Future Reflections Special Issue: Low Vision and Blindness 2005
�I have a student who is transitioning from print to Braille. If he could exchange letters with another Braille reader I think that would greatly motivate him to learn.�
�My 12-year-old daughter is the only blind child in her school. She would very much like to correspond with another blind girl her age who may share some of her concerns about fitting in.�
�Ever since my son read about Louis Braille he has been fascinated with the Braille system. He wants to find a blind boy his age (ten) so they can write Braille letters back and forth. Can you help us?�
These are only a few examples of the Slate Pal requests we receive throughout the year. Slate Pals is a program for children in grades K-12 that matches students who want Braille pen pals. The program is sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), and is available, free of charge, to children around the world.
Slate Pals enables children who are blind to correspond with one another in Braille. It also finds blind pen pals for sighted children who are interested in learning the Braille code.
Slate Pal requests have come to us from all fifty states and
most of the Canadian provinces. We have also received requests for Slate Pals
from many nations overseas, including Taiwan, South Africa, Denmark, Hungary,
Uganda, El Salvador, Germany, Australia, and Great Britain. In matching Slate
Pals the primary considerations are age range, gender, and interests. We also
try to match each prospective Slate Pal with someone who lives in a distinctly
different
geographic locale.
If you have a child or student who would like one or more Slate Pals, please complete the enclosed form. Send the form in print or Braille or via email to:
Debbie Kent Stein
5817 North Nina Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60631
Phone: 773-631-1093 * Fax: 773-792-8245 * Email: [email protected]
Braille Slate Pals
A Pen Pal Program for Braille Readers and Students Who Want to Learn Braille
Name:________________ __________________ Age:________ Grade: _______
Male Female (Circle one)
Address: _______________________________________City________________
State___________ Zip __________ If not the USA, Country _________________
Email: _____________________________ Phone: ________________________
Parent(s) name and address if other than above:____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Interests/hobbies: ____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
I would like (fill in number) _____Slate Pals.
I would like my Slate Pals to be (fill in age range) ______________
I would like my Slate Pals to be (circle one): male female
both no preference
Check one of the following:
[ ] I am blind/visually impaired. I use Braille regularly at school and at home.
[ ] I am blind/visually impaired. I read some print but am shifting to Braille.
[ ] I am sighted and would like to exchange letters in Braille with a blind
Slate Pal.
Name (please print), signature, and relationship to the child/student
of the person filling out this application: _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Mail to:
Debbie Kent Stein
5817 North Nina Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60631
Phone: 773-631-1093 * Fax: 773-792-8245 * Email: [email protected]