In celebrating January, Braille Literacy Month, Charlotte Cushman, former manager of the Paths to Literacy website, has compiled information on where to learn braille, where to get free braille books, and more. Highlights include:
– Playing the Louis Braille Timeline Game. The game can be downloaded, with the timeline of Louis Braille’s life in print and braille versions cut into strips that can be lined up in the order in which events occurred.
– Learning about the importance of braille literacy. A video from Perkins School for the Blind interviews braille users of various ages discussing the continued value of braille as technology advances in school, at work, and in the community.
– Introducing braille to young children, with ideas such as creating tactile books, story boxes, and lessons for beginning braille readers, to name a few.
– Introducing sighted children to braille basics. Helpful webpages include Braille Bug (from APH), Braille Chart for Sighted Classmates Learning Braille Visually (from Jessica McDowell, TVI), and Fun Sheets (from Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness).
– Learning braille resources for parents including Braille Courses from Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Just Enough to Know Better (from National Braille Press); UEB Online, a training program for people with sight to learn Unified English Braille; and more.
– Obtaining books that are free of charge from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled of the Library of Congress as well as Sources of Free Braille Books. Learn more from the Paths to Literacy webpage on how to Celebrate Braille Literacy Month!
