Discusses various methods used to teach Braille, beginning with pre-Braille skills that must be developed before children reach school age. Also discusses various techniques used to teach Braille skills to students who have a severe vision loss or low vision and reviews different commercial programs designed to teach Braille reading to various…

A nationwide survey of braille instructors in adult rehabilitation centers found that: most teachers taught braille to fewer than 20 percent of clients; few taught complex reading skills; instructors' attitudes were influenced by their training site, type of college degree, and degree of vision; and teaching behaviors were affected by teaching…

This article discusses ways to teach low vision students to read braille, including both parallel instruction (the student learns to read print and braille simultaneously) and nonparallel instruction (the print-reading student learns braille). The following approaches are briefly described: basal reader, language experience, whole language,…

To develop and test materials to be used in a later 2-year study to compare six approaches in teaching braille reading, materials in grade 1 and grade 2, braille, and phonemic braille media (both analytic and synthetic approaches), 39 subjects from six residential schools were evaluated. Special books were embossed in grade 1 and phonemic braille,…

The reading process and the history of teaching reading to Braille, print, and aural readers are reviewed. Variables in effective reading instruction programs for visually impaired children include teaching methods, assessment methods, qualities and competencies of teachers, other deficits of visually impaired students that exacerbate reading…

These guidelines address the need for valid and reliable measures to aid in making decisions on teaching of braille and/or print to students with moderate to severe vision losses. After an introductory section, section 1 presents basic principles organized into the following categories: (1) learning media, (2) students who use the learning media,…

This manual assists in developing educational goals and Individual Education Plans for children with visual impairments, by providing guidelines for selecting appropriate learning media for optimum literacy development. Part 1 describes the target populations, the members of the interdisciplinary team, and the team members' responsibilities. Part…

THE THEME OF THE CONVENTION WAS "RESEARCH--KEY TO PROGRESS," AND PAPERS WERE DELIVERED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS (1) RESEARCH ON THE TEACHING OF READING AND IMPROVING READING SKILLS, (2) RESEARCH ON INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS AND ORIENTATION, MOBILITY, AND TRAVEL, (3) RESEARCH ON THE CHILD WITH LIMITED BUT USEFUL VISION, (4) RESEARCH ON THE…