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http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/docs/services/Feelix%20guidelines.doc
Feelix Guidelines
for Parents and Other Readers of our
Braille Books with Kits These books are designed to be read to your child and any other interested members of your family, so that everyone can enjoy the magic of reading. The braille is placed as close to the print as possible to familiarise families with braille. The tactual materials that go with each story have been carefully chosen to give children experiences that help them become involved in the story. We are not attempting to replace illustrations, because the imaginary world of the story will be communicated through the language. Sometimes it is not possible to provide something that explains the real thing (such as a tiger). Other aspects of the story are therefore highlighted, so the child’s imagination can come into play. Simplicity is very important, so that your child can really explore the materials, feel the braille and listen to the stories, but not necessarily all at onc e! Most of all children need to have lots of contact with these books so that they begin to feel comfortable and familiar with braille books. The audio stories can assist with this, when no-one is able to read to them. We have tried to provide story readings that really engage the children and encourage them to want to follow the storyline. Also the auditory choice is one that will be available all their lives, particularly when braille materials are not available. Further, well-honed listening skills are a great asset for them as a learning tool. There are no rules for using these books. Each family and child will have their own approach. Your child may be interested in the braille and will learn some stories off by heart. This is a great way to get ready for reading. Most of all we hope the children will learn to love books and will want to have contact with them. They will be exposed to braille and will soon start to learn that it has meaning, in exactly the same way as a child with vision, learns that print says something. Sometimes in the kits there are little hand-sized books with simple tactile pictures in them. These are for your child to read along or to read independently. They are simple, but onc e your child is familiar with the story they can use the little handbooks to jog their memories about the story and retell the stories to themselves or to you. These little handbooks also aim to develop good searching hand movements, which will make your child’s tracking skills more efficient for braille reading. Devising ways to give your children who are blind or vision impaired, the same amount of information and experience, to help them enjoy a story is a great challenge. For example, in The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch your child could help you make the mustard sandwiches that are the turning point in the story…a smell or tiny taste of the mustard would give even more meaning to the story. In the story of Titch you could plant a fast growing seed for your child to feel its growth. When Lucy and Tom bury their Dad’s legs and feet in the sand so that onl y the toes are sticking out, your child needs to have a chance to do this at a suitable time, so that the experience becomes alive for him or her in future readings of the story. As two very experienced teachers write “It is easy for children who are vision impaired to miss part of an experience because they are focusing on onl y part of what is happening. Remember the story of the blind men and the elephant? Each touched onl y one part of the animal, and each has a severely limited and completely different impression of the beast. It is important for parents and teachers to find ways to present situations in their entirety.” Instructional Strategies for Braille Literacy. Diane P Wormsely & Frances Mary D’Andrea 1997). Reading aloud to children is recognised as one of the great joys of parenting. It is a time of wonderful fun and communication with your child and a time of closeness and warmth. You can play with the words and the rhymes. You can leave bits out to see if they notice or you can substitute a nonsense word. All these things make the experience fun and memorable for your child. You can place your child’s hands on the braille and move them along as you read the print. However, they may not be ready for this and they are more likely to do this spasmodically at first. Often we will not be able to provide a tactual aid that can adequately explain the subject (such as a haystack). Perhaps you can relate an experience they may have had to help them understand the concept of a haystack. A trip to a farm or when you went to the Show and felt some hay bales. Your child may want to draw the story or rewrite it in their own way. Scribbling and drawing are the precursor to writing and tactual pictures are easily drawn with a crayon and paper on a wire board. Alternatively, any medium for retelling a tale is terrific, the sandpit, the mudpatch, or in bed with their favourite toys. There are a variety of stories in the Feelix Library. Some cater for the very young and have very little language in them. Also, there are collections of Nursery rhymes. You will find all the old favourites with lots of funny words and rhymes. We have tried to provide stories that reach the needs of children from birth to six years, so for the older children there are longer and more complex stories. This however, does not mean that those stories are restricted for use with the older child. A young child may love to follow the story, but there will be a lot of braille on each page of these books. We do hope you enjoy the stories as much as your child. There is often a great deal to talk about when your child has heard the story a few times, and of course that’s what story telling is all about in every culture.
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