November 1, 2005 – December 31, 2005
Co-sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and
the
National Association to Promote the Use of Braille
Funded by a grant from the UPS Foundation
BRL Reading Pals is a non-competitive Braille literacy program for blind infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older students with reading delays. The goal of this program is to expose the family and the child to Braille and to encourage parents (or other responsible adults) to read aloud to or with their children a minimum of fifteen minutes a day during the program period. We know that it may be difficult or impossible for many parents to read to their children every day, but we set the goal high to demonstrate the importance of literacy and to encourage parents early on to “reach for the stars.” Every family that registers and makes a sincere effort to participate fully in the program will be recognized. More importantly, they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have made a significant contribution to their children’s readiness to learn to read.
Here’s How the Program Works…
1. Fill out and mail in the BRL Reading Pals registration form.
2. Upon registering for BRL Reading Pals, you will receive, a reading journal,
a print-Braille children’s book, a Beanie Baby Reading Pal, instructions
about how to complete the program, a Braille alphabet card, a paperback book
about the importance of Braille in the lives of blind people, a booklet about
reading Braille books with young blind children, and resource information
about sources of children’s print-Braille books. After receiving the
packet here’s what you do:
3. Schedule time to read to your child a minimum of fifteen
minutes a day from November 1, 2005, to December 31, 2005.
(Note: You will not be penalized for failing to read daily or for reading
less than fifteen minutes a day. We will honor any sincere effort to participate
in the program as fully as your schedule will permit. If you start before
November 1, that’s ok, too. However, we only ask that you keep a log
for the months of November and December.)
4. As much as possible, read from print/Braille books so that your child becomes accustomed to “seeing” Braille on a regular basis and begins to associate Braille with the pleasure of reading. To help you get started, your packet includes a print/Braille book for you to keep.
5. Introduce the Beanie Baby BRL Reading Pal to your child. Explain that this is his/her Reading Pal to keep, BUT it only comes out when it is time to read. The Reading Pal is never played with any other time—only during reading time. Ask your child to name his/her Reading Pal, and encourage your child to develop a personality for the Reading Pal. You may want to discuss what type of animal it is, what type of voice it would have, etc. If you wish, you can engage in reading games with the Reading Pal. You might use a fake voice and pretend to be the Reading Pal as you read the story aloud. Or, you could ask your child to pretend read to his/her Reading Pal. Have your child hold the book and pass his/her fingers over the Braille and “read” to the pal. In the beginning, don’t be picky about how your child holds the book or touches the Braille—you just want your child to get the concept that reading involves holding a book, touching Braille, and turning pages. There are lots of possibilities for reading games with your BRL Reading Pal. Be creative, use your Because Books Matter: Reading Braille Books with Young Blind Children booklet and other literacy materials to get ideas.
6. Keep the BRL Reading Pal and your two-month reading journal together. Every time you read, make a notation in the journal of the date and the minutes of reading time. Optional information to include in the journal is the title of the book and any other comments you want to make about the reading activity for the day.
7. After the program ends on December 31, 2005, fill out the “We Did It!” one-page entry form (which will be enclosed in your packet) and mail it to BRL Reading Pals, Braille Readers Are Leaders, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. Every participant will receive a certification of completion and a prize that parent and child can share together.
[ ] I wish to register for the 2005-2006 BRL Reading Pals program. I understand this is a pre-Braille literacy program for blind and visually impaired prereaders (babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children who are not yet independent readers).
Please send me ________ BRL Reading Pals program packets.
Please send it/them to my: [ ] school/work address [ ] home address
Name __________________________________________________________________________________
[ ] Parent [ ] Teacher [ ] Librarian Other __________
Address_________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip ___________________________________________________________________________
The best way to contact me is by: (PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY)
Email: ___________________________________________________
Telephone: home____________________ school/office_____________________ cell ___________________
BRL Reading Pals is part of the National Braille Readers Are
Leaders program, which also includes a national contest for Braille readers,
grades K-12. For more information about these and other programs sponsored
by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and/or the
National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB), contact Barbara
Cheadle, President, NOPBC, (410) 659-9314 ext. 2360 or 2361; email: <khartsgrove@nfb.org>;
or Nadine Jacobson, President, NAPUB, (651) 733-9780; email: <Nadine.Jacobson@visi.com>.