Queen Kaleigh
By Robinson, Denise M.; Future Reflections, Volume 31, Number 1Publication Date: Winter 2012
Article outlines the steps taken by a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) to teach Braille reading to a visually impaired child with partial limbs. The child, who was in third grade as tutoring began, had one usable finger and a partly usable thumb on her right hand, and a tiny finger extension on the left limb. In addition, the right finger did not have the nerve receptors necessary for reading Braille. A technique was devised whereby the student used the left finger to track the Braille lines down the left margin of the pages while reading with the right finger. Following extensive Braille reading over a couple of years, the child’s brain created enough nerves in the left finger to start reading Braille in each sentence and, with plenty of practice, the student built her reading speed to 115 words per minute. In addition, the article describes the student’s use of a laptop computer with the JAWS screen reader to e-mail her work, typed in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, to her teachers, who in turn e-mail back their comments and grades. At the end of three years of tutoring the student, the TVI reports that they work virtually together through Skype and JAWS Tandem, whereby the teacher can watch the student’s work on her computer remotely. Thanks to the Braille reading technique and technologies employed, the student is ranked at the top of her class.
Assistive Products Discussed: JAWS FOR WINDOWS
Published by: National Federation of the Blind (Website:http://www.nfb.org)
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (Web Site: http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Parents_and_Teachers.asp )
Link to text: http://www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr31/1/fr310103.htm
