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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
Catc=
h the
braille bug…
a
first hand account of the contagiousness of effective experiences with brai=
lle
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
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
February 27, 2010
1:00-3:00 PM
Guest Speaker: =
Bev
Helland
Program Support Teach=
er for
the Vision Program
Madison Schools
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!
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
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">
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
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.
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 |
|
right |
|
know |
|
from |
|
to |
should |
|
go |
|
will |
|
quite |
|
your |
could |
|
more |
|
still |
|
you |
|
would |
there |
|
so |
|
much |
|
where |
|
some |
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. 18th
and 19th 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
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 = p>
at 1-800-242-8822.
Boys' Life (for children and teens, monthly) [BYL1] = p>
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
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?
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, N
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,