ingredients:
8 large jalapeno peppers
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
8 thick-sliced peppered bacon strips
16 toothpicks
Method: Cut 8 jalapenos in half lengthwise; remove seeds and center
membranes. In a small bowl combine the package cream cheese, cheddar
cheese, and Cajun seasoning. Stuff about 1 1/2 teaspoonfuls cream cheese
mixture into each pepper half. Cut bacon strips in half widthwise. In a
large skillet cook bacon part way. Wrap a half bacon slice around each
stuffed pepper; secure ends with a toothpick Place wrapped peppers on a
wire rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for twenty-
five to thirty minutes or until bacon is crisp. Discard toothpicks and
serve immediately. Yield: sixteen appetizers.
Note: Wear disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers; the oils can
burn skin. Avoid touching your face. You can use doubled muffin papers
instead of toothpicks. The best ones to use are the ones that have foil on
the outside and paper in the inside. This makes it easy to serve the bacon-
wrapped stuffed peppers and easy to clean the baking pan.
----------
Potato Chip Cookies
by Jewel Ardoin
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup potato chips, crushed
1/2 cup pecans, ground
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with
parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream together the butter
and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. With the
mixer at low speed add potato chips and pecans and mix until fully
incorporated. Add vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in flour
and mix the flour until just combined; do not over-mix. Using a medium
cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons), shape dough in one-inch balls and place
them two inches apart on lined baking sheets. Slightly flatten each dough
ball with the bottom of a glass dipped in confectioners sugar. Bake in a
preheated oven for twelve to fifteen minutes or until cookies are lightly
browned. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before
removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about twenty-four. Roll
cooled cookies in confectioners sugar. If desired, garnish cooled cookies
with a drizzle of melted chocolate and a sprinkling of fine sea salt.
----------
Cereal-Crusted Chicken with Curry Cream
by Jack Mendez
Jack Mendez joined the LCB staff in November 2012 as director of
technology. He is a committed Federationist who is eager to share his
positive philosophy about blindness with others. Jack loves to cook and
experiment with all types of cuisine. He and his fiancée, Maryann
Topolewski, will be married in April. Jack made this recipe as part of his
meal for eight at LCB when he was a student, and it received rave reviews.
Jack says, "Take this breakfast treat to a new level. You can use any
unsweetened cereal, granola, or oats when you want to explore new flavors.
(For best results place the cereal in a plastic bag and roll with a rolling
pin until coarsely crushed, or give it a quick spin in the food
processor.)"
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 cups crushed unsweetened cornflakes cereal
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup orange marmalade
Ingredients for Curry Cream:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch of paprika
Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with
cooking spray. Place the crushed cereal in a shallow dish and set aside.
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and brush marmalade
over both sides. Add the chicken to the cereal and turn to coat completely.
Arrange the chicken pieces on the sprayed cookie sheet and spray the
surface of each with cooking spray. Bake until the crust is golden brown
and chicken is cooked through, about twenty-five minutes. Meantime in a
small bowl whisk together the sour cream, curry powder, and paprika. Serve
the chicken with the curry cream spooned over the top or on the side.
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Jerry Whittle]
Jerry Whittle's Famous Carolina Hash
A beloved Federation leader, Jerry Whittle has served for years in
many capacities in South Carolina and Louisiana. He is currently the
president of the Greater Ouachita Chapter of the NFB of Louisiana and vice
president of the affiliate, along with being state fundraising chairperson.
This dish is always a favorite.
Ingredients:
2 packages boneless ribs
2 jars of Cattleman's Carolina Barbecue Sauce or any other Carolina
Barbeque Sauce
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
Method: Cook ribs overnight in a crock pot on low with onion, jalapeno
pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Cool ribs and chop meat, returning it to
the pot. Add sauce and rice to crock pot. Reserve about a half jar of sauce
to add as needed. Cook covered for 4 hours on low. Enjoy!
----------
[PHOTO CAPTION: Roland and Pam Allen]
Chocolate Kahlua® Cake
by Roland Allen
Roland Allen has served the Federation at many levels. A gifted mentor
and cane travel instructor, Roland enjoys sharing the message of the
Federation. This is one of his favorite recipes and always a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients:
1 box devil's food cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
2 cups sour cream
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup Kahlua
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Kahlua
Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all cake ingredients
except chocolate chips and mix or beat until thoroughly combined. Fold in
chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased bundt pan. Bake for one hour.
Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes. Turn out cake on cooling rack to cool
completely. Whisk together powdered sugar and Kailua until smooth. Drizzle
over cake.
----------
Broccoli Salad
by Pam Allen
Pam Allen is president of the NFB of Louisiana and director of the
Louisiana Center for the Blind.
Ingredients:
2 bunches broccoli florets, washed and cut into small pieces
10 strips of crisp bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup onion, diced
2/3 cup Craisins®
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
Dressing Ingredients:
1 cup Miracle Whip®
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Method: Combine ingredients for dressing in a small container and
refrigerate overnight. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add as
much dressing as desired and lightly toss.
----------
Shrimp Creole
by Cathy Guillory
Cathy Guillory is the president of the Lake Areas Chapter. As a deaf-
blind woman she is also a strong advocate for deaf-blind issues.
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
Wondra® flour
1/2 small can Ro*Tel® tomatoes (You can substitute a mixture of stewed
tomatoes and minced chili peppers if you can't find the Ro*Tel brand.)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Peeled and deveined shrimp
Method: Sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic in oil until tender.
Sprinkle Wondra flour over the oil-and-vegetable mixture, stirring
constantly, until it is the consistency of watery oatmeal. Add Ro*Tel and
stir until all ingredients are well blended. Add tomato sauce and then fill
the tomato sauce can with water. Pour the water into the mixture, scraping
can well, and stir. Bring to a boil and then quickly lower heat to simmer.
Simmer for at least 20 minutes without covering the pot. Add enough peeled
and deveined shrimp for two people. Cook only until shrimp is done.
Although some measurements have been included, none of the ingredients
need to be measured precisely in this recipe. Creole cooking, like any art,
is highly subjective. Play with it and develop your own favorite
combination of ingredients.
----------
Monitor Miniatures
News from the Federation Family
Announcing Indy Super BLAST 2013:
Mark your calendars. Plan to join us for education, motivation, and
the largest trade show for blind entrepreneurs and others interested in
building small business opportunities for the blind. The National
Association of Blind Merchants, a strong and active division of the
National Federation of the Blind, is pleased to announce that the BLAST
(Business Leadership and Superior Training) conference will return to
Indianapolis, Indiana, in May 2013. After much negotiation and
consideration of the top conference and hospitality venues across the
country, contracts have been signed with the magnificent Indianapolis
Marriott Downtown.
The BLAST conference has become the principal conference for blind
vendors and state licensing agency management and staff over the past
decade. Each year we have expanded curriculum, sought out the most dynamic
speakers, added networking opportunities and team-building exercises, and
scheduled top-notch tours and entertainment. In 2013 we are moving this
conference to the spring.
In light of the recent far-reaching memorandum issued by President
Obama and the recent launch of our National Federation of the Blind
Entrepreneurial Initiative, we have much work ahead of us. Recent BLAST
training conferences have also included a track for blind individuals who
wish to develop small business opportunities in addition to or beyond
Randolph-Sheppard. This effort will continue during Indy Super BLAST 2013.
How can a rehabilitation agency help you start a business? What role
can the Small Business Administration play? What is SCORE? How do you
increase active participation between blind vendors and a state licensing
agency? What are the best social media strategies to help build your
business? How do you get started in franchising? What are the latest
healthy vending and food service approaches? What are best human resource
practices? What are the latest and greatest accessible business
technologies? Join us as we answer these and many other questions at Indy
Super BLAST 2013.
Register now at <http://www.blindmerchants.org>. The conference
registration fee is $200, or save $50 with early bird registration by
registering before April 15, 2013. For assistance with registration and for
further information, call (866) 543-6808. Reserve your room at the
Indianapolis Marriott Downtown by calling (317) 822-3500. Rooms are
available at the low rate of $124 per night plus applicable taxes. Room
rates are effective from Friday, May 17, through Thursday, May 23.
NFB of West Virginia Announces Braille Tutoring Program:
In conjunction with Louis Braille's birthday the West Virginia
affiliate announced the establishment of a pilot project to teach Braille
to interested adults across the state. The press release was picked up by
various news organizations. Here is the release:
[PHOTO CAPTION: Charlene Smyth teaches Charles Powell Braille.]
New Program Offers Literacy Training for Blind Residents
The National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia is marking the
anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille with the announcement of a
statewide initiative aimed at helping blind adults gain literacy skills.
The project matches blind adults who read and write Braille with other
blind adults who wish to learn it. Louis Braille is the Frenchman who
invented the system of reading and writing by touch, using raised dots. He
was born 204 years ago, Jan. 4, 1809, and the code which bears his name is
now used by blind people around the world.
"We know that literacy is vital to success in virtually every aspect
of life, whether it be education, employment, or simply being good citizens
of our communities," NFBWV President Charlene Smyth said. "For those of us
who are blind, literacy means the ability to read and write Braille. This
project allows us to share our knowledge of Braille with others who can
benefit from learning it."
Last spring a dozen blind persons from throughout the state
volunteered as tutors for the project and received some basic training in
the best ways to teach others to read and write Braille. About half of them
are currently working with students, and those interested in learning
Braille are encouraged to take advantage of the program. The project has
received a grant from the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services
for the purchase of books and other learning materials. The funds will also
assist with transportation costs when tutors and students must travel some
distance to meet with each other.
NFBWV Second Vice President Sheri Koch, who recently retired as a
supervisor with the Division of Rehabilitation Services, was instrumental
in planning and launching the project. She recognizes that losing one's
vision is often a traumatic experience. "It can complicate even the
simplest of tasks, like following a recipe, writing down a phone number, or
finding the right elevator button," Koch said. "Learning Braille can help a
person with vision loss to regain independence, confidence, and self-
respect. It can also be the key to finding and retaining a job."
The training is offered to any adult who has experienced vision loss
affecting his or her ability to read and write. Persons with some basic
knowledge of Braille who want to improve their reading and writing skills
can benefit from the project as well. To learn more or to register as a
student, contact NFBWV First Vice President Ed McDonald at (304) 788-0129
or email him at <ed at eioproductions.com>.
In Brief
Notices and information in this section may be of interest to Monitor
readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the information; we
have edited only for space and clarity.
Maps of South Carolina Available:
The Princeton Braillists have recently completed a volume of Maps of
South Carolina. This single volume includes an overview of the state,
followed by individual maps of cities, rivers, counties, highways, farm and
mineral products, yearly precipitation, and average temperature. More
detailed maps show the vicinity of Charleston and the vicinity of Hilton
Head Island.
The package comprises twelve maps, thirty-three pages total. The price
is six dollars and we use shipping by free mail where eligible. To order,
please send check or purchase order to The Princeton Braillists, 76
Leabrook Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540. For further information contact Ruth H.
Bogia, (215) 357-7715, or Nancy Amick, (609) 924-5207.
Lighthouse International and Creative Mobile Technologies Headed to
Washington, D.C. for Prestigious Board Appearance:
Lighthouse International in partnership with Creative Mobile
Technologies, LLC (CMT) announced today that it has been invited by the
United States Access Board to appear at its Tuesday, January 8th meeting
held in Washington DC to showcase taxicab improvements for the visually
impaired community. The Board is structured to function as a coordinating
body among Federal agencies and to directly represent the public,
particularly people with disabilities. Half of its members are
representatives from most of the Federal departments. The other half is
comprised of members of the public appointed by the President, a majority
of whom must have a disability.
Both Mark Ackermann, president and CEO of Lighthouse International,
and Jesse Davis, president of Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT), will
address the board on the groundbreaking software enhancements designed to
enable blind and visually impaired taxi riders to independently access the
credit card payment system and other technology features in New York's
yellow medallion taxicabs as well as taxi fleets around the nation.
CMT created adaptive software that will allow blind or visually
impaired taxi passengers to hear the fare changing in regular intervals
during the trip and facilitate all aspects of the credit card or cash
payment functions upon reaching their destination including selection of
payment options, verification of fare, and selection of tip percentages.
VIP Mobile, CMT's audible touch screen feature, can be activated by a
special card, a multi-tap on the top right of the screen, or by simply
asking the driver. The feature transforms the screen into large, easy-to-
navigate sections that are operated by touch and prompted by step-by-step
spoken instructions.
This software is critical to the blind and visually impaired
community's ability to independently pay taxi fares. Prior to
implementation of this new software, blind and visually impaired passengers
who chose to use credit cards were forced to rely on cab drivers to swipe
their card and enter the correct amount, including tip. Not only is this a
violation of current New York City TLC rules, but also it exposes the
visually impaired passenger to the potential for fraudulent transactions,
including overpayment. In addition to its New York City rollout, CMT plans
to introduce software in 4,500 credit card and payment systems in taxis
around the country.
"CMT's adaptive software will ensure that the millions of people who
are blind and visually impaired in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and San
Francisco, as well as nine other major U.S. cities, will be a part of a
community that benefits from independent payment and other technology in
taxi fleets around the nation," said Jason Poliner, vice chairman and chief
operating officer, Creative Mobile Technologies. "We are proud to have
worked closely with Lighthouse International to bring these benefits to
visually impaired communities across the country and look forward to
sharing CMT's experience and best practices with the U.S. ACCESS Board."
Lighthouse International estimates that the prevalence rate of vision
loss in New York City is 362,000. This number will only increase because of
the aging population and age-related causes of visual impairment and
blindness, as well as blindness due to uncontrolled diabetes.
"This is an excellent example of the private sector working with
government leaders and advocates to voluntarily change a system that has
excluded the independent participation of millions of people who are blind
or visually impaired for far too long," said Mark G. Ackermann, president
and CEO of Lighthouse International. "We are delighted to have played a
role in this nationwide initiative and will continue working to ensure that
every taxi in the nation is accessible to people with a visual impairment."
About Lighthouse International [formerly known as the New York
Lighthouse for the Blind]: Founded in 1905, Lighthouse International is a
leading non-profit organization dedicated to fighting vision loss through
prevention, treatment, and empowerment. It achieves this through clinical
and rehabilitation services, education, research, and advocacy. For more
information about vision loss and its causes, contact Lighthouse
International at 1-800-829-0500 or visit <www.lighthouse.org>.
About Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT): Founded in New York City in
2005 by taxi industry leaders, Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT) provides
more than 20,000 taxicabs in 60 cities and 35 states with a variety of taxi
technologies and enhancements including credit and debit card processing,
media and advertising content, text messaging, interactive passengers maps,
GPS, electronic trip sheets and back-office fleet management systems. CMT
has more than 6,600 units in New York City alone. CMT's unique "for the
industry, by the industry" business model has empowered taxi fleets and
individual taxi operators throughout the country with customized solutions
born out of the company's deep roots in the taxi industry. CMT's FREEdom
Solution integrates all of the technology including dispatching, banking
and media components that has helped to bring the American taxi industry
into a new era of efficiency and innovation.
Monitor Mart
The notices in the section have been edited for clarity, but we can
pass along only the information we were given. We are not responsible for
the accuracy of the statements made or the quality of the products for
sale.
For Sale:
Perkins Brailler, standard, brand new condition, in original
packaging. Includes dust cover and manual. This Brailler has been used
exactly four times. It is in excellent condition. I thought I would use it,
but I found that I don't really need it. Retails for $750. I'm asking only
$450. PayPal available. Call Deanne (619) 600-2501, or email
<papersforme at gmail.com>.
For Sale:
HIMS Braille Sense Plus with qwerty keyboard and thirty-two cell
Braille display for sale. It is in perfect condition, rarely used, about a
year and a half old. It comes with the original packing materials, leather
carrying case and a thirty-two gig compact flash card already installed.
$3,500 or best offer. Please contact me at my cell number: (903) 285-2519.
For Sale:
New, still in unopened box: Window-Eyes 7.5.3. Value is $895. Will sell for
$600 plus shipping/handling. Call (702) 631-9009 or email
<contact at blindconnect.org>.
Victor Stream for Sale:
I am selling a Victor Reader Stream that is in excellent condition. It
comes with all original materials/items. I am asking $150 or I will
consider trades. If you are interested, call (734) 658-2919 or email
<ninopacini at gmail.com>.
-----------
NFB Pledge
I pledge to participate actively in the efforts of the National
Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for
the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to
abide by its constitution.
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