WISCONSIN BRAILLE NEWSLETTER

WISCONSIN BRAILLE NEWSLETTER

Volume 11, Issue 1

Winter 2010

The purpose of Wisconsin Braille Inc. <= /i>is to advance communication and coordinate the efforts of all persons concerned with the availability, quality, and distribution of brailled materials in t= he state of Wisconsin thereby encouraging braille literacy.

Catc= h the braille bug…
a first hand account of the contagiousness of effective experiences with brai= lle

&= nbsp;

by Dawn Soto

“W= hy didn’t I think of that?” I asked myself repeatedly in the fall = of 2009. As a Teacher of the Bli= nd and Visually Impaired (TVI) for 10 years, one would think that I could have generated this idea on my own. Yet, there are many ah-ha moments = in the life of a TVI. My partially s= ighted first grade student was on the edge of the brea= k-through to braille, but was not convinced that it would make reading faster. So, when his first grade teacher suggested that I use an efficient braille reader to demonstrate fast and proficient braille reading for this student’s entire class I was surp= rised and delighted. I presented the challenge to my braille-proficient high-school student and he accepted on the condition tha= t we find a time when he wouldn’t miss too much of his own curriculum.

My high = school student found himself reading Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham to a group of wide-eyed first graders unfami= liar with braille. Talk about the best thing that has ever happened to me in the world of braille! I watched in amazement as the high school student’s fingers flew across the braill= e, a feat that yet astounds me; even though I had a hand in teaching him. I was quickly aware that the young= and impressionable students began to have an eye-opening experience as well ‒ braille reading peo= ple, who just happen to be blind, are smart, funny, witty and good readers. My h= igh school student amazed me with his terrific adaptability, social graces and detail; right down to appropriately showing a picture in the Dr. Seuss twin vision braille book to these amazed first graders! As the older boy read, my first gr= ader was perched nearby on a chair watching the fast fingers intently. The situation was so joyous that t= here were tears in the eyes of the adult observers.

Question and answer sessi= ons in this classroom usually abound with excited chatter, yet when it came time f= or questions these first graders sat in quiet amazement with no room for words. One student finally asked, “Do you make braille too?” And he   was   stunned   when the   high school student answered, “Yes, I make braille too.”

After the classroom event was over, I took the two students, one tall and one short, = both gliding down the hallway using their fabulous long cane technique, to anoth= er quiet room where they could become better acquainted. There we had another reading sessi= on. If you have never read The Cat Who Wor= e a Pot on Her Head, then you are in for the laugh of a lifetime. As the ol= der boy read the book’s hilarious lines, my first grader was bent in half laughing. Soon my serious high school student, who is facing a tough semester of Trigonometry, Statistics = and Functions in Nemeth Code, was chuckling and barely able to read the funny w= ords as his fingers continued to fly across each page. Both of my students were laughing as my first-grade student’s mother and his future braille transcriber, sat by smiling and laughing as well.

I won= 217;t soon forget how my heart felt that proud day when braille took on a life of= its own and was shared in such a special way.&= nbsp; All of the children, not just a young visually-impaired student, were truly touched by the special gift of a high-school student willing to share= the expertise his fingers offer. =

One youn= g girl in the first grade class couldn’t stop thinking about this high school boy and chose to write about him in her daily journal at her home later that night. Guess what can be foun= d in her reading book basket in the classroom ‒ braille books from the classroom book shelf! Can you say future Teacher of the = Blind and Visually Impaired? All I = can say is that I witnessed greatness this fall and it had nothing to do with spectacularly colored oak trees offered by October, but more with students willing to persevere over vision loss and to share their gifts with a new generation of braille readers!

______________________________________

Wisconsin Braille Inc.

General Membership Meeting=

Badger Association of= the Blind and Visually Impaired

912 N. Hawley Rd.

Dr. Heeb Room (downst= airs)

Milwaukee<= /span>

February 27, 2010

1:00-3:00 PM

Guest Speaker: = Bev Helland

Program Support Teach= er for the Vision Program

Madison Schools<= /o:p>

Materials Accessibili= ty
and NIMAS

Meeting is ope= n to all. Carpooling can be arranged. Call Sandy Adams, 608-833-2058, for information.

New officers and members of the board of directors wil= l be elected.

=

   &nbs= p;        Nominations for 2010-2012

Vice President: Vonna Johnson-Porter

Treasurer: Mary Ann Damm

Board Members:

   &nb= sp; (2-year terms 2010-2012)

Marilyn= Harmon

Kevin J= ones

Cheryl = Orgas

Kurt Pa= mperin

Judy Tu= rner

    (1-year term 2010-2011)

Constan= ce Risjord

   &nbs= p;        Continuing (2009-2011)

President: Sandy Adams

Secretary: Dawn Soto

Board Members:

Faith K= elley

Rebecca Williams

Guadalu= pe Torrijos

______________________________________

MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE DUE

PLEASE PAY NOW!<= /b>

Membership re= newal notices will be sent out next month, but you can help Wisconsin Braille Inc. save money by paying your dues now. Simply use t= he renewal application on the back of this newsletter.

        &= nbsp;   Your support is much appreciated. &n= bsp;

Thank You

______________________________________

Wisconsin Braille Inc.=

Braille = Mentor Program

=

WisBrl introduced its Braille Literacy Project in the = fall of 2000. Patterned on the var= ious tutoring/mentoring literacy programs available to sighted students, this program matches an adult braille-reading mentor with braille-reading studen= ts in a school or home setting. = We are seeking participants and mentors in the program.

What does a B= raille Mentor do? =

This is how Cheri McGrath, the first Braille Mentor, a= nswers that:

“I hope I am encouraging, supportive, and that I instill a love of reading. We're enjoying books, games, writing, and spendi= ng time together. The children h= ave their books and I bring my materials from the National Braille Press. I've also requested books for spec= ific holidays from the Regional Library. We also play games. These activities stress sharing, ‘turn taking’ and group participation. Most afternoons I work individuall= y with each child. Sometimes we each= read a page. Sometimes, when help = is needed, I read and the youngster rereads that page. I usually ask if the youngster wan= ts to start. Sometimes I go first.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> It thrills me when I hear, ‘= Cheri, I want to go first.’ It= 's wonderful to be interrupted with, ‘Can I read this part?’

“We've talked about our feelings about blindness, pride when using a cane, wanting to become more independent, and many other things. I try to be very hone= st, realistic, but always positive.”

What does a <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">Mentor get from= the program?

Cheri says:

“I've received beautiful birthday and Christmas cards. I was ill and their te= acher had them record their stories for me. One boy, with some sight, described pictures as he read. The youn= gest girl read and then said, ‘I can't see the pictures but I'll tell you = what I imagine.’ One boy, wi= th autism, read more than half an hour on a tape and remained focused on his reading! Last week I served as Grandma. It was Grandparents = Day and I filled in. One student, Michael, introduced me to many teachers in the building. He would say, ‘This is my Grandma. She reads braille, too.’ He's proud of it!”

Other adults are also mentoring students. They are very enthusiastic about their experiences. Could you join them? I= f you could, or if you know of a student who could benefit from this program, ple= ase contact the following:

=

=

WisBrl will provide the mentors payment for transporta= tion to and from the mentee’s location.

_____________________________________

Braille is Not a Language:    A Position Statement of the
Braille Authority of North    =

America

<= /span>

The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) often receives requests to verify= the status of braille as a language in order that students may use it to qualify for language credit at high schools and sometimes colleges. It is the posit= ion of BANA that braille is not a language but a code. While BANA applauds high schools and colleges which wish to give credit for learning braille, it can= not accept the premise that braille is a language.

    In Foundations of Braille Literacy, Rex et al. (1994) state, “Braille is not a languag= e; since it is a portrayal of print, with special rules and multiple uses of e= ach sign (configuration), it is a code. English is the language, one that can be conveyed in any number of ways as long as the code is systematic and is agr= eed to by those who use it.” In fact, the language does not need to be English. Any language can be conveyed in braille, and numerous languages ar= ound the world are reproduced in braille with the code differing, of course, bas= ed upon the language being encoded.

    Perhaps those who asse= rt that braille is a language are confused about the status of braille relativ= e to American Sign Language. ASL is so often associated in people’s minds = with braille, possibly because of their familiarity with Helen Keller, who used = both braille and ASL due to her deafblindness. However, while ASL meets the definition of a language, it is generally arbitrary in the use of signs, and uses complex syntax, whereas braille does not.

    Languages have the maj= or components of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Brail= le is developed and concerned with the representation of the symbols used in print. To call braille a language would be comparable to calling “print” a language. Print and braille are similar in that each reproduces the various sounds of language to represent speech, but neither = is a language.

    Another indication that braille should not be considered a language is found in consulting the Ethnologue, a comprehensive listing of the known living languages of the wo= rld, compiled by the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Braille is not included in= the Ethnologue as a separate language but is mentioned under the heading of “Blind population” with the comment that “information abo= ut the availability of braille codes and braille literature is given under specific languages.” This confirms the connection of braille as a cod= e to specific languages, rather than as a language by itself. =

<= /span>

C= omrie, B. (2008). Language. MSN
     Encarta Encyclopedia

G= ordon, R.G. (ed). (2005)     &= nbsp; Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifte= enth Edition. Dallas,     &n= bsp;     Tex: SIL International

R= ex, E.J., Koenig, A.J., Wormsley, D.P. &n= bsp;       & Baker, R.L. (1994).     = ; Foundations of Braille Literacy. <= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>     New York: AFB Pre= ss

______________________________________

FUN WITH BRAILLE=

=

From Fun with Braille (APH, 2006)

Used with p= ermission of the publisher

Multiple Rhymes

Write the contract= ion that rhymes with the words below. Notice that there are multiple rhyming words. There is a different contraction for each rhyming word; therefore, a contraction may only be used once. The contraction will rhyme with the word= but may not be spelled the same. You can try to solve the rhymes on your own or= use the word bank provided if you need additional help.

1. hood

2. stood

3. wood

4. throw

5. toe

6. grow

7. care

8. bear

9. crutch

10. hutch

11. floor

12. store

13. few

14. new

15. bite

16. night

17. thumb

18. plum

19. pill

20. chill

Word Bank

such<= /span>

right=

know<= /span>

from<= /span>

to

should

go

will<= /span>

quite=

your<= /span>

could=

more<= /span>

still=

you

would=

there=

so

much<= /span>

where=

some<= /span>

Braillewriter maintenance and repair workshop

Do you find braill= ewriters frustrating? One moment they = work, the next moment they are chewing up papers, refusing to space ahead or back? Fear not, the Vision Professionals’ Conference will offer a full-day workshop on basic braillewriter maintenance and repair. The conference is scheduled for Fe= b. 18^th and 19^th at the Radisson Northshore in Milwaukee. In addition, t= here will be a visit (transportation provided) to the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library and ABLE (Audio & Braille Literacy Enhancement). ABLE provides   braille transcription throug= hout the state. So, mark your cale= ndars! Any questions, call Marilyn Harmon at 414-616-5664.

______________________________________

Magazines for braille readers<= /b>

The following magazines are available in braille forma= t from the National Library Service. If you would like to subscribe to any of these magazines, call the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library
at 1-800-242-8822.

Boys' Life (for children and teens, monthly) [BYL1]
Braille Book Review (bimonthly) [BBR1]

Braille Chess Magazine (British quarterly) [BCM1]

Braille Music Magazine (British monthly) [XBM1]

Conundrum (British monthly) [COU1]

Cooking Light (bimonthly [3] and monthly [6]) [CKL1] <= /p>
ESPN Magazine (biweekly) [ESP1]

Harper's (literary; monthly) [HRP1]

Health Newsletters (includes Harvard Health Letter, Ma= yo Clinic Health Letter, and University of California at Berkeley Wellness Let= ter; monthly) [HNW1]

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine (monthly) [KPF1]=

Ladies' Home Journal (monthly) [LHJ1]

Martha Stewart Living (home and entertaining; 10 issue= s) [MSL1]

Muse (for children; 6 issues) [MUE1]

The Musical Mainstream (quarterly) [XMM1]

National Geographic (monthly) [NGG1]

The New York Times Book Review (weekly) [NYB1]

The New York Times Large Type Weekly (weekly) [NYT1] <= /p>
News (NLS quarterly) [NEW1]

Parenting: Early Years (monthly except January and Jul= y) [PAE1]

Parenting: School Years (monthly except January and Ju= ly [PAS1]

PC World (personal computing; monthly) [PCW1]

Playboy (monthly) [PBY1]

Poetry (monthly) [POE1]

Popular Communications (monthly) [PCM1]

Popular Mechanics (monthly) [PPM1]

Popular Music Lead Sheets (irregular) [XML1]

Rolling Stone (popular culture; 26 issues) [RST1]

Science News (weekly) [SNW1]

Seventeen (for teens, monthly) [SVT1]

Short Stories (British monthly) [SSR1]

Spider: The Magazine for Children (monthly) [SPD1]

Stone Soup (children's writings; 5 issues) [STO1]

Update (NLS quarterly) [UPD1]

The following sports schedules are also available in B= raille format:

American Baseball League Schedule [ABL1]

National Baseball League Schedule [NBL1]

National Basketball Association Schedule [NBA1]

National Football League Schedule [NFL1]

National Hockey League Schedule [NHL1]

Women's National Basketball Association Schedule [WBA1= ]

___________________________________________

The Braille Corner

<= /span>

Dear Readers,=

        I often get questions regarding the use of the letter indicator. English Braille American Edition = tells us that a letter indicator is used to distinguish between a letter that mea= ns a letter and a number, a word, a whole-word contraction or a short-form word.=
        = Take this little quiz and see how well you do (answers follow). Are letter indicators needed in the following situations?

<= /span>

1.= H₂O is the symbol for water.

2.= See pages vi-x.

3.= Braille pages P1-P5.

4.= Rule 10§9a(3)(b)

5.= 61/B

6.= c/o

7.= Q: Who ate the cookie?
      A: I= did.

8.= O, say can you see . . .

9.   A-OK

10. 1.4.C.2

11. Which column(s) requires letter indicators?

a. cat

A cat

A: cat

(A) cat

b. dog

B dog

B: dog

(B) dog

A= nd for you texters and tweeters, how many letter indicators are required in the following poem?

<= o:p>

I= ’m in a 10der mood 2 day

<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>        &= nbsp; & feel poetic 2;

4= fun I’ll just dash off a line

<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>        &= nbsp; & send it off 2 U.

<= o:p>

I= ’m sorry you’ve been 6 o long;

<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>        &= nbsp; Don’t be disconsol8;

B= ut bear your ills with 42ed

<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>        &= nbsp; & they won’t seem so gr8.

Sincerely,

             Ms. Perkins

Do you h= ave questions for Ms. Perkins or
Mr. #s? Address them to:

Wisconsin Braille Inc.
P.O. Box 45076
Madison, WI 53744-5076.

Answers (references are to English Braille American Edition):

1. No. ,g7#b7,o VII.28 Parentheses terminate
     effect of = number indicator.

2. Yes. VII.30

3.= No.   II.12.b(2) <= o:p>

4.= Yes before “a.” II.12.a.(1) No before “b.” VII.28.a.

5.= Yes. VII.28.a. BANA Update 2007

6.= No. VII.28.e. BANA Upd= ate 2007

7.= No. II.12.b.(5)

8.= No. II.12.a.(2)

9.= Yes, before the “A.” II.12.a.(4)

10. No. VII.28.a Period terminates eff= ect of number
       indicator.   #a.d4,c4#b

11. Only the second column requires le= tter indicators.

Four letter indicators are needed in the poem.

______________________________________

Ask Mr. #s

Dear Mr. Numbers,

   &nbs= p;        Can you review the basics of superscripting and subscripting?

Thanks!

Up and Down

Dear Up and Down,

The basics are fairly simple, you use ^ (dots 45) for superscript and ; (dots 56) for subscript for all first levels above or below the baseline of writing. What= is the baseline? This is the level of writing that all other regular text appe= ars on. So when you come across ₅N₃ the N is on the basel= ine of writing.

Now where to place the symbols? First we will deal with superscripting. In the example x³ you first braille the x, then = the braille superscript symbol, and then the number 3 without a numeric indicat= or. x^3 There are a few other rules that you need to know about superscripting; if the superscripted number is followed by punctuation, the punctuation indicator (dots 456) is = used as normal, and this automatically returns you to the baseline of writing. If the superscripted number is followed by a mathematical comma and then a spa= ce, or simply a space, then the baseline of writing is automatically resumed as well. However, if anything else follows a superscripted number you must add= the baseline indicator (dot 5) to resume writing on the base line. So, in the example x³+y² you would need a baseline indicator aft= er the 3 but not after the 2. x^3"+y^2 Yikes! I know, but really, once you get used to it, it becomes intuitive. T= he last thing I'm going to tell you about superscripting right now is that when you are dealing with a left superscript, as in ³x, you braille t= he superscript symbol and then the 3 followed by the baseline indicator and th= en the x.
^3"x Yo= u do not need the number indicator or the letter indicator as these are mathemat= ical expressions that are preceded by another mathematical symbol.

Now a brief bit on subscripting. Most of the rules that apply to superscripting also apply to subscripting regarding punctuation and left subscripting. However, one glaring difference is that if the subscript= is a number to the right of a letter, you do not need to do anything. So, N3 is presented as ,n3= and that is all. This creates one issue that you have to know about, and th= at is, if the number following a letter is not subscripted, such as N3, you ne= ed to use the multi-purpose indicator (dot 5) to indicate that the 3 is on the baseline of writing. ,n"3 Other than that, subscripting works in a similar fashion to superscripting. Let's take the example from earlier, ₅N₃. This is presented as ;5&quo= t;,n3_4 Note that there is a subscript indicator before the 5 but not before the 3. Note also the use of the punctuation indicator following the mathematical statement.

This only covers superscripting and subscripting on the first level. For more information on multi-levels and other complex superscripts and subscripts, see Rule XIII in The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation 19= 72 Revision.

Sincerely,

Mr. Numbers

______________________________________

The Wisconsin Braille newsletter is published three ti= mes a year. Deadlines are: Spring/Summer – May 1, Fall – September 1, Winter – December 15

______________________________________

The purpose of this newsletter is to disperse informat= ion. Wisconsin Braille Inc. does not en= dorse or vouch for the reliability of any of the persons, organizations, or products appearing in this publication.

______________________________________

Wisconsin Brai= lle Inc. welcomes letters from readers on all subjects concerning braille and blindn= ess. Publication of letters will be at the editor’s discretion. Letters mu= st be signed, but names will be withheld upon request.

______________________________________

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

   &nbs= p;        Use the following form to join or renew your membership to Wisconsin Braille Inc. Please make checks and money orders paya= ble to: WISCONSIN BRAILLE INC.

Regular membership, annual dues: $10

Sustaining membership, annual dues: $30

Lifetime membership: $200

Please include: the date, your name, address, phone nu= mber, and e-mail address. Also advise if you wish printed material to be sent to = you in regular type, e-mail or braille.

Please answer the following: What is your affiliation = with the braille-reading community? (List all that apply.) Teacher, educational assistant, transcriber, proofreader, administrator, producer, parent, user, other (specify).

Return application and payment to: Wisconsin Braille I= nc., Membership Chair,

557 Milky Way

Madison, WI 53718

______________________________________

This version of the Wisconsin Braille newsletter was prepared by the members of the OSCI Braille Program. It has not been proofr= ead. Readers are encouraged to report noted errors to: Wisconsin Braille Newslet= ter, Editor, P.O. Box 45076, Madison, WI 53744-50= 76.

1. hood	2. stood	3. wood
4. throw	5. toe	6. grow
7. care	8. bear	9. crutch
10. hutch	11. floor	12. store
13. few	14. new	15. bite
16. night	17. thumb	18. plum
19. pill	20. chill

such<= /span>	right=	know<= /span>	from<= /span>	to
should	go	will<= /span>	quite=	your<= /span>
could=	more<= /span>	still=	you	would=
there=	so	much<= /span>	where=	some<= /span>