Overview
Braille provides access and independence for tactile learners. It takes intentional efforts to ensure a braille-rich environment and to provide effective instruction. Do you know where to find free braille books for your child to have at home at a young age? How can people who are sighted learn some of the basics of the braille code?
Braille instruction builds on a foundation of basic concepts, spatial awareness, tactile discrimination and real-life experiences. Braille programs should include instruction in both reading and writing. When should braille instruction begin? What are the best strategies to support learning braille and what materials are already available for teachers?
Increasingly, important information is presented by charts, graphs, pictures, and other visually interesting formats. It takes lots of experiences and systematic instruction for tactile learners to become efficient in accessing and interpreting that information with their fingers. And in each grade, there are new types of graphics to learn. How can students be introduced to tactile graphics?
Tools for writing braille vary from low to high tech. A simple list may be easiest to handwrite with a slate and stylus while a research report is more efficiently created with a computer. In younger grades, a Perkins braillewriter is a standard tool and a braille notetaker is portable and may be a good choice for others.
It’s essential to expose children to braille books from the very earliest years. Discover the many ways to get free braille books for your child or student.
