[NIFL-LD:4941] RE: resources for blind student?

From: Michele Anne Craig (shellcraig@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Mon Oct 17 2005 - 19:48:55 EDT


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From: "Michele Anne Craig" <shellcraig@ix.netcom.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-LD:4941] RE: resources for blind student?
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Cesar,

You don't say if your student already reads braille or even if she knows
how to read. If she does know braille, then she (and you) will have plenty
of resources available. If she doesn't read braille, it would be really
wonderful for her to learn how at the same time she is learning English.
Usually classes are free in your community. 

The Library of Congress has tapes for the blind and dyslexic which your
student should have access to. A simple application is processed very
quickly and then you can call your own personal "librarian" on the phone
and they send you both the tape recorder and the books on tape free of
charge. Return postage is also free. . I know that the California state
library has all the GED study books in braille and on tape. I did a cursory
search of their listings and they have braille and recordings of books of
idioms, vocabulary books and other books that would make for a rich
language experience.  

 Many local services for brailling will also braille a textbook if you are
using one for your class. In addition, you can get braille stickers for one
of your computer keyboards which are very inexpensive. I think I bought
mine from Hoolean online. I just put "braille keyboard" into google. Since
they also have letters in large type on them, they don't make the computer
unusable for anyone else. I actually have them on my keyboard at home and
prefer the braille because after a while you always know where your fingers
are:) You can also get a stylus and the book, "Braille for the Sighted."
You might get a student who would be willing to braille simple vocabulary
cards for you. However, there are also Dolch word cards available in
braille from the American Publishing House for the Blind
(http://www.aph.org/products/dolch.html). These have both written English
and braille so they can be used by sighted and nonsighted students and are
quite inexpensive. 
 
So much of ESL class is oral language, you may not have to make too many
adaptations. Perhaps she can use a tape recorder to tape her responses to
the questions you are asking people to write about (or to type them). 

I hope this helps,

Michele Craig
Woodland Adult School

 


> [Original Message]
> From: Cesar Watts <cwatts@dclearns.org>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov>
> Date: 10/13/2005 1:11:30 PM
> Subject: [NIFL-LD:4936] resources for blind student?
>
>
> Hi,
>
> A blind adult ESL student enrolled in one of our programs in DC.  I'm
> wondering if there are organizations that might be more equipped to
> serve her needs.  
> If not, does anyone have any tips and strategies?  Thanks in advance for
>
> any ideas!
>
> Cesar E. Watts G.
> READ OUT LOUD Hotline Coordinator
> 1-866-732-3688
> www.readoutloud.org
> www.dclearns.org
> The D.C. LEARNs Literacy Calendar lists significant literacy events or
> deadlines in Washington, D.C. as well as a selected number of regional
> and national events that may be of interest to the D.C. Literacy
> community http://www.dclearns.org/calendar.html
> If you know of any upcoming literacy events in the DC region, please
> submit them to be added to our calendar! 
>  
> If you want to volunteer as a teacher or tutor for GED, ESL , ABE (Adult
> Basic Education) or computers please enter your information into our
> volunteer database:  www.readoutloud.org/volunteer



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