friend, it's really well written article.
as you have stated the importance of braille literacy, we in chennai
conducted braille reading and writing competitions to
mark the occasion of the bi-centenary year of louie braille for
students ranging from primary to highersecondary level.
this is well recieved by everyone and totally 45 schools participated
including the open schools and
99 students displayed their skills.
the most important feature in this competition is that we have
recorded the reading competition simultaneously inorder to study the
status of both the braille and the reading skill of the students.
We have the cassettes for a deep analisis and thought of using them as
samples for future researches.
but the results are very disheartening because as the student reaches
the higher level he forgets the braille itself and
feels proud to say that he doesn't know "Braille"
But one must understand that "Braille deepens one's knowledge and
Computer widens one's knowledge."
so let us try to promote braille literacy at all levels as much as we could.
i am always ready to participate in any concrete social activities and
hence you can seak my help if required.
regards
raghu.
> There was a time, not long ago, when most people thought that blind
> people could never learn to read. People thought that the only way to
> read was to look
> at words with your eyes.
> A young French boy named Louis Braille thought otherwise. Blind from
> the age of three, young Louis desperately wanted to read. He realized
> the vast world
> of thought and ideas that was locked out to him because of his
> disability. And he was determined to find the key to this door for
> himself, and for all
> other blind persons.
> Louis' father often used sharp tools to cut and punch holes in the leather.
> One of the tools he used to makes holes was a sharp awl. An awl is a
> tool that looks like a short pointed stick, with a round, wooden
> handle. While playing
> with one of his father's awls, Louis' hand slipped and he accidentally
> poked one of his eyes. At first the injury didn't seem serious, but
> then the wound
> became infected. A few days later young Louis lost sight in both his eyes.
> But as the days went by Louis learned to adapt and learned to lead an
> otherwise normal life.
> As he grew older, he realized that the small school he attended did
> not have the money and resources he needed. He heard of a school in
> Paris that was especially
> for blind students. Louis didn't have to think twice about going. He
> packed his bags and went off to find himself a solid education.
> When he arrived at the special school for the blind, he asked his
> teacher if the school had books for blind persons to read. Louis found
> that the school
> did have books for the blind to read.
> These books had large letters that were raised up off the page. Since
> the letters were so big, the books themselves were large and bulky.
> More importantly,
> the books were expensive to buy. He could feel each letter, but it
> took him a long time to read a sentence. It took a few
> seconds to reach each word and by the time he reached the end of a
> sentence, he almost forgot what the beginning of the sentence was
> about. Louis knew
> there must be a better way.
> There must be a way for a blind person to quickly feel the words on a
> page. There must be a way for a blind person to read as quickly and as
> easily as a
> sighted person.
> That day he set himself the goal of thinking up a system for blind
> people to read. He would try to think of some alphabet code to make
> his 'finger reading'
> as quick and easy as sighted reading.
> One day chance walked in the door. Somebody at the school heard about
> an alphabet code that was being used by the French army. This code was
> used to deliver
> messages at night from officers to soldiers. The messages could not be
> written on paper because the soldier would have to strike a match to
> read it.
> The light from the match would give the enemy a target at which to
> shoot. The alphabet code was made up of small dots and dashes. These
> symbols were raised
> up off the paper so that soldiers could read them by running their
> fingers over them. Once the soldiers understood the code, everything
> worked fine.
> Louis got hold of some of this code and tried it out. It was much
> better than reading the gigantic books with gigantic raised letters.
> But the army code was still slow and cumbersome. The dashes took up a
> lot of space on a page. Each page could only hold one or two
> sentences. Louis knew
> that he could improve this alphabet in some way.
> Louis sat down to think about how he could improve the system of dots
> and dashes. He liked the idea of the raised dots, but could do without
> the raised dashes.
> As he sat there in his father's leather shop, he picked up one of his
> father's blunt awls. The idea came to him in a flash. The very tool
> which had caused
> him to go blind could be used to make a raised dot alphabet that would
> enable him to read.
> The next few days he spent working on an alphabet made up entirely of
> six dots. The position of the different dots would represent the
> different letters
> of the alphabet.
> Louis used the blunt awl to punch out a sentence. He read it quickly
> from left to right. Everything made sense. It worked...
> Could you imagine telling a class of six-year-old children that they
> don't need to learn to read anymore because computers can do it for
> them? Silly idea,
> isn't it? But every day, that's what some children who are blind,
> visually impaired, or deafblind are told. For blind, visually
> impaired, or deafblind
> children, being able to read and write Braille is the key to literacy,
> successful employment, and independence.
> All children need to be literate - to read, write, and count - in
> order to enjoy intellectual freedom, personal security, and equal
> opportunities when they
> grow up.
> We must offer children who are blind, visually impaired, or deafblind
> a real chance at equality. We must teach them Braille.
> BRAILLE = PRINT
> Braille is a code that presents written information. It is equivalent
> to print. The alphabet, numbers, music notation, and any other symbol
> that appears
> in print can be replicated in Braille by arranging combinations of the
> six dots of the Braille "cell." Braille is read by touch, usually
> using the first
> finger on one or both hands.
> The dots of Braille are also used for mathematics, scientific
> equations, computer notations, and foreign languages. When children
> who are blind, visually
> impaired, or deafblind are learning to read, Braille is the best way
> for them to develop skills in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
> Although complex
> charts and graphs may be almost impossible to describe well orally,
> they can be clearly communicated in Braille.
> Several studies have shown that people who are blind and know Braille
> are far more likely to be employed than those who rely on voice
> synthesizers. These
> are the hard facts of the workplace. Although technological advances
> now provide people who are blind with additional workplace tools in
> the same way technology
> has enhanced the efficiency of sighted people, computers, scanners,
> and voice synthesizers do not replace the need for Braille.
> Braille, like print, enables a person to make notes, read a
> spreadsheet, take minutes at a meeting, file materials, label
> diskettes, and do a variety of
> other tasks efficiently and independently.
> If we carefully study the history of science and civilisation, we
> shall see that the entire history bears proof to the age-old maxim,
> "Necessity is the
> mother of invention." All articles and processes that have helped in
> the advancement of human civilisation were invented when the society
> needed it. It
> may be the invention of the wheel in the Mesopotamia or of paper in
> China. The society feels the necessity for a tool, people start
> searching for it and,
> the desired item is invented through the combined search of some
> people, at times, through the efforts of generations. If we look into
> the history behind
> the invention of braille system, we shall see the same story repeated.
> Louis Braille was born at a time when society needed someone to master
> the knowledge
> and skills gathered so far in tactile writing and devote himself to
> developing a suitable system. If we closely observe the evolution of
> the education
> of the sightless, we shall clearly see a pattern.
> Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in 1439 ushered in the
> Renaissance in Europe. Scholars attached utmost importance to
> universal education. About
> this time some scholars thought of educating the sightless, too.
> Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576), an Italian mathematician, had pointed
> out a way of teaching
> the blind to read and write by the sense of touch. They were to trace
> with a steel bodkin or stylus the outline of each of the letters of
> the alphabet,
> engraved on metal, until they could distinguish the letters by the
> sense of touch and reproduce them on paper. In 1575 in Rome Rampazetto
> produced prints
> in intaglio from letters carved in wood. In 1580 Francesco Lucas of
> Madrid engraved letters in wood for the instruction of the blind; but
> the letters being
> sunk in the wood, the outlines could not as readily be followed with
> the fingertips. In 1640 Pierre Moreau, a notary at Paris, had movable
> letters cast
> for the use of the blind.
> All these and many other attempts were made in the wake of the
> Renaissance which upheld the goal of universal education. The
> Industrial Revolution in England
> and the French Revolution in the eighteenth century Europe had a
> profound impact on the society. In 1749 Dennis Diderot (1713-1784),
> one of the harbingers
> of French Revolution, published "An Essay on Blindness" in which he
> developed the idea of teaching the blind to read through the sense of
> touch. Establishment
> of Valentin Ha?y's school in 1784 inspired by Diderot's idea, shortly
> followed by a few more, and ingenious methods of tactile reading
> developed by James
> Gall, John Alston and William Moon in the early nineteenth century
> were definite outcome of this impact. The social process reached its
> culmination in
> the invention of braille system in 1824.
> If we thoroughly study the entire process of the invention of braille
> system, we shall see more such details which not only prove Louis's
> persistent effort
> for a new method, but his scientific bent of mind. Scientific study
> does not necessarily mean working with instruments and acids in a
> laboratory. Science
> means systematic analysis of a problem and finding out solution to the
> problem. When everyone in the school hostel rested in bed, enjoying
> the luxury of
> sound sleep in the middle of night, Louis went on embossing dots on a
> thick paper, trying different variations of six dots, and looking for
> ways to represent
> as many as characters using these six dots. It was not an easy task
> for a teenager. It demanded hard work, tenacity and perseverance.
> Louis had all these
> qualities. But he had to pay the price for it, too. The environment,
> notes Pierre Henri, one of his biographers, was not congenial. The air
> was damp, the
> rooms dark and murky, food scanty. As for study materials, there was
> hardly any book in the school library to help Louis in his research.
> Logical arrangement
> of dots in the best combinations needs experience in mathematics.
> Selecting best representations for alphabetical characters and
> punctuation marks required
> sound knowledge of the French language. Louis found little at school
> to help him in these matters. Yet he persisted on and on until he
> succeeded in devising
> a sound system of dots. Several attempts have been made to improve
> upon his arrangement. But it is now accepted, the way Louis arranged
> his characters
> is best for the fingers.
>
> A person who knows Braille is statistically more likely to be
> employed. That is true today and will continue to be true years from
> now. Technology is wonderful,
> but it will never be a substitute for basic literacy skills.
> Braille is a building block of literacy. Literacy is a building block
> of independence.
> Learning to read and write is challenging for most children. It takes
> time and practice. It takes the support and encouragement of family
> and teachers.
> That's true whether a child has a visual impairment or not. Children
> who do not read and write well have trouble succeeding in school and
> in the workplace.
> For children whose eyesight prevents them from reading and writing
> print, Braille is the route to literacy.
> Braille is not that hard to learn, especially when the student is
> young. Children who learn Braille early usually become extremely fast
> and competent readers.
> Children have an advantage over adults - they learn more quickly,
> accept the tasks their teachers give them with little resistance, and
> expect to make
> mistakes as they go along. However, learning becomes more difficult
> when a child falls too far behind his or her classmates and feels
> discouraged and inferior.
> For these reasons, it is never too soon to teach Braille to a child
> with a visual impairment. When children have eye conditions that may
> worsen over time,
> learning Braille early gives them more options.
> To read without Braille, a person who is blind is entirely dependent
> on computers with voice synthesizers or audiotape recordings, neither
> of which is useful
> in every circumstance. A person with residual vision can use
> magnifiers and other print enhancers to read labels and other written
> texts that cannot be
> scanned or read by computer or are not on audiotape, but may not be
> able to read this way for long periods of time without experiencing
> eye fatigue and
> strain.
> To write without Braille, a person who is blind, visually impaired, or
> deafblind may use keyboard skills or dictate a text and then review it
> using a computer
> voice synthesizer program. Even though technology offers people who
> are blind, visually impaired, or deafblind some choices, it does not
> replace the benefits
> of Braille in every situation. Aside from being used to read all kinds
> of textbooks and documents, Braille is useful in a variety of other
> ways. Braille
> can be used at home to label, for example, tapes, CDs, clothes,
> thread, spices, cans of food, and computer disks. People who read
> Braille can play card
> games such as bridge and board games such as Scrabble. At school, a
> student who is visually impaired and knows Braille can take notes
> using a slate and
> stylus, scan a text to find the part to study, and re-read homework
> assignments before handing them in. Braille readers can look things up
> and go back
> and forth in the text more easily. Children can write personal
> messages and leave notes for parents and caregivers in Braille.
> Braille can be read easily
> by sighted people with some Braille training. And, of course, there
> are computer programs that transcribe Braille to print or vice versa.
> There is a clear need to teach Braille to blind, visually impaired, or
> deafblind children at a young age. Sadly, though, discrimination and
> misguided ideas
> about what is best for children have, in the past, denied many
> children access to Braille. There are too many distressing stories of
> children who were
> told they were too physically inept to learn Braille, of parents who
> were told that Braille skills were not necessary because their child
> could read enhanced
> print, of educators who decided that Braille was too difficult and too
> different, of policy-makers who figured that technology had replaced
> the need for
> Braille and that programs to support Braille were no longer necessary.
> Children who are denied Braille are denied an equal chance to be
> literate. It is
> better to teach Braille to a person with low vision who may never need
> to rely solely on Braille, than never to teach Braille to someone who
> may need it
> in a few years. We must give every child who has low vision and every
> blind child the chance to learn Braille.
>
> Louis Braille, himself blind, introduced the Braille system for the
> educational purpose of blind persons. In this system, the letters are
> formed by a combination of raised dots in a cell. The area of a
> Braille cell is 6mm ? 3.6mm. The cell consists of six dots, which can
> be arranged into 63 combinations or characters. In grade I, each
> letter will occupy a Braille cell. For example, the word 'doctor'
> occupies six Braille cells. Grade I is sufficient for lower primary
> school children and adult blind people of rehabilitation programmes
> when they try to learn Braille for the first time. Grade II represents
> the contracted forms of grade I Braille characters. For example,
> contraction 'ch' in a single cell along with dot '5' is character.
> Grade II Braille is needed for the child to proceed to higher
> education. Mastery over grade II
> Braille helps the learner to read more Braille books in less time.
> Braille is based on phonetic scripts and, therefore, Indian languages
> are easily written and read in Braille.
> Braille learning requires some prerequisiteskills called 'Braille
> mechanism', which means the efficient movement of both forefingers
> together on the dots from left to right. When the right hand reaches
> the end of the line, the left hand should retrace the line which was
> just read, and identify the beginning of the next line. Tactile
> tolerance needs to be developed among visually impaired children for
> effective Braille reading. Lack of practice in Braille reading may
> lead to scrubbing while reading, which hampers speed.
> Braille slate and stylus are commonly used by children in developing
> countries for writing purposes. While writing, the child has to punch
> the dots from the right to the left of the slate. After this, the
> child should reverse the paper and read it from left to right. In
> order to write Braille effectively, the child should possess skills
> such as (i) flexibility of fingers, (ii) fine motor coordination and
> control of muscles, and (iii) competency to read familiar Braille
> codes. Writing in Braille slate and stylus needs enormous muscle
> control, and thus may be introduced during the second year of a
> child's schooling. Normally, Braille reading precedes Braille writing.
> Braille typing with the use of Braillers can be used with children of
> higher classes.
> Sophisticated electronic equipment such as talking machines, audio
> materials and optacons make the reading activity of the child easier.
> However, presently this advanced technology is available only in
> developed countries. Whatever the innovations, Braille continues to be
> the primary mode of communication for visually impaired children.
> The statement 'mathematics is difficult for blind children' is only a
> myth. Some areas in mathematics do demand vision. But such visual
> ideas could be converted into non-visual experiences so as to enable
> visually impaired children to get the required learning experience.
> Research studies reveal that visually impaired children can also learn
> mathematics when they are taught in an appropriate manner. A mastery
> of mathematical Braille code contributes to the child learning
> mathematics. The teaching of mathematical Braille codes should take
> place . in a phased manner from the very beginning of the
> child's schooling.
> Adaptation of mathematical text materials is essential to keep the
> learning outcomes on par with sighted children. The task of developing
> mental arithmetic abilities in visually impaired children is important
> for calculations in mathematics. Preparation and dissemination of
> mathematics Braille text material is vital for the teaching-learning
> of mathematics. Since mathematics is an abstract subject that includes
> concrete, pictorial and abstract concepts, the principles of material
> production should be duplication as far as possible, modification when
> necessary, substitution whenever appropriate and even omission of some
> inevitable topics. Incorporation of tactile diagrams into the text
> itself enhances the understanding of the child.
> First-hand experience is one effective way through which children
> learn science. The visually impaired child needs special opportunities
> for tactually exploring the concepts taught. Research indicates that
> tactile exemplars which provide hands-on experience to visually
> impaired children are effective in teaching scientific concepts. By
> undertaking field trips to an industry, visits to the neighbourhood,
> community, etc., visually impaired children can be helped to get
> first-hand experiences in the environment. The group study method
> helps children acquire more knowledge through study among peer groups.
> The visually impaired child can be linked with a group of sighted
> children for project experiences. It is also possible for visually
> impaired children to work with non-disabled children in certain areas
> like measuring length and volume, handling diluted acids, setting the
> apparatus, finding objects by smell and touch, writing procedures,
> etc.
> The term 'chemical notations' refers to signs, symbols, etc. used in
> chemistry. Though the notations are denoted only by six dots of
> Braille cell configurations, their meanings are different. In literary
> Braille, dot 4 indicates a contraction indicator; however, as a
> chemical notation, it indicates a chemical bond. Sometimes, the child
> may have to distinguish between literary, mathematical, and chemical
> Braille notations simultaneously.
> Science text material in Braille form should be prepared with thorough
> editing. In the case of modification of a diagram, instruction about
> the kind of modification
> Teaching Curricular Areas to Visually impaired persons
> could be specified. Tactile diagrams, three-dimensional concrete
> models and real objects can enhance the learning of science concepts.
> Cultivation of the scientific mind helps the child in many aspects of
> his/her own life. An attitude of discovery, a zeal for learning by
> doing, the techniques of problem solving, etc. are to be inculcated
> through the study of science. Experiments have also proved that these
> subjects could be made possible for visually impaired children.
> Social studies, in general, includes the study of human beings and the
> living environment, historical perspectives, the geographical nature
> of the earth, the nature of people, types of civilisation, political
> climate, etc. As in the art subjects, oral instruction with sufficient
> Braille materials and talking books will suffice, except in a few
> typical areas. The general aspects in social studies can be further
> enhanced by some additional activities such as visiting (i) historical
> places (temples, hills, rivers, etc.) and (ii) museums and archives.
> Special permission could be sought so that visually impaired children
> can touch and feel the objects in order to develop the necessary
> concepts. Attending light and sound programmes conducted in order to
> explain some historical events, and collecting historical objects such
> as stones, coins, used articles, etc., may also enhance their
> knowledge in social studies.
> Map work is one typical area in social studies that requires efficient
> teaching methodologies and sufficient adaptations in the education of
> the visually impaired. Maps are of different kinds. These maps could
> be presented in embossed form. Map reading should start right from the
> primary level of visually impaired children. They must develop map
> reading concepts such as direction, scale value, signs, letters, etc.
> Low-cost materials may be used to prepare maps for visually impaired
> children, e.g. hardboard, cardboard, plywood, aluminium sheet,
> thermocol, brailon paper, Braille paper, clay, different types of
> threads, beads, seeds, buttons, pins, cork, fevicol, etc. The best
> principle in the preparation and use of teaching aids for visually
> impaired persons is 'make it cheap, use it well, and change it often'.
> By using braille, blind people can review and study the written word.
> They can become aware of different conventions such as spelling,
> punctuation, paragraphing,
> and footnotes.
> Most of all, blind individuals can have access to a wide range of
> reading materials--educational and recreational reading and practical
> manuals. Equally
> important are the contracts, regulations, insurance policies,
> directories, appliance instructions, and cookbooks that are part of
> daily adult life. Also
> through braille, blind people can pursue hobbies and cultural
> enrichment with such materials as music scores, hymnals, playing
> cards, scrabble boards,
> and other games.
> Various other methods had been attempted over the years to enable
> blind people to read, many of them raised versions of print letters.
> It is generally accepted
> that the braille system has succeeded because it is based on a
> rational sequence of signs devised for the fingertips, rather than
> imitating signs devised
> for the eyes. In addition, braille can be written by blind people and
> can be used for any notation that follows an accepted sequence, such
> as numerals,
> musical notes, or chemical tables.
> Braille has undergone continuing modification, particularly the
> addition of contractions representing groups of letters of whole words
> that appear frequently
> in a language. The use of contractions permits faster braille reading
> and helps reduce the size of braille books, making them less
> cumbersome.
> The only way we can pay our tribute to him is by using braille more
> and more, carrying and reading braille books in public places and
> transports that attention
> is drawn to the system and we have an opportunity to highlight his
> invention to the people. Braille books are heavy and bulky. But there
> is no alternative.
> We have to carry these huge volumes when they are not available in
> lighter and smaller forms. Nebuchadnezzar travelled with 500 camels
> carrying his library.
> He had no alternative. Nebuchadnezzar's library can now be packed in a
> pen drive. If we have a computerised braille display, we can read the
> contents of
> such a library of e-text in braille. Until we can afford to pay for a
> small refreshable braille display, which costs around Rs. 80,000, we
> have to carry
> braille books for our own interest. Knowledge is light, knowledge is
> power. This knowledge can never be complete unless we obtain them in
> braille. Alternative
> methods seldom give us the satisfaction and pleasure of reading.
> we cannot be unaware of our changing environment. We must maximise the
> utility of braille for all blind people who learn it and want to use
> it worldwide.
> I am satisfied that, through the adoption and implementation of
> Braille, we are helping to ensure that braille?s utility remains high
> and
> that braille?s future is thereby assured.
> thanks,
> mukesh jain.
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