Contracted Braille

1. Contracted Braille

2. Background Information • Since the 1950s most published materials from the American Printing House for the Blind and other braille producing organizations have been produced in Grade 2 Braille • Most instruction provided to braille reading students in both local and specialized schools has been in the contracted form.

3. Characteristics of a Student Who Might be a Candidate for a Braille Reading Program • Shows preference for exploring the environment tactually (explores object or toy tactually, uses tactual means to travel and explore the environment, etc.). • Efficiently uses the tactual sense to identify small objects. • Identifies her name in Braille and/or understands that Braille has meaning. • Uses Braille to accomplish other prerequisite reading skills.

4. Charateristics - continued • Has an unstable or progressive eye condition • Has a poor prognosis for retaining current level of vision in the future • Has a reduced or nonfunctional central field that print reading is inefficient • Shows steady progress in developing tactile skills necessary for braille reading • Is free of additional disabilities that would interfere with progress in a developmental reading program in braille

5. Features of Contracted Braille - Single symbols represnt words so fewer characters to read - Contracted Braille is the current signage for Braille in the United States so it is found in the environment - Currently more reading material is available in contracted Braille - Learning contractions from the beginning eliminates the need to relearn contractions later on - Make reading / writing quicker - Occupies less space, reduces bulk of material -Books / magazines are produced in contracted braille

6. Factors to Consider with Contracted Braille for Reading • Key Factor #1 Contractions facilitate Braille reading, but they should be introduced at a rate appropriate for each student’s ability and interest.

7. Key Factor #2 Reading is a process. Overemphasis on Braille instruction in isolation can distract from the process of learning to read and write.*

8. Implications for Instruction • Consider introducing contractions more slowly if the student is… • unable to follow along in silent reading and due to time needed to decode contractions • unable to recall and write both contracted and uncontracted spellings of words • unable to tell about what has been • read after a sentence or two

9. The TVI’s Role • As a TVI, your role is NOT just teaching the braille code. • You can make a difference by… • Working within the classroom, with teachers and paraprofessionals • Making sure that classrooms are braille accessible • Teaching reading along with the classroom team

10. Regarding the Use of Contracted Braille Question 1 • Are there differences in reading rates and comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, word recognition, and reading achievement levels of children who are initially taught contracted braille as compared to those who are initially taught uncontracted braille?

11. A higher number of contractions is statistically related to higher achievement on the Johns Basic Reading Inventory in each grade from 1 to 4. • There was no correlation between the number of contractions taught and the reading speed as measured on the Johns Basic Reading Inventory.).

12. Question 2 Are there differences in writing, vocabulary, and spelling abilities of children who are initially taught contracted braille as compared to those who are initially taught uncontracted braille?

13. Spelling errors from writing samples of both groups showed that most errors were unrelated to Braille. The uncontracted Braille group made more spelling errors, but the errors of contracted Braille readers were more often related to the Braille code. • Students who used the most contractions wrote longer passages than those who used the least contractions.

14. Question 3. Are there differences in the quantity and quality of literacy and interactive experiences in general education classrooms, the home environment, and in the community of children who are initially taught contracted braille as compared to those who are initially taught uncontracted Braille?

15. More of the most socially interactive students were contracted readers as compared to the uncontracted group. • No differences in the classroom environment and setting between the groups were identified. • Parents of the high achieving students were more likely to know Braille; they read to their children more often and were more likely to have their own Braille libraries.

16. Question 4. Are there differences in attitudes toward reading and writing in children who are initially taught contracted braille as compared to those who are initially taught uncontracted Braille?

17. Contracted Braille readers expressed more negative comments about braille, but both groups had positive and negative comments about their Braille experiences.

18. Uncontracted Braille Facts • Instruction in the use of alphabetic braille has become a hot topic across the state and nation. • Also known as uncontracted or Grade 1 Braille, the term refers to a Braille code made up of the letters of the alphabet, punctuation symbols and the number sign. It has 180 rules.

19. Contracted Braille Facts • Contracted or Grade 2 Braille consists of the alphabet • Plus 189 one cell and two cell contractions representing various combinations of letters. • Contracted Braille, with 450 rules, is a more complex system of letters plus whole word and part word contractions.

20. All research and ongoing discussions with practitioners, and survey results point to adding alphabetic Braille as an instructional strategy, rather than advocating taking away Grade 2 Braille.

21. As in all decisions, careful consideration and assessment should determine the child's learning media. If a child is successfully progressing using contractions, clearly he/she is learning in the most appropriate medium

22. For most Braille readers wishing to access published literature at the highest speed, the goal will be to master all of Grade 2 Braille. • Currently, standardized tests such as the TAKS, are produced in Grade 2 Braille, as are most other normed test materials.

23. Should we completely switch from contracted to uncontracted braille? The alphabetic Braille code can be an entry for many who, once hooked on the excitement of fluent reading, transition into more advanced literacy instruction. In some areas of Canada and a few American districts, Braille readers move to contracted reading in upper elementary grades.

24. Resources • Braille Literacy a Functional Approach by Diane Wormsley, AFB Press,www.afb.org • Reading for Everyone: Expanding Literacy Options, by Cyral Miller, www.tsbvi.edu • To Contract or Unccontract? Is This Still the Question for the Beginning Braille Reader? by Ann Rash, www.tsbvi.edu • Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study, Results of a Longitudinal Study, APH, 2002-2007. • Study on contracted Braille-ABC braille study APH • Should We Be Teaching Children Grade 1 or Grade 2 Braille? By Claire Wilson, Originally published in RNIB’s VISABILTY Magazine, Summer 2005, www.viewbraille.co.uk/ggrade1or.htm. • Louis Braille and the Braille System, prepared by Joseph Sullivan, www.duxburysystems.com, used with the permission for Perkins School for the Blind, www.perkins.org • The Challenges of Providing Appropriate Literacy Instruction for Students with Visual Impairments, M. Cay Holbrook & Alan J. Koenig, www.icevi.org