Activity
Writing with a braille display: Scribbling part 2
Using a braille display for scribbling activities to build braille skills.
The first post in this series, Writing and editing with an iPad and braille display: Intro part 1, introduced the blinking cursor, how the iPad reacts when inputting braille letters and how to edit with a refreshable braille display. This post will focus on scribbling (precursor to writing letters) and the benefits of a refreshable braille display.
Scribbling
Scribbling with a crayon, marker or pencil is a precursor to writing letters. Students learn how to hold a writing tool and learn how to draw lines, circles and other shapes that eventually progress to letter writing. Students are also building fine motor skills necessary for writing letters and words. Just like kids with vision who scribble, emerging braille kids need opportunities to scribble using a Perkins Braille Writer and with a refreshable braille display. Braille scribbling is a precursor to writing braille letters and words. Students learn how to position their fingers on the Perkins-style keys and learn how to press different keys to create different raised dots and how to press various combinations of keys. Students are building muscle strength, isolated finger movements and muscle memory necessary for writing letters and words.
As a student progresses with scribbling, whether on a braille writer or a refreshable braille display, the student learns to associate the braille key with the position of the related braille dot in a braille cell. Associating the braille dot with the correct input key is a critical concept for braille reading and writing and can be confusing due to reading and writing having different layouts. A braille cell (reading layout) is a 2×3 array while a Perkins-style keyboard (writing layout) is 6 keys in a single row.
Image: Braille cell
Image: Perkins Braille Writer
The 6 braille keys on a Perkins Brailler are associated with dots 3, 2, 1, space bar, 4, 5, 6.
The 8 braille keys on a refreshable braille display are 7, 3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 8 with keys 7 (backspace) and 8 (Enter). The space bar is typically below the 8 keys.
Image: Braille display (20 cell)
Benefits of using a refreshable braille display
There are many benefits of pairing a braille display with an iPad versus using a Perkins Braille Writer for emerging braille readers.
- Reading and Writing: The traditional Perkins Braille Writer is a manual device (similar in concept and size to the old manual typewriter) requiring a significant amount of finger strength and isolated finger control. Young children tend to place several fingers on one key as they are physically unable to press hard enough with only one finger per key. When the keys are not pressed hard enough, ‘mushed’ braille is created, which is hard to read tactually. For many emerging readers, students who struggle with tactual discrimination or students who have motor issues, traditional paper braille may be challenging to create and read. Refreshable braille dots are always ‘crisp’ making the braille easier to tactually identify. The braille display only needs a very light touch to activate, requiring very little finger strength.
- Auditory: The braille display can be set to announce individual letters, words or sentences; this provides instant feedback – and student enjoyment – as the student types. Students incidentally learn through the auditory feedback even when they ‘scribble’ or play with different braille dot combinations. If desired, VoiceOver speech can also be muted so that the child can tactually read the braille without VoiceOver announcing the letter or word.
- Knowledge of Braille: Parents and general education classroom teachers with vision may be familiar and comfortable with iPads/iOS devices but are typically not familiar with braille. Since the print text on the screen is mirrored in braille on the braille display, classroom teachers can easily glance at the screen to see what the student is doing. In the classroom, teachers can edit the student’s document on the fly. The student’s work is instantly shown in both braille (on the braille display) and print (on the iPad screen). No more waiting for a Teacher of Students who are Visually Impaired (TSVI) to recreate the material in braille or to transcribe the braille back into print!
- Classroom Benefits: In the classroom, general education teachers take ownership of teaching reading and writing concepts, grammar, and skills, as they can instantly see what the student is doing and no longer have to rely on the TSVI to transcribe the student’s work.
- Motivation: There are motivating educational apps that can be played on the iPad paired with the braille display which make learning fun!
Resource
Scribbling activities
Scribbling can be done with both a Perkins Braille Writer and with a braille display paired with an iPad. With the braille display, open a new document in either the Pages app or Notes. Both are free, native Apple apps that work well with a braille display.
In order for each letter to be announced as the student scribbles, go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Typing > Typing Feedback > under Hardware keyboards, select Characters and Words
VoiceOver must be on for the braille display to work with the iPad.
Note: The following activities are a progression of activities; unless the student is already familiar with writing (or reading) braille letters, these activities should be introduced over a period of time. For most young students, simply scribbling for months is age appropriate.
Initially, simply allow the student to explore and play with the keys on the braille display. The only requirement is to have a gentle touch. Model how to press the keys and listen to VoiceOver announcing the letter that was created. Keep in mind that young students have very short attention spans! Step back and let the student play and enjoy the cause and effect of pressing keys. Exploring is pure joy!
If the student is ready for a more structured approach, interact with the student to introduce finger positions, to explore the raised dots, etc. while still providing opportunities for the student to independently explore and play.
- Introduce finger positions on the keys. As you talk about the keys, call them by their braille dot number. Encourage the student to press a combination of keys at the same time and to listen to the letter announcements.
- After pressing a key combination and hearing the letter, check out the raised dots that make the braille letter. Don’t worry about what the letter is – VoiceOver will announce the letter, but the student is scribbling and does not need to identify/read the letter tactually. (Although, it is great if the student does independently read and recognize the letter!)
- Explain the blinking cursor – the two pins that pop up and down, indicating where you are.
- If the student is familiar with the braille dot numbers (from other pre-braille manipulatives/activities), encourage the student to press one key and then feel the corresponding dot. Call the dot by its number.
- If the student has been learning to identify letters tactually, you can opt to Mute VoiceOver using M Chord (1 + 4 + 6 + space). Mute will silence VoiceOver announcements.
Scribbling allows the student to lead the activity. While it can eventually lead into you calling out key numbers to press, the assumption is that the student does not yet know the dot numbers in letters and is not yet identifying braille letters. For many students, scribbling will provide incidental learning – pressing a dot combination and hearing VoiceOver announcing the letter may click, helping the student learn specific letters!
Resources
- Getting Started with an iPad and Refreshable Braille Display post
- Scribbling with my son who is deafblind
Resources in this series
Resources
- Writing and editing with an iPad and braille display: Intro part 1
- Writing with a braille display: Scribbling part 2
- Writing with a braille display: Lists part 3
- Writing and editing with a braille display: Editing part 4
- Writing and editing with a braille display: Proofreading part 5
By Diane Brauner
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