So enjoy the rest of the newsletter, and don't hesitate to send any comments or ideas to me at bnobel@telus.net.

CBA Research Update

(Please Note: The CBA/BANA Standards/guidelines for Tactile Graphics will be published soon. Please check our website at www.canadianbrailleauthority.ca for updates)

Supporting General Education Classroom Teachers of Braille Reading Students (project in progress)

Students with visual impairments who read braille and are in inclusive environments spend the majority of their instructional time with general education classroom teachers.  However, there are few resources to support classroom teachers' full involvement with students in this population. 

The objective of this CBA project is to develop a two-tiered approach to preparing general education classroom teachers to work closely with a braille reading student who has been assigned to his or her classroom. 

The first part of this approach is the development of materials specifically designed to support classroom teachers.  The second part of this approach is the development of procedures for teachers of students with visual impairments throughout Canada to use and widely disseminate these classroom teacher materials.

Work on this project is on-going with completion expected by the end of summer.  A presentation about this project will be given at the international Council for Exceptional Children conference in April.  In addition, a conference proposal has been submitted to disseminate information about this project and this resource at the Canadian Vision Teacher conference in Ontario in fall, 2007.

The Characteristics of the School age Braille Reader (project in progress)

This research focused on the identification of the characteristics of school-aged children who use Braille as their primary medium for access to the development of literacy and numeracy. There are a number of very significant issues currently relevant to the use of Braille in Canada:

• consideration of contracted and uncontracted Braille in initial Braille instruction;
• discussion of the possibility of implementing the Unified English Braille Code;
• expansion of the access of literacy instruction for children with visual impairment and additional disabilities;
• and implications for the development of literacy for students who use Braille and an array of assistive technology during the early school years.

Despite the critical importance of these issues, we in Canada do not have access to a registry for students who use Braille. Currently, there is little known about the characteristics of the school-aged Braille reader. Given the recent increase in the number of students who a combination of media to access print (e.g., Braille, print, e-text), it is becoming increasingly difficult to plan for appropriate programs and services for the school-aged population without accurate information about the characteristics of Braille readers across our country.

Using an online and/or mail-in survey, the researcher collected specific information relevant to Canadian school-aged braille readers. From the estimated 600-630 braille readers, surveys were completed by teachers of students who are blind or visually impaired on approximately 300 students. This was an excellent response rate to this type of research instrument. From the surveys completed profiles for different groups (e.g., those who use both print and braille, students who use braille for functional purposes), descriptive information, and identification of educational programming needs will be identified.

Although analysis is still very much in the initial stages, the actual reading rate for braille readers has been identified as an area where resources should be focused to develop instructional materials appropriate for use in the inclusive setting.

An enormous amount of information has been gathered which will be invaluable to guide decision making in areas requiring both provincial and national strategies to address student educational needs.

The process of analyzing the information will be ongoing throughout the next several months. The results of this project should be available in early 2008.

ABC Study (project in progress)

This is the final year of the ABC Braille Study conducted by Vanderbilt University with support from American Printing House, SET-BC and CBLF. Debbie Sitar is observing and assessing the students on a one time visit in this final year. Many articles are being proposed for this important study which compares literacy for young braille readers who begin with either uncontracted or contracted braille. The results will begin to be published after the 2006-07 school year has ended. The CBLF funding ensured that Canadian children were included in this 5 year study.

Braille Competency Project (completed project)

In Canada today, most students who rely on braille as their primary reading medium are enrolled in the regular classroom for the majority of their instructional time. The inclusion of students who use braille in the regular classroom has created new challenges and perspectives on the instruction of braille literacy. Sometimes, the introduction of innovation creates discord or conflicts with established policies and efforts must be made to determine how best to maximize the benefits of both traditional and innovative practices. The Canadian Braille Authority (CBA) supports the right of all Canadians who require braille to have access to timely instruction in braille literacy and to have equal access to print information in braille. Since its inception in 1990, CBA has made significant contributions to the promotion of braille usage. Of particular importance has been the development of Standards for Teachers of Braille Reading and Writing. This document is the culmination of an extensive review of both research and best practices relevant to braille literacy instruction. Considerations such as the certification and course work completed by the teacher, hours of direct instruction for the student, and the role of the teacher of students with visual impairments were addressed.

CBA wants to ensure that the literacy needs of students who are blind or visually impaired are given high priority within education. As a follow-up to the circulation of the Standards for Teachers of Braille Reading and Writing, CBA undertook this project to identify a list of competencies for teachers of braille literacy, outline resources applicable to teaching braille literacy, survey young adults who use braille to obtain their perceptions on access to braille instruction in Canada, and finally, to dialogue with experienced teachers of students who use braille to attempt to describe the current status quo as it relates to braille literacy instruction for school-aged children across Canada.

Method

Because of the four different components of this project, methods varied in response to the specific task at hand. First, the five members of the CBA Teaching and Learning Committee, all with extensive experience in the instruction of braille, brought together existing information pertinent to the skills and knowledge in this area, i.e., competencies for teachers of braille literacy. Sources of information used to compile the list of competencies came from the Council for Exceptional Children's publication entitled What Every Special Educator Must Know: The International Standards for the Preparation and Certification of Special Education Teachers, a position paper from the Division on Visual Impairments of the Council for Exceptional Children and a document developed by the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority entitled A Checklist of Essential Knowledge and Skills for Teachers of Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired. Members of the CBA Teaching and Learning Committee organized the skills and knowledge into the following categories: assessment, teaching knowledge and skills, literacy support knowledge and skills, curriculum resources, attitudes toward literacy, and professional development. This list of competencies was then distributed for expert review to six experienced teachers of students with visual impairments (TSVI) to add or delete items. With these revisions made, the document was then reviewed by provincial experts from each province and revised once again. A copy of the competencies is found in Appendix A.

The second part of the project involved the development of a list of resources for use in the instruction of braille literacy. Items for this list were identified through the review of the literature on braille literacy instruction and searching the titles available from suppliers of educational resources/curricula across North America (e.g., American Printing House for the Blind) and websites specific to the education of students who are blind or visually impaired (e.g., Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, This provided an extensive list of the current resources available

For the third part of this project, a group of braille reading young adults who are blind or visually impaired were surveyed about their literacy skills, how they acquired those skills, the value they place on these skills with respect to their perceived literacy needs, and suggestions they would make for the instruction of braille literacy to school-aged students. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) mailed out approximately 900 braille copies of the survey to those between the ages of eighteen and thirty years of age. Twenty-two participants completed the survey. Responses were collated and recommendations for braille literacy instruction outlined.

While this response rate was low (2.4%), we believe that the responses were representative of the thoughts of this population and feel confident that this information is both valuable and informative.

Finally, to obtain additional information from another perspective, eleven TSVI were interviewed. Representatives from each of the ten provinces were included in the interviews which posed questions about the following issues:

• teaching braille literacy;
• the role of the TSVI, the classroom teacher and the paraprofessional;
• the recommended number of contact hours for braille instruction;
• the number of hours dictated for braille literacy instruction time in their respective provinces;
• the equity of services between rural and urban students in their respective provinces;
• information about how the need for braille literacy instruction is determined;
• the components of the braille literacy program which are given priority;
• the importance of functional literacy components in a braille literacy program; and
• the challenges students face relative to developing braille literacy in the inclusive classroom.

Information from the surveys was collated and themes relevant to braille literacy instruction across Canada were identified.

A full report on this project will be available shortly.

CBA has received a grant of $191,800 from the Government of Canada's Adult Learning, Literacy And Essential Skills Program, to conduct a two-year feasibility study for the Unified English Braille Code. 

Currently, braille users must learn different versions of braille to indicate words, math, computer notation or chemistry. Unified English Braille (UEB) may facilitate access to various types of information with a code that is consistent across subject areas.

UEB has been adopted in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Nigeria, have endorsed UEB for international use, but have not officially adopted the UEB code for general use. 

The goals of this research project are:

• To research the usability of the technical aspects of Unified English Braille for advanced math and computing
• To train workshop leaders in all provinces of Canada to provide an introduction to Unified English Braille to parents, teachers, and braille-using adults, and
• To develop lesson materials for transcribers and consumers to learn Unified English Braille.

The Magic of Braille

By Betty Osmond

On Sept. 3, 1977, at the age of 29, my ability to read and write was taken away by a car accident in which my husband was killed. As a result of this accident, I lost my vision and my sense of smell. After two months of convalescing, I was introduced to Braille through the CNIB Rehabilitation Teacher. I first used the slate and stylus and after two months of practice, I was able to write a Braille letter. I then moved on to using a Perkins Brailler, and after a year, I had my own. It was at this time that I started attending Adult & Continuing Education Classes. I was overwhelmed with this at first because all information presented to me was in Braille. I persevered with my education for two years and then continued on to university. I am still using this brailler today for labelling, agendas, writing reports, making out lists of names and phone numbers and many other aspects of record keeping. Braille has truly replaced the pen and paper in my world.

As president of the CCB E. A. Baker Club St. John's, I receive a lot of my reading material in Braille. I also use Braille recipes in baking. Braille playing cards are always a part of my recreational activities. At the present time I am helping my fiancé with his Braille lessons which he is taking through The Hadley School for the Blind.

I can honestly say that Braille has opened doors to allow me to move forward to help myself and to reach out to others.

Short Description of The Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) For The CBA Newsletter.

Submitted By: Elizabeth Mayo

The Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) was founded in 1944.  Our motto is "Faith, Service & Fellowship."

The Canadian Council of the Blind is a co-founder of The Canadian Braille Authority.  Our organization has its national office in Ottawa Ontario, and it is made up of clubs/chapters in every province across the country.  We are membership driven and the larger percent of our members are legally blind.  In addition to the Recreational & Social functions which occur at the chapter level, we are the only truly national Canadian consumer organization in the country representing the needs and concerns of people who are visually impaired. 

Many of our members are Braille users.  We receive a lot of requests to have documents transcribed into Braille.  Some of these documents are:  The CCB Constitution & By Laws, Our monthly Newsletter, The Provincial Budgets and The Human Rights Document. 

For more information about The Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), go to www.ccbnational.net.

Braille Conference Panel Overview

By Graham Stoodley

The panel discussion that opened this year's Braille Conference featured three braille-loving blind people whose lives exemplified the pursuit of excellence in various areas that enriched their lives. The panel consisted of Dr. Lori Kernohan, Shep Shell and Geoff Eden, with Graham Stoodley as panel moderator.

Lori Kernohan explained how she pursued her doctorate in music with the help of braille, and she concluded her presentation by playing a short piece on her recorder (the instrument, not the machine). It was a lovely, audible demonstration of her skill.

Shep Shell described his arrival in Canada as a young child, and growing up in Winnipeg where he attended university, but it was his enduring interest in sports, despite his low vision, that made his talk particularly interesting. He had competed for Canada in the 1988 paralympics, and had undertaken a weeks-long cycling challenge to raise money for charity.

Geoff Eden described his lifelong interest in technology, amateur radio and auto mechanics, his work with the CNIB and then for the city of Toronto in disability access and awareness. Geoff explained how he had been forced to recognize the importance of braille in his life when multiple sclerosis robbed him of the ability to read braille, and forced him to seek alternatives that were never quite as satisfactory as braille in his work or his daily life.

At the close of the panel discussion, the panel briefly discussed the importance of braille in the functional literacy of those with vision loss, especially young children whose vision is expected to deteriorate in later life, for whom learning braille when young will provide a literacy tool that can prove invaluable in later life and employment.

The panel was an uplifting beginning to a conference that continued to celebrate the importance of braille.

CBA/BANA Tactile Graphics Committee Update

In 2001 a CBA/BANA joint committee was formed to determine a best practice model for producing tactile materials using all available methods. 3 phases of this work had already been completed by CBA beginning in the early 90s. The BANA board recognized the work done by CBA and the joint committee was created.

The committee is comprised of 3 members from each country and co-chaired by John McConnell, Director Programs for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired, APSEA, and Lucia Hasty (Chief Executive Officer Rocky Mountain Braille Associates).

The members of the Joint BANA/CBA Tactile Graphics Committee are:

Lucia Hasty (Co-chair)
Chief Executive Officer
Rocky Mountain Braille Associates
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

John McConnell (Co-chair)
Director of Programs for Students Who Are Blind or Visually impaired
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Allison O'Day
Certified Braille Proofreader
Minnesota State Services for the Blind
Materials Resource Unit for the Minneapolis,
Minnesota, USA

Irene Miller
Braille Services Supervisor,
Alberta Education
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Diane Spence
Director Braille Services
Region 4 Education Service Center
Houston, Texas, USA

Aquinas Pather
Tactile Graphics Instructor
CNIB Library
Tactile Department
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The aim of the committee is to produce guidelines for the standardization of the production of tactile graphics and suggest ways for producers to create clear and understandable tactile materials of all types.

The items depicted tactually encompass subject areas as diverse as Guidelines for Mathematical diagrams, mobility maps, geographical material including area maps, bar graphs, pie charts, biology illustrations and physics diagrams. All aspects of tactile production are dealt with, including a list of suppliers where raw materials can be obtained, and suggested ways of standardizing production methods for conveying visual information.

The committee's work is nearing completion and will be reviewed by both the BANA and CBA boards in 2007.

Once the Guidelines are disseminated they will be a long awaited resource to all producers of tactile material, particularly for those new to designing material in a tactile medium.

Revision of CBA By-Laws

The CBA Executive is currently reviewing the By-Laws and considering where changes and revisions are needed. At the AGM in Quebec City in 2006, suggestions were made regarding some restructuring. One suggestion was that the current membership and executive structure does not provide the major Braille decision makers in Canada's Braille world a strong enough voice in CBA and that as a result the CBA is not being regarded as the voice of Braille in Canada. Other Braille authorities through out the world are primarily made up of representatives from different Braille-related constituencies.

The following questionnaire is intended as a survey to gather input from CBA members that may assist in our decision making.

Please answer the questions below. If you wish to elaborate on your answer please do so. Completed questionnaires and additional comments should be sent to bnobel@telus.net .