1. Developing Strong Reading Skills with Adult Braille Learners
Helen Stevens
Iowa Department for the Blind

2. Outline Background Learning Braille Motivation
Incorporating Braille into Life
Building Proficiency
Technology

3. Background

4. Audience? Teenagers and adults Ability to read
English language learners
Additional disabilities

5. Learning the Braille Code

6. Key Components What am I feeling? (Developing sense of touch)
What do those dots mean? (Memorization of characters)

7. Curricula More important how taught than materials used
Complete code as quickly as possible
Memorization before touch

8. Memorizing the Code
Audio tools
Writing
Match student’s learning style

9. Developing Sense of Touch
Touch pages
Plastic paper/cards
Refreshable braille
Reading together

10. Motivation Braille isn’t hard Braille is useful
Read interesting content as quickly as possible
Success builds success

11. Incorporating Braille into Life
Labeling
Games/hobbies
Lists

12. Building Proficiency

13. Reading Technique Enforce early Two hands, six fingers Light touch
No scrubbing

14. Learning to Use More Fingers
Read with non-dominant hand
Read with each finger independently

15. Sight Words Common words Develop automaticity
Efficient way to increase speed

16. What to Read Student interests most important Start short Articles
Short stories
Recipes
Menus

17. Technology
Improves access to braille rather than limits the need for it
Refreshable braille
Creating hard copy braille

18. Questions and Discussion