A blind student with dyslexia - An overview of the problem

The basic purpose of this paper is to present selected theoretical and empirical facts concerning dyslexia, taking into account specific reading and spelling disorders experienced by the sighted and the blind who normally use a tactile writing system (braille) to read and write. The article’s content is focused on such key issues as: the terminology (a review of definitions), the symptomatology and etiology of dyslexia. In the light of the collected qualitative data and empirical research findings, dyslexia is likely to occur in blind braille-reading and braille-writing students. The symptoms of dyslexia may be observable in both contracted and uncontracted braille. They may be linked to the phonological processing deficits. The causes of dyslexia in the blind population can be explained in line with the genetic conception and the magnocellular theory by Stein and colleagues. However, it is necessary to design more complex studies on braille dyslexia in the future.

Current use of contracted and uncontracted French braille in Quebec

In the French braille code, becoming an efficient contracted braille user requires a considerable investment in time and effort. Students must learn 1217 abbreviations to allow time- and space-saving, but practitioners are questioning whether this investment is worthwhile. The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of contracted braille use by adults and their perceptions about the importance of this code. A total of 23 Quebec braille users (aged 18–40 years) completed a telephone interview with quantitative questions about the frequency of their braille use, and their use of technologies as well as qualitative items regarding their perceptions of braille now and in the future, 12 of whom completed a brief braille reading test.In all, 85% of participants used uncontracted braille for reading, 59% used contracted braille, and 95% used text-to-speech. Contracted braille was used mostly for tasks that require continuous reading (e.g. novels). All except one recognized the need to learn uncontracted braille and 78% considered contracted braille useful. In all, 11 participants indicated that they “can read faster” with contracted braille, a finding that was not replicated by our reading test, whereby reading speeds were not statistically significantly different between the two conditions . The portrait that emerges from the current use of contracted French braille in Quebec indicates that it is not often used in the life of blind individuals. However, the faith of our participants in the relevance of the contracted code is still very strong. This may be explained by the fact that braille is part of their identity. The potential increase in reading speed with contracted braille may not justify the time, effort, and cognitive resources required to learn/teach this code in French. The educational challenge remains to find the proper balance between the uses of French braille versus other technologies such as text-to-speech.

Teachers’ Experiences with Literacy Instruction for Dual-Media Students who Use Print and Braille

Introduction This study analyzed survey responses from 84 teachers of students with visual impairments who had provided literacy instruction to dual-media students who used both print and braille. Methods These teachers in the United States and Canada completed an online survey during spring 2015. Results The teachers reported that they introduced braille to their students at the mean age of 7.8 years. The three most common reasons reported for introducing a student to braille were the student's diagnosis, print reading speed, and print reading stamina. The amount of instructional time in braille literacy varied widely, and slightly more than 60% of the students were initially introduced to uncontracted braille. The teachers reported that approximately half of their students were at or above grade level with their print literacy skills, but only about 25% were at or above grade level with their braille literacy skills. Discussion Both contracted and uncontracted braille were used when beginning braille instruction for students reading both print and braille. The roles of student motivation and confidence appeared to be important considerations when designing and providing braille literacy instruction. Implications for practitioners There are many factors that should be considered when determining if a student should transition from print to braille as a primary literacy medium. Motivating students to want to learn and use braille is critical. A comprehensive curriculum is needed for use with established print readers at various reading levels who are making the transition to braille.

The Reading Rates for Contracted and Uncontracted Braille of Blind Norwegian Adults

This article reports on a study of 35 late-blind Norwegian adults, aged 20-70, in reading equivalent texts and single words in contracted and uncontracted braille. The objective was to register their general reading behavior and to measure their reading rates for both types of Norwegian braille. Although the subjects’ reading rates increased when they read contracted versions of both the text passages and single words, their rates were higher with the contracted single words. Furthermore, the slow readers saved more time than did the fast readers when they read texts in which contractions were used frequently.