The Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study examined the reading and writing skills of young braille-reading students. Students who were introduced to more contractions earlier in instruction performed better on reading measures, such as vocabulary, decoding, and comprehension, but all students did well in spelling. Thus, the authors conclude that literacy instruction should focus primarily on basic reading skills.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BiggsI. (1950). The introduction of grade two braille in the primary grades. Outlook for the Blind, 44, 103–105.
BriganceA. H. (1999). Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills–Revised (CIBS-R).North Billerica, MA: Curriculum Associates.
4.
CarreirasM., & AlvarezC. J. (1999). Comprehension processes in braille reading. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 93, 589–595.
5.
CrandellJ., & WallaceD. H. (1974). Speed reading in braille: An empirical study. New Outlook for the Blind, 68, 13–19.
6.
DanemanM. (1988). How reading braille is both like and unlike reading print. Memory & Cognition, 16, 497–504.
7.
DavidsonP. W., AppelleS., & HaberR. N. (1992). Haptic scanning of braille cells by low- and high-proficiency blind readers. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 13, 99–111.
8.
DavidsonP. W., Wiles-KettenmannM., HaberR. N., & AppelleS. (1980). Relationship between hand movements, reading competence and passage difficulty in braille reading. Neuropsychologia, 18, 629–635.
9.
EdmondsC. J., & PringL. (2006). Generating inferences from written and spoken language: A comparison of children with visual impairment and children with sight. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 24, 337–351.
10.
GompelM., van BonW. H. J., & SchreuderR. (2004). Reading by children with low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 98, 77–89.
11.
GompelM., van BonW. H. J., SchreuderR., & AdriaansenJ. J. M. (2002). Reading and spelling competence of Dutch children with low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 96, 435–447.
12.
HarleyR. K., TruanM. B., & SanfordL. D. (1997). Communication skills for visually impaired learners.Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
13.
HasbrouckJ., & TindalG. A. (2006). Oral reading fluency norms: A valuable assessment tool for reading teachers. The Reading Teacher, 59, 636–644.
14.
HellerM. A., & MitchellB. Y. (1985). Helping new braille readers: Effects of spacing, finger locus, and gloves. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 61, 363–369.
15.
HendersonF. (1960). Little bumps that say something. Exceptional Children, 26, 261–266.
16.
HerzbergT. S., StoughL. M., & ClarkC. M. (2004). Teaching and assessing the appropriateness of uncontracted braille. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 98, 773–779.
17.
JohnsJ. (2001). Basic reading inventory: Pre-primer through grade twelve and early literacy assessments.Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
18.
JohnsonL. (1989). Let's teach grade one braille. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 83, 491–493.
19.
KoenigA. J., & FarrenkopfC. (1995). Assessment of braille literacy skills.Houston: Region IV Education Service Center.
20.
LorimerJ. (1990). Improving braille reading skills: The case for extending the teaching of braille reading to upper primary and lower senior classes. British Journal of Visual Impairment, 8, 87–89.
21.
LowenfeldB., AbelG. L., & HatlenP. H. (1968). Blind children learn to read.Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
22.
MangoldS. S. (2000). Trends in the use of braille contractions in the United States: Implications for UBC decisions. Braille Monitor, 43, 12–16.
23.
McBrideV. (1974). Explorations in rapid reading in braille. New Outlook for the Blind, 68, 8–13.
24.
MillarS. (1987). Perceptual and task factors in fluent braille. Perception, 16, 521–536.
25.
MillarS. (1997). Reading by touch.London: Routledge.
MoustyP., & BertelsonP. (1992). Finger movements in braille reading: The effect of local ambiguity. Cognition, 43, 67–84.
28.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved December 31, 2008, from http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/smallbook.cfm
29.
NolanC., & KederisC. (1969). Perceptual factors in braille word recognition.New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
30.
NorthcottC. R. (2002). The impact of braille contractions on the quality of diagnostic information using informal reading inventories with beginning braille readers. Unpublished master's thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
31.
OlsonM. R. (1977). The effects of training in rapid reading on the reading rate and comprehension of braille and large print readers. (Doctoral dissertation, University of North Dakota, 1977). Dissertation Abstracts International, 37, 4287–4288.
32.
PearsonP. D. (2000). Reading in the 20th century. In GoodT. (Ed.), American education: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow (pp. 152–208). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
33.
PikulskiJ. J., & ChardD. J. (2005). Fluency: Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 58, 510–519.
34.
PringL. (1982). Phonological and tactual coding of braille by blind children. British Journal of Psychology, 73, 351–359.
35.
PringL. (1984). A comparison of the word recognition processes of blind and sighted children. Child Development, 55, 1865–1877.
36.
SimonC., & HuertasJ. A. (1998). How blind readers perceive and gather information written in braille. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 92, 322–330.
37.
SnowC. E., BurnsM. S., & GriffinP. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children.Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
TrentS. D., & TruanM. B. (1997). Speed, accuracy, and comprehension of adolescent braille readers in a specialized school. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 91, 494–500.
40.
TroughtonM. (1992). One is fun: Guidelines for better braille literacy.Brantford, Ontario, Canada: Dialatype.
41.
WormsleyD. P. (1996). Reading rates of young braille-reading children. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 90, 278–282.
42.
WormsleyD. P., & D'AndreaF. M. (1997). Instructional strategies for braille literacy.New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
43.
WrightT., WormsleyD. P., & Kamei-HannanC. (2009). Hand movements and braille reading efficiency: Data from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 103, 649–661.
44.
ZiegelH., & OstendorffM. E. (1953). Why make braille more difficult for beginners?International Journal for the Education of the Blind, 2, 182–183.
