Braille and Beyond

Braille and Beyond

Future Reflections Fall 1992, Vol. 11 No. 4
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BRAILLE

BILL AND BEYOND: A Report from South Dakota
by Marjorie

Kaizer, Superintendent South Dakota School for the Visually Handicapped

It all

began with a bill introduced to the 1991 South Dakota legislature on behalf

of the National Federation of the Blind of South Dakota. Now, one year later,

the rules are in place to ensure Braille will receive full consideration as

a reading medium for blind students and that it will be taught by people who

have appropriate knowledge and skills.
Under the

Braille bill all students whose vision is 20/200 or less as corrected (the definition

of legal blindness) must be evaluated to determine whether Braille instruction

should be started or continued. The evaluation must look at such things as reading

readiness, functional reading skills, reading rate and stamina, functional writing

skills, communication skills, eye condition and prognosis, functional vision,

and tactile discrimination skills. The South Dakota School for the Visually

Handicapped was given a grant by the state office of special education to develop

a Braille assessment. These assessment elements have been included in the evaluations

done at the SDSVH since last fall.
The information

from the evaluation must be considered by the child's IEP team to determine

whether Braille instruction would begin or continue. The SDSVH evaluation team

will help interpret the data and make recommendations for reading medium, but

the decision rests with the IEP team.
When a placement

committee determines that a student's instruction in reading and writing must

be accomplished through use of Braille, the district is required to provide

instruction by a certified Braille teacher. A Braille teacher endorsement my

be issued to someone with less than a bachelor's degree who meets the following

requirements: certification as a Braillist, completion of six semester hours

of course work including an introduction to working with students who are blind,

reading methods, introduction to educational aids and appliances, and proficiency

at reading Braille.
The rules

distinguish between a Braillist who produces materials in Braille by

the use of a manual Braillewriter, slate and stylus, or computer, and a Braille

teacher who may work directly teaching a student to read and write Braille.
Both the

Braillist and Braille teacher will make application through the SDSVH for certification

from the division of education. Certification must be in place by July, 1993.

Reaccreditation will be required every five years.
Throughout

the process there was ongoing support for and involvement from the National

Federation of the Blind of South Dakota, South Dakota Association of the Blind,

State Board of Education, Office of Special Education, State Library, Library

for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Northern State University, and the South

Dakota School for the Visually Handicapped as well as input from local school

districts, parents, and Braillists.
The SDSVH

and Northern State will be involved with the Office of Special Education to

ensure that the required course work will be available to those who need certification.
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