Emergent Literacy

More about...
Literacy & Braille

Emergent literacy refers to the cognitive knowledge children gather about language, reading, and writing before they learn to read. This knowledge is the foundation for success in literacy later in the educational process. (Note the difference from prebraille skills, which are physical and tactile.) For children with visual impairments, emergent literacy must include tactile experiences integrated with verbal language. Teachers will find many resources for fostering emergent literacy, including creating tactile books, story boxes, and language experience stories.

Story Boxes and Tactile Books

Creating Tactile Books, American Foundation for the Blind
This article offers guidelines and good topics for stimulating books for parents to make with their children.

Making Tactile Books, Tactile Book Advancement Group
This organization offers advice and information on the design and creation of tactile books, including guidelines for commercial publishers for small changes that will make their products more accessible to children with visual impairments.

Online Resources

Center for Early Learning (CELL)
CELL is committed to the adoption of evidence-based early literacy learning practices. If you are looking for parent, practitioner, and adaptation guides that are evidence-based, bookmark this link. There are lots to explore!

Emergent Literacy, Paths to Literacy
This section of the Paths to Literacy website offers an introduction to emergent literacy, tips for helping young children to develop emergent literacy skills, suggestions for developing routines, story box ideas from Norma Drissel, tactile experience books, pre-braille, emergent writing, early literacy and students with multiple disabilities, and technology and emergent literacy. Users may post content, including strategies, technology, resources, and research. There is also a forum for questions and answers related to braille literacy.

Research

Literacy in Early Intervention for Children with Visual Impairments: Insights from Individual Cases, Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
"A qualitative case study" that provides "practical insights into the role of the early interventionist in supporting early literacy development."

Emergent Literacy: A New Perspective
J.M. Stratton "explores the fit between emergent literacy and the learning needs of children who are blind or visually impaired"; includes literature overview.