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Practical Braille Skills

Our Practical Braille Skills course provides students with the tools, motivation and instruction necessary to achieve their goals in Braille literacy. Each student will learn and develop skills essential to master Braille and incorporate it into their daily life. This course increases the student’s ability to read and write Braille. Upon admission to the course, the skill level and individual learning needs of each student will be assessed. With this information, individualized goals tailored to each student will be implemented to increase the student’s level of success. Students with prior knowledge and Braille skills will be placed at the appropriate level for their needs.

This course is currently divided into three levels, Tactile readiness and raised markers, Alphabetic Braille and Literary Braille. Beginners start by completing several tactile readiness exercises and learn to use raised markers. Upon successful completion, students will move into Alphabetic Braille (formally known as uncontracted or grade 1 Braille). The course covers the Braille alphabet, numbers, punctuation and some special signs. Students who successfully

complete the Alphabetic Braille course will move into Literary Braille (previously known as contracted or grade 2). This is a shortened form of Braille—the dots in each cell can represent contractions, short forms of words and even whole words.

LEVEL ONE: TACTILE READINESS AND RAISED MARKERS

Estimated time to complete course: 1-2 weeks

Prerequisites: None

This course is designed to help students who are recently learning to deal with vision loss transition from print to Braille literacy. It is also beneficial to students who have difficulty feeling standard Braille. Students learn to use their fingers to receive tactile feedback, learn tactile discrimination and tracking techniques. They complete a variety of sensory training activities to increase finger sensitivity. This short course is filled with hands-on activities

and is a fun-filled learning experience, as students learn to see and explore the world with their fingers. 

Students enrolled in this course will successfully complete the following:

  • Use tactile discrimination to discern between a variety of textures

  • Complete a variety of activities that raise student’s awareness and increase sensitivity

  • Learn to track up and down, left to right using a systematic method

  • Use raised markers to mark household appliances, electronics and remotes

  • Create labels with raised markers

  • Create unique markings on credit and debit cards for quick and accurate identification 

Students who have completed this course will have the necessary skills to discern between different textures, sizes and shapes, increasing their ability to accurately identify and use raised markers for labeling household items, marking appliances, and personal items.

LEVEL 2: ALPHABETIC BRAILLE

Estimated time to complete course: 2-3 months

Prerequisites: Demonstrate the ability to correctly use and identify raised marker labels

Alphabetic Braille writes out each word letter for letter exactly as it is spelled out in print. In this course students learn to read and write the entire alphabet in Braille, as well as punctuation marks. They learn to use the number sign and numbers, special abbreviations for cooking, and the dollar sign and decimal point. Students enrolled in this course will successfully complete the following:

  • Learn the position of each dot on the 6-dot Braille cell

  • Use the pop-a-cell and peg slate to create and identify the letters of the alphabet

  • Learn proper techniques for finger and hand placement, as well as correct posture

  • Learn to track raised lines, single letters and then words

  • Learn to read and write the alphabet

  • Read and write the number sign and numbers

  • Read room numbers and elevator buttons

  • Learn punctuation

  • Learn to use the slate and stylus to create Braille labels and address cards

  • Learn to use the Perkins Braille writer to create Braille documents

  • Create Braille labels for household products

  • Create shopping and to-do lists

  • Create address cards and compile and organize phone numbers

  • Learn special abbreviations for cooking and the fraction line

  • Read Braille measuring cups and recipes

  • Use table of content to find and move to specific lessons and pages in student workbook

  • Write letters, notes and other documents

  • Participate in card games and board games modified with Braille

  • Read short stories and articles

  • Successfully complete a total of 26 lessons

Students who have completed this course will have the necessary Braille reading and writing skills to independently perform tasks such as:

  • Labeling and identifying prescription bottles, clothing and household items

  • Read Braille cookbooks and recipe cards, and use Braille measuring cups to accurately measure ingredients

  • Organize addresses, phone numbers and documents

  • Take notes, make shopping and to-do lists

  • Develop organizational techniques to increase productivity in their home and workplace

 

LEVEL 3: LITERARY BRAILLE

Estimated time to complete course: 6 months

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Alphabetic Braille course or ability to demonstrate proficiency.

This course introduces students to contracted Braille. In contracted Braille, some words and letter combinations are represented by signs that take up less space. The course covers contractions, word signs, group signs, short forms, and additional symbols and characters. Students learn to use Braille technologies such as Braille displays and notetakers. In addition to the aforementioned skills, students enrolled in this course will demonstrate the ability to recall, read and write 180 contractions:

  • Alphabetic word signs

  • One-character word signs

  • One-character group signs

  • Lower cell group signs

  • Sandwich contractions

  • Dot 5 contractions

  • Dot 4 5 6 contractions

  • Dot 4, 5 contractions

  • Dots 4 6 contractions

  • Dots 5 6 contractions

  • Short-form words

 

Students will also:

  • Read magazines, books and other material in braille format on topics that interest them

  • Increase Braille reading and writing accuracy and speed to 30 wpm

  • Learn to use a Braille display to:

  • Pair Braille display to smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer.

  • Adjust Braille settings

  • Check status of time, date, Bluetooth, wi-fi and battery

  • Navigate device with Braille display

  • Create documents

  • Cut, copy and paste

  • Use spell and grammar check

  • Read, send, forward and reply to emails

  • Search the internet

  • Download books

  • Read books 

In addition to these skills, students who complete this course will be able to use their Braille literacy skills to independently organize and manage a household. They will have the capability to perform tasks efficiently and effectively in their chosen vocational training course, college, or professional career. They can implement their Braille skills in their daily life to read restaurant menus, bank statements, enjoy their favorite books, and communicate with others. They will have the ability to employ the use of Braille technology to increase productivity and to meet the demands of today’s fast-paced lifestyle.