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Presenter(s)
Donna McNear
Rum River Special Education Cooperative
315 Seventh Lane NE
Cambridge, MN 55008
Phone: 763-689-3600
Fax: 763-689-3601
Email: dmcnear@ecenet.com
Jim Sullivan
Optelec, USA Inc.
4411 Westchester Ct.
Hudson, OH 44236
Phone: 330-528-0002
Email: jims@optelec.com
When the term literacy is mentioned in professional dialogue and informal conversation, it is not unusual for educators as well as other individuals to think of "just reading." Writing is frequently referred to as the "neglected half of literacy" because there is less attention given to writing skills in the research, literature, and curriculum on developing literacy skills for all young students.
This is also the reality in the specific area of braille literacy for students who read and write using braille. Braille reading issues dominate the research, literature, and curriculum and very little attention is afforded to braille writing and the issues and challenges in increasing student achievement in the area of braille writing skills.
Educators who teach children using braille are familiar with the issues and roadblocks to increasing the braille writing skills of their students. A primary deterrent to the development of braille writing skills is the tools available to children in the United States for writing braille. The primary tool used in the United States for writing braille in the early years is the Perkins braille writer-a mechanical writing device developed in 1950. It is "old technology" similar in capacity to a manual typewriter, which is no longer used in schools for students who read and write in print. Because of the limited capacity of the Perkins braille writer, many students do not have the opportunity to develop early braille writing skills that match the skills of their peers who read and write in print.
A less obvious deterrent, but just as critical, is the expectation for students using braille to meet the same standards as their sighted peers in writing skills. The expectation of society in general, as well as educators and parents, is that there is a "lesser standard" of performance for students who write in braille. Unfortunately, it is not unusual, for students who read and write in braille, to use other learning modes for producing work, such as through speech tools and recorded assignments. Given these three conditions: (1) the lack of attention to writing skills in the curriculum; (2) the lack of access to 21st century braille writing tools; and (3) the lack of high expectations for student performance; students who read and write in braille have not been achieving outcomes that match their capabilities in their early years.
This session will focus on solutions to these three conditions that influence student outcomes in early braille writing skills through a 21st century braille writing tool integrated with standards-based instruction. A braille writing assistive technology tool that has been available to students who read and write in braille since the early 1990's, the Mountbatten braille writer, is receiving increasing attention by educators as a solution to increase student outcomes in braille writing. Recent research in Canada has demonstrated that the Mountbatten braille writer increases student performance in braille writing skills. Another educational reform movement in the United States is standards-based instruction. The Council for Teachers of English has developed standards in language arts for all students. These standards The Standards for the English Language Arts, provide a framework for instruction in braille writing skills and raise the expectations for student performance in braille writing. A model for improving instruction in early braille writing skills through the integration of an electronic braille writer with standards-based instruction will provide educators with an effective solution to the issues and roadblocks that interfere with the acquisition of early braille writing skills.
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