Braille and The Preschooler

Braille and The Preschooler

Future Reflections July 1982, Vol. 1 No. 4
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BRAILLE AND THE PRESCHOOLER
By Ramona Walhof
Parents of preschool children are often surprised at how early their child learns to identify numbers
and letters. It is not unusual for a child of two-and-a-half or three to be able to say the alphabet and identify
all of the letters by sight. Of course, children who cannot do this are neither slow nor abnormal.
Nevertheless, sighted children are exposed to enough print that they absorb knowledge about letters and
numbers very young. My son said the word "exit" as one of his first words, and he knew where the exit sign
was in church. And yes, he also knew the four letters in the word. Some children are reading words by age
three or four. Kindergarten teachers tell us that in each class very few children can really read, but the
majority can identify most letters, many sounds, and some words.
Blind children who start to school rarely have had the kind of exposure to Braille that their sighted
peers have had to print. Reading and writing Braille need not be a disadvantage, for Braille can be read
and written rapidly. It is a disadvantage to get a late start. And it is possible to help your child avoid this.
Of course, it is necessary to talk to your child about blindness, just as you talk to him or her about other
things. A blind child will enjoy having stories read aloud, just as a sighted child will-some early, some
late. But the blind child will also know that he or she cannot read the books that others read. It is important
that Braille books be available to the blind child as soon as he or she expresses an interest in books. The
American Brotherhood for the Blind produces and lends a series of books for small children called Twin
Vision Books. These books contain the entire print text (including pictures) and the entire text in Braille.
The Braille pages are bound into the book next to the print pages that say the same things. Long before a
blind child is able to identify Braille letters or words, he or she needs to be aware of Braille books and to
know that some day reading them will be possible. It is especially desirable for the blind child to be able to
anticipate reading the same books that mother and dad read aloud. Parents and teachers of blind children
may borrow Twin Vision Books by writing to the American Brotherhood for the Blind, 18440 Oxnard
Street, Tarzana, California 91356. You can also borrow Braille books from the regional library for the
blind in your state. If you do not know its address, you may write for this information to National
Federation of the Blind Headquarters at 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230.
Besides knowing about Braille, there are other games and activities that help a child develop good use
of his fingers and reading readiness for Braille. Talk about the way things feel and the differences beteen
them. A velvet bedspread is softer when you run your hand one way and rougher when you run your hand the other way. This is so whether or not the child knows the concept "nap of the material". Paint on a door
is smooth. Painted plaster may be rough. Wallpaper feels different altogether. Blocks can be covered with
different textures and matched together, just as sighted children learn to choose which shape is "not
like the others" on Sesame Street. You can make designs on heavy paper by placing it on top of a screen
and drawing with a pointed scratch-all or Braille stylus. This will make raised dotted lines on the
underside of the page. Figures should be simple (squares, circles, triangles) but children can identify
shapes made in this way and play games with them. Size of shapes drawn can vary, but if they are too
small (less than an inch high) they will not be clear.
Children can learn to make Braille letters and numbers using pegboards. Parents can learn the Braille
alphabet from cards provided by the National Federation of the Blind. You can assist your child to make
the letters with pegs. Of course, you can also help your child to associate letters with sounds and with the
things sighted people say about letters. If other children in the family watch Sesame Street or other
children's programs on TV, the blind child will probably be happy to be included and to understand
through his or her own activities how this relates to Braille.
I would recommend that parents of a blind child obtain a slate and stylus and a Braille writer when the
child is still very young. Encourage the child to experiment with both, just as you would encourage a
sighted child to experiment with a pencil or a typewriter if it is available. The blind child will be able to
make dots. They will be meaningless at first, but they will be an accomplishment. Can you identify all the
drawings made by a two-year-old? A child with poor manual dexterity will need to develop coordination
and sensitivity, and it needs to begin early. A child with good manual dexterity will be stimulated by
accomplishments.
You may wish to make a set of blocks showing Braille letters. Use any kind of blocks and nails with
small, rounded heads. Pound the nails into the block in the arrangements of the Braille letter. They need
not be enlarged, much, if any. You may wish to have more than one block of some letters, for when your
child begins to make words, you will need them. You can also write Braille letters and words on three-by
five cards. In preschool and kindergarten other children may use flash cards, and the blind child may also
find them helpful and interesting. Braille numbers can be written on cards or blocks. Parents should know
that the first ten letters of the alphabet are used to make numbers and that a number sign is used before the
letters for this purpose.
It is always a good idea for a blind child to know a blind adult. This friend may be extremely helpful
with Braille. He or she can read it and write it, thus encouraging the blind child, as well as demonstrating
competency. The blind adult can also assist parents who are trying to help their child with Braille, but are
having to teach themselves as they go. Braille can be fun for the whole family.
Most importantly, don't sell Braille short! And don't feel sorry for your child because he or she will be
reading Braille instead of print. Braille is less common, not less effective for reading and writing. It has
some advantages, such as reading in the dark when you're supposed to be asleep, and reading notes when delivering a speech and it is desirable to look at the audience. Perhaps it never occurred to you that a blind
speaker reading Braille notes can maintain better contact with the audience than a sighted speaker
looking down at printed notes. The disadvantages of Braille are: (1) that many people underrate its
effectiveness, and (2) that there just isn't enough of it. You can help your blind child take advantage of
Braille by following some of the suggestions above.
You may wish to have more information about Braille-its use, production, and plans for the future. The
May, 1982, issue of the BRAILLE MONITOR was devoted entirely to articles about Braille. This issue of
the MONITOR and ongoing subscriptions to it are available free of charge from NFB Headquarters, 1800
Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. The table of contents of the May, 1982, issue of the BRAILLE
MONITOR is as follows:
BRAILLE: CHANGING ATTITUDES, CHANGING TECHNOLOGY 163
by Kenneth Jernigan
FACTS/CASSETTE-BRAILLE TECHNOLOGY/JANUARY 1980 170
FACTS/CASSETTE-BRAILLE TECHNOLOGY/MAY 1980 172
FACTS 3/CASSETTE-BRAILLE TECHNOLOGY /NOVEMBER 1980 174
FACTS 4/CASSETTE BRAILLE TECHNOLOGY/JUNE 1981 175
FACTS 5/CASSETTE BRAILLE TECHNOLOGY/SEPTEMBER 1981 177
A REPLACEMENT FOR PAPER BRAILLE BOOKS
THE ROSE BRAILLE DISPLAY READER 181
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN LEONARD ROSE AND THE NATIONAL LIBRARY
SERVICE FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED 182
BRAILLE: A BIRTHDAY LOOK AT ITS PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE 199
by Jim Burns
BRAILLE: A COMEDY OR A TRAGEDY? 202
by Ramona Walhof
As you experiment with Braille and other learning experiences for your blind child, please share them
with the editors of the newsletter. Send your comments or notes about experiences to Barbara Cheadle,
Editor, NFB Parents Newsletter, Box 552, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102. Learning Braille with your child
can be fun and stimulating. Most of all, it will help your blind child to be ready for school and to keep up with classmates in the early grades. Braille students in kindergarten and first grade can be expected to
read as well as their sighted colleagues. If they are permitted to fall behind, it can be difficult to catch up.
One of the main differences between raising a sighted child and a blind child is that you as a parent must
insist in a hundred different ways that your child be permitted and encouraged to compete.
Ramona Walhof, blind from birth, is the Assistant Director of J.O.B. (Job Opportunities for
theBlind), a joint project of the U.S. Department ofLabor and the National Federation of the
Blind. Ramona, a widow with two children, has also been a Head Start teacher and a
rehabilitation teacher of the blind.
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