CHAT Braille is Literacy 1/27/25 Donna Gonzaski to Everyone: Spring, TX Beth Pieters to Everyone: Iowa Shannon Miles to Everyone: Sioux Falls, SD Abby Peach to Everyone: Virginia Lisa Witten to Everyone: Tyler, Texas Christy Moody to Host and panelists: Deer Park, Texas Kristin Brown to Everyone: Brady,TX Cynthia Easter to Everyone: Fayetteville AR Judy Martinez to Everyone: Houston Tx Marinda Diehl to Everyone: Midland, TX Teresa Candelaria to Host and panelists: El Paso, TX Laura Hilliard to Host and panelists: Goldthwaite, TX Ketema Zeregaw to Everyone: DC Chrissy Cowan to Everyone: Chrissy from Austin Emily Coleman to Everyone: Austin! Kerri Barrera to Everyone: Midland, TX Deborah Davidson to Everyone: Nw MN Hillary Keys to Everyone: Dallas, TX Sumer Bellinder to Everyone: Pueblo, CO Linda Jordan to Everyone: Boerne, TX Lisa Witten to Everyone: That's why I saved all of my daughter's braille kid's books so she will be able to read to her children one day. Rosalba Wisner to Everyone: Kerrville,TX Lisa Witten to Everyone: What tech do you use to proof and edit? Beth Pieters to Everyone: I get questions about the cost of braille, the opportunities to read braille, they can get print easier, even if it's not easier for the kid! SUSIE WELIVER to Everyone: how do I get a 5 yr old willing to learn braille? He won't touch the braille text unless I take his hand there, and then he quickly takes it off. He's usually willing to touch tactile graphics. He only wants to scribble on his braille writer for short amounts of time, and not daily. He's not interested in learning the letters. He typically becomes fussy when he's asked to work on braille. He has no functional vision. His parents have purchased a braille writer and are fully interested in their child being a braille reader and writer. Beth Pieters to Everyone: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=NLS+eReader Madison Goswick to Everyone: Does anyone have any good resources for building fluency in braille readers? For your little one who does not want to touch braille, you could try to label his highly preferred toys with braille to show him that it can be fun too! Chrissy Cowan to Everyone: There are great ideas on Paths to Literacy. https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/ Chrissy Cowan to Everyone: Also Guidelines and Games for Teaching Efficient Braille Reading https://www.amazon.com/Guidelines-Teaching-Efficient-Braille-Reading-ebook/dp/B0B12W71HY Judy Martinez to Everyone: My student who is DB enjoys using Legos as his pastime. We have snuck in the braille Legos of which he has began to learn how to spell his name on the Lego board Shannon Miles to Everyone: I looked at this 6 dot brailler today! My regular braille labelers keep breaking! Deborah Davidson to Everyone: did something happen to sound or is it just my end? Kristin Brown to Everyone: My sound is good Crystle Castro to Everyone: Can you please put those in the chat? Kaycee Bennett to Everyone: https://www.actionfund.org/ Beth Pieters to Everyone: What ideas do you have to get students with low vision reading braille? I'm really struggling with the dual readers learning braille right now. They just aren't motivated and their teachers and parents don't support the braille either. Judy Martinez to Everyone: Are there any organizations that provide books etc. that do not require to be returned or exchanged? Crystle Castro to Everyone: I'm a resource/inclusion and have a VI student. Are there any already prepped resources that I can access that can help with time management for lessons? Madison Goswick to Everyone: My students LOVE when I use AI to use funny stories and jokes for them to read! Or I will use AI to generate stories on those high interest topics on their level. Madison Goswick to Everyone: I push out the AI generated AI text to their braille displays SUSIE WELIVER to Everyone: At times, that 5 yr old student is willing to "scribble" favorite, meaningful words such as mom, snow , car, squeaky bird, lunch, etc , I say the letters and he pushes whatever keys and then we clap. He's happy at least for the moment. Chrissy Cowan to Everyone: Thank you for saying that, Melissa! Beth Pieters to Everyone: Thank you, ladies!! Excellent points. Kaycee Bennett to Everyone: We have a Coffee Hour archived on the topic of pushing in to the classroom- https://www.tsbvi.edu/statewide-resources/professional-development/library/coffee-hour?k=closet&to=&y= Shannon Miles to Everyone: My kindergartner needs more time to learn braille! Madison Goswick to Everyone: I was going to say the same, Shannon!! I LOVE pushing in and do it as much as I can. But I really struggle with this. I just think the rate of my kinder studentŐs learning to read tactilely is slower than that of the classroom. Which there is nothing wrong with that! But that is why I have to pull him out some. If I do not it is frustrating. Linda Jordan to Everyone: thanks! Julie Majzel to Host and panelists: majzelj@tsbvi.edu