Vision Skill - Braille - Kristin Dibler

 Braille Instruction

One important skill that I teach is Braille. We are required to teach Braille for students with a diagnosis where they currently have severe vision loss OR if they have a prognosis where their vision will progressively diminish. Most of my students that I am currently working with do have functional vision, but their diagnosis is progressive, meaning in the future they could lose most of, or all of their functional vision.

There are a variety of skills involved with Braille, not just learning the letters, numbers, contractions, etc. You must enhance tactile identification skills, tactile tracking skills, learn to read and write Grade 1 Braille, and then Grade 2 Braille.

It is important to incorporate a variety of modalities for Braille instruction, not only to provide a variety of activties and to touch a student's preferred modality, but to also ensure that the student's tactile sense is not "overwhelmed". For Braille learners, their fingertips can become sore and sensitive, until they work on prolonging their tactile skills.

Visual

Braille Flashcards - enlarged image of contraction

Color-in Enlarged Braille Template

Tactile books, papers, etc. with images

iPad activities for Braille contraction learning

Auditory

Verbal review of lesson, contractions

Verbal identification of flashcards or Braille images

Tactile

Braille Flashcards - actual Braille contraction

Braille images

Tracking Paper

iPad activities for Braille contraction learning that involve tactile selection

Braille using Brailler

Bodily Kinesthetic

Board activities-

 Select/circle the appropriate contraction

 Draw the contraction

 Match print letter(s)/number(s)/word(s) to appropriate Braille contraction

 Pictionary - draw image of contraction or a word containing the contraction 

Braille Code