Twenty-one children ages 6 through 13 were taught to use their hands independently when reading braille to determine how this pattern of hand movements affected reading variables, excluding character recognition. The results strongly suggested that skill in tracking and use of an efficient hand movement pattern is closely tied to perceptual…

The increasing importance of braille to enable blind individuals to reach their full potential in vocational situations is stressed. Improvements in the production of braille are traced and two methods of braille printing are explained. (PHR)

At the Delaware Correctional Center inmates transcribe text and graphics into Braille. The program trains them in skills that can transfer to other jobs upon their release such as teamwork, project completion, and punctuality. (JOW)

A cell-by-cell analysis of finger movements of 16 blind adolescent braille readers was conducted to separate, catalog, and measure the components of scanning movements across braille cells as a function of reading proficiency. Results confirmed the superiority of bimanual reading and suggested that the two hands may perform different functions.…

Comparison of two electronic braille notetakers found that the Braille 'n Speak was less expensive, easier to learn, and easier for both experienced users and beginners to operate than the BrailleMate, though the BrailleMate offers a unique alternative by including a braille display and a Random Access Memory card storage system. (JDD)

This study compared the reading and spelling skills of students who were taught to read using uncontracted braille versus those who were taught to read using contracted braille. It found no descriptive differences between initial instruction in the two types of braille.

This study compared the length of text in English Braille American Edition, the Nemeth code, and the computer braille code with the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC)--also known as Unified English Braille (UEB). The findings indicate that differences in the length of text are dependent on the type of material that is transcribed and the grade…

The article describes research conducted in the early 1970s on the comparative efficiency of an electronic teaching system for programed instruction (the BRAILLOPHON) and a conventional brailled book program for teaching seventh- and eighth-grade blind students to spell. (Author)

A number of problems related to integration of the visually impaired child into the regular class are discussed, particularly with regard to necessary curriculum adaptations. Several braille reading, writing, and mathematical notation materials designed to aid itinerant teachers in overcoming these problems are described. (Author/SBH)

The author discusses the large number of blind college students who cannot use braille effectively, and asserts that classroom teachers, rehabilitation counselors, and rehabilitation teachers have the obligation to ensure that students possess braille literacy before application to a college or university. (CL)

A self instructional strategy used bar code technology to teach Braille symbol recognition to three legally blind elementary school students. (DB)

This brief article uses a weaving metaphor to address the relationship between braille and reading, with prior knowledge (the warp threads) interacting with reading content (the weft threads) by means of braille (the shuttle). Reading is seen to be an interactive process between reader, text, and the context of the reading situation. (DB)

This literature review took place during 2004, and shows that the braille debate over Grade 1 and Grade 2 has been ongoing for more than 70 years. Given the span of time and a remit that covered the English-speaking world, a chronological approach was taken, focusing on the two main strands of policy and empirical research, from the early 20th…

Reading development is said to progress in a series of developmental skills and stages that need to be acquired by emerging young readers. The literature on Greek braille reading and its development found that print readers opt for the same text decoding strategy even at the initial stages of development. This article explores the development of…

Two groups of sighted pre-school children were taught to name six braille letters: one group received phoneme instruction and the other grapheme instruction. Ten boys and ten girls (average age 4:5 years) participated. There was a statistically significant advantage for the phoneme group (Experiment 1). In a repeated measures design, 16 sighted…