Accessible Test

Core Curriculum

Early Braille Trade Books

(Continued)
Purpose

To provide emergent and beginning braille readers with a wide selection of small books that provide practice and reinforcement of early reading skills and aid in the development of reading fluency

Project Staff

Jeanette Wicker, Project Leader

Dotta Hassman, Consultant

Cay Holbrook, Consultant

Frances Mary D’Andrea, Consultant

Anna Swenson, Consultant

Darlene Donhoff, Manufacturing Specialist

Frank Hayden, Technical Research Division Manager

Michael McDonald, Programmer

Erica Rucker, Research Assistant

Anita Rutledge, Design Specialist/Process Engineer

Rodger Smith, Programmer

BISIG Impact Group, Graphic Design
Background

The need for Early Braille Trade Books was identified by the Early Literacy Focus Group conducted by Suzette Wright in the summer of 2005. These small books for emergent readers are used in classrooms to support the reading curriculum and are available from several publishers. In the winter of 2006, APH conducted a reading survey to determine the types and series of leveled reading materials used by teachers of the blind and visually impaired.

Using information gained from the Early Literacy Focus Group and the customer surveys, the Wright Group Books were chosen for the first project. Cay Holbrook, Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, agreed to serve as the consultant for this project. In July of 2007, Holbrook along with five of the original members from the Early Literacy Focus Group of 2005 met in Louisville Kentucky to review and select books to be included in the kits.
Members of the work group included:

• 
  Anthony, Tanni, State Consultant on Visual Impairment, Colorado Dept. of Education, Denver, CO
  
• 
  Brasher, Jeanie, Teacher, Kentucky School for the Blind, Louisville, KY
  
• 
  D’Andrea, Frances Mary, Doctoral Student at the University of Pittsburg, Pittsburgh, PA
  
• 
  Hassman, Dotta, retired, Instructional Materials Center, Iowa Braille School, Vinton, Iowa
  
• 
  Swenson, Anna, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, Fairfax Co. Public Schools, Dunn Loring, VA
  

The group developed a final rubric, based on the work of Holbrook, for selection of books. They also reviewed 90 books from the Wright Group Sunshine Kits and determined the type of information about the book to include for the teacher. Hassman agreed to serve as a consultant to complete a text analysis of each of the books. One set of 13 books was selected for the development of an initial prototype to be used in field testing and review.
In FY 2008 the prototype of a kit of commercially available leveled books adapted for braille readers was completed. The initial design of the prototype included a commercially available book with braille overlays and a guide for teacher. The teacher’s guide would include the number and frequency of the braille contractions in the book, punctuation marks, and composition signs, as well as the theme of the book with connections to core curriculum and expanded core curriculum.
In the development of the prototype for field evaluation the format for the teacher’s guide changed from a print document to a web site hosted by APH. The web site allows the teacher to continually update the student record and access records of books. Anna Swenson became a consultant for the project and wrote the follow-up activities for each book.
Work during FY 2009

The prototypes, including the web site, were field tested from September 2008 to March 2009 at 15 sites with 22 different students. The evaluations were positive and teachers unanimously recommended that APH produce the book with braille label sets and make the web site available to customers. Changes and modifications were made to the materials and the web site based on reviewer’s feedback.

A work session with the original six members was held in the spring of 2009. Additional books were reviewed and three new sets were chosen to be added to the series. A total of two sets will be released in the fall of 2009 and two will be released in the winter of 2010.
Work planned for FY 2010

Two sets of nonfiction books at the first grade level will be made available to customers. Additional sets will be reviewed and selected for addition to the series.

Wilson Reading System

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Purpose

To provide a remedial reading program for students with visual impairments

Project Staff

Jeanette Wicker, Project Leader

Mary McCarthy, Consultant

Justine Carlone Rines, Consultant

Rosalind Rowley, Consultant

Katherine Corcoran, Model Maker

Darlene Donhoff, Manufacturing Specialist

Frank Hayden, Technical Research Division Manager

David McGee, Manufacturing Specialist

BISIG Impact Group, Graphic Design

Background

The Wilson Reading Program, with its well developed multi-sensory approach, is one of the most respected programs used to teach reading in the United States. This program has been used to teach reading to students with visual impairments who experience reading difficulties but is not available for sale in large print or braille. Teachers working with students at Perkins, Arizona, and North Carolina Schools for the Blind have reported good results.

The project was approved by PET and PARC committees in July 2006. Three teachers from Perkins School for the Blind, Justine Rines, Mary McCarty, and Roz Rowley, were contracted as consultants for the project. A contractual agreement was reached with the Wilson Reading Systems to produce the materials in braille and large print.
As there are many components to the system, it was decided to produce the Readers Levels 1, 2, & 3 in braille as quickly as possible since the readers required no modification.
The Student Readers 1, 2, and 3 became available for sale in braille in February 2008. The consultant from Perkins developed supplemental worksheets that reinforce braille skills and knowledge of braille contractions.
Work during FY 2009

The first six workbooks were translated and the supplemental worksheets were revised and translated for use in field testing. Work was begun on the prototypes of the Print/Braille Word Cards, Syllable Cards, Sound Cards, and Magnetic Tiles to be used in field testing.

The first three reader and the first six workbooks were reformatted for Large Type editions. The Readers and Workbooks became available in October 2009.
Work planned for FY 2010

Complete the prototypes of the remaining components of the Wilson Reading System. Select field evaluators and schedule field evaluation for the adapted Braille Materials in the winter of 2010.