Did you know that developing braille-related skills for students who access literacy through touch requires explicit instruction and engagement, which is tailored to the diverse needs of each braille learner?
Every pre-braille & braille program created for a learner is suitably different and dependent on age, additional needs, whether the student has total blindness or is legally blind with residual vision, whether the eye condition is degenerative and the student has been taught a print literacy background, whether the student has received early tactile and sensory exposure, whether the student has been immersed in a braille environment, and so on.
Engaging tactile learners can sometimes be challenging for classroom teachers, braille teachers and parents. Often, they are unable to use regular print resources when accessing early literacy and require creative brains to think ‘outside the box’. Children's books on library and bookstore shelves reveal a wide range of storybooks filled with colourful, interesting images. These visual illustrations in children's books play several important roles; They provide instant information and often add detail that is not included in the book's text, provide meaning to the text, hold a young child’s attention before they’re able to read, act as conversation starters before or after reading text, allow the development of comprehension strategies, encourage development of book handling skills, and increases exposure in vocabulary extension (Whitehurst, Falco, et. al, 1998; National Early Literacy Panel, 2006).
For a young child who is not yet a reader, visual illustrations are an important bridge, helping a young child take a more active role in book reading, as a listener and later, as a beginning reader. (Wright, 2008)
So how can we continue to engage a young student who has a severe visual impairment in learning & reading braille literacy?
How can we add meaning to text and provide the important bridge in helping our tactile learners play a more active role in learning braille literacy?
Wait for it…..Tactile Book Kits! These kits can be created by using story box objects, adding tactile illustrations, or both, as a way to add interest and meaning to children’s books that are read aloud.
Story Box Objects
Story box objects are real objects, related to the book, given to the child to handle and explore as the book is read aloud. The items are usually collected together in a box or bag. Story box objects offer a great introduction for sharing books with a very young child who cannot view pictures. It also helps young children to develop WESSST skills (identify & compare Weight, Ends & Edges, Size, Shape, Sound & Texture) It can take time to find books featuring common objects that can be easily collected. Encouraging young children and students to help choose and collect the items to include are fun ways to begin the process of literacy engagement.
However, story box objects are not part of the book. They are explored alongside the book, and therefore, may not engage the young child in exploring and handling the book to the same degree as visual pictures (Lewis & Tolla, 2003). In fact, story box items may draw a child's attention away from the book itself, limiting their exploration of the book and the braille it contains. Due to this, I like to add a tactile book into the kit to encourage a student to use hands and fingers to explore the texture of a tactile illustration and braille.
Tactile Illustrations
Tactile books vary in the types of tactile illustration they use and are available from different sources; Custom-made for a child by a teacher, caregiver, braille transcriber, or volunteer, or, some publishers of print books produce children's books that include tactile features.
Tactile illustrations are pages with illustrations designed to give tactile (touch) information related to the book's story or topic. They are made tactual through adding a variety of textured materials to the print illustrations, or, by creating tactile only illustrations for the reader. This provides the potential to add meaning and interest to books for an early tactile learner who cannot view the book's pictures.
A few braille producers publish tactile books specifically designed for children with visual impairments. In most cases, the tactile illustrations are also visible. Because the text is both print and braille, these books are appropriate for a range of audiences: children with significant visual impairments, typically sighted children, children with low vision, and adult readers who are braille or print readers. It enables friends and family to read together.
In addition, books with tactile illustrations give a child with a visual impairment opportunities to learn how to explore, examine and interpret tactile displays. This is important knowledge since a variety of tactile displays (tactile maps, diagrams, charts, and graphs) accompany the school curriculum and textbooks.
For a child with a visual impairment, learning to interpret tactile illustrations and displays is not an automatic process; it requires practice, support and explicit instruction. Many abilities such as hand & finger skills, tactual exploration, tactual discrimination and cognitive skills, develop over time and combine to help a child explore and interpret tactile displays. There are also conventions or rules of practice that require explanation and associated concepts to be learned.
For a number of children, exploring and enjoying books with well-designed tactile illustrations may be a valuable, early step in their preparation for using tactile maps, diagrams, and other tactile graphic displays. A relaxed, positive experience with well-designed tactile illustrations provides a foundation by both building skills and by helping the learner form a positive attitude about tactile displays.
Of course, every book does not need to be accompanied by story box objects or tactile illustrations, and not every child enjoys them. But many children with visual impairments demonstrate interest and enthusiasm for tactile illustrations or tactile book kits (Miller, 1985; Stratton & Wright, 1991; Swenson, 1999; Norman, 2003; Wright, 2008).
Tactile Collective is hoping to join this group of amazing braille publishers very soon so email through your children’s book request to hello@tactilecollective.com.au
to get in early for your Tactile Book Kit!!
Prices will vary depending on book & resource availability.
**A huge huge thankyou to our VI TA's for creating these beautiful tactile books, maps and diagrams for our students on a daily basis. We are forever grateful to have your amazing creativity and braille skills on our team**
References:
Lewis, S., & Tolla, J. (2003). Creating and using tactile experience books for young children with visual impairments. Teaching Exceptional Children, 35(3), 22-28.
Miller, D. (1985). Reading comes naturally: A mother and her blind child's experiences. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 79 (1), 1-4.
National Early Literacy Panel. (2006). Findings from the National Early Literacy Panel: Providing a focus for early language and literacy development. Paper presented at the National Center for Family Literacy Annual Conference, Louisville, KY. Available online at: http://www.famlit.org/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=19682
Norman, J. (2003). Tactile picture books: Their importance for young blind children. British Journal of Visual Impairment, 21 (3), 111-114.
Stratton, J. M. & Wright, S. (1991). On the way to literacy: Early experiences for visually impaired children. Louisville, KY: American Printing House for the Blind.
Swenson, A. M. (1999). Beginning with braille: Firsthand experiences with a balanced approach to literacy. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Whitehurst, G. J., Falco, F. L., Lonigan, C. J., Fischel, J. E., Debaryshe, B. D., Valdez-Menchaca, M. C., & Caulfield, M. (1998). Accelerating language development through picture book reading. Developmental Psychology, 24, 552-559.
Wright, S. (2008). Guide to Designing Tactile Illustrations for Children's Books. Louiseville, KY: American Printing House for the Blind.
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