Braille Reading Pals - Early Literacy Program
A Pre-readers Program
Ages 0 - 7
Is your child an independent Braille reader? Braille Readers Are Leaders is a national contest for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade who read Braille. Please visit us Online for more information.
Fall Registration is Now Closed for the Braille Reading Pals Program
Fall Program Dates: October 1, 2009-November 30, 2009
Prize Entry Form Deadline: December 1, 2009-January 8, 2010
Braille Reading Pals is an early literacy program that gently encourages and rewards parents for reading daily with their blind or low vision children ages 0-7 (or older if the children have developmental delays) who are not yet reading. Sponsored by the Jernigan Institute, this free two-month Fall Program begins October 1 and concludes November 30.
The purpose of the program is two-fold:
- to increase parents' knowledge about Braille and the importance of early literacy experiences for their blind children, and
- to help parents promote early literacy skills, a love of reading, and a positive attitude about Braille through daily reading with their blind children over a two-month period.
Here's How the Program Works . . .
- Fill out and mail in the Braille Reading Pals Registration Form (word file), or use the online form to register. Both versions are available by following the appropriate link near the top of this page during registration periods.
- By October 1 you will receive a packet of materials for the program. It will include a prize entry form, a reading journal booklet, a reading journal wall chart, a print-Braille children's book, a large stick-on label sheet filled with your child's name in Braille, a Beanie Baby Reading Pal, instructions about how to complete the program, a Braille alphabet card, a paperback book about the importance of Braille in the lives of blind people, a booklet about reading Braille books with young blind children, and resource information about sources of children's print-Braille books. If your child is four years old or older, the packet will also include additional articles about how to discuss and explain blindness to your child and a special print-Braille book for your child featuring a blind character. After receiving the packet, here's what you do:
- Schedule time to read to your child a minimum of fifteen minutes a day through the months of October and November. Note: We will honor any sincere effort to participate in the program as fully as your schedule will permit. If you start before October 1, that's okay, too. However, we will only ask that you keep a log for the months of October and November. You will not be penalized for failing to read daily or reading less than fifteen minutes a day.
- Read the articles and other literature. Even if you have done the program before, review the literature again to refresh your memory. If your child is age 4 or older, be sure to read the additional materials about discussing and explaining blindness to a child.
- As much as possible, read from print-Braille books so that your child becomes accustomed to "seeing" Braille on a regular basis and begins to associate Braille with the pleasure of reading. To help you get started, your packet includes a print-Braille book for you and your child to keep.
- Find the label sheet with your child's name in Braille, cut out a name, and stick it on the print-Braille book enclosed in your packet. You can use the rest of the name labels for other favorite books, toys, and so forth.
- Introduce the Beanie Baby Braille Reading Pal to your child. Explain that this is his/her Reading Pal to keep, BUT it only comes out when it is time to read. The Reading Pal is never played with any other time--only during reading time. Ask your child to name his/her Reading Pal, and encourage your child to develop a personality for the Reading Pal. You may want to discuss what type of animal it is, what type of voice it would have, and so forth. There are lots of possibilities for reading games with your Braille Reading Pal. Be creative, use your Because Books Matter: Reading Braille Books with Young Blind Children booklet and other literacy materials to get ideas. Don't be dismayed or disappointed; however, if your child doesn't like the Beanie Baby. You can do the program with a substitute or with different objects that illustrate the book. The time your child spends with you while reading is what is most valuable.
- Get into a comfortable position where your child can begin to independently hold the book, feel the Braille, and turn the pages. In the beginning, you just want him/her to get the concept that reading involves holding a book, touching Braille, and turning pages. Most importantly, do not hold or move your child's hands to "force" them to look. Please see Because Books Matter: Reading Braille Books with Young Blind Children, pages 9-10, for an explanation of how to guide your child's hands.
- Every time you read, make a habit of filling out the journal for that date. You may choose to use the journal booklet, the journal wall chart, or both. It will take less than 30 seconds to initial it, date it, fill in the amount of time read, make a couple of yes or no notations, and add a brief comment about the reading activity for the day.
- PRIZES TO SHARE! Between December 1, 2009, and January 8, 2010, mail, fax, or e-mail your reading journal and the "We Did It!" one-page entry form to Braille Reading Pals, and get neat Braille prizes to share with your child. We would like to say thank you to the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), a division of the National Federation of the Blind, for providing the Braille prizes for our Braille Reading Pals Program. Please visit the NOPBC main page for more great information.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about the Braille Reading Pals Program, please send an e-mail to:
