Some excerpts from an article prepared by Sylvie Kashdan and Robby Barnes on 
the very important topic of literacy for people who are blind or have low 
vision:



Notes on Literacy for New English Learners with Visual Limitations



by Sylvie Kashdan and Robby Barnes



1.  The Relevance of Literacy



In the United States today some degree and kind of literacy is important for 
all adults, for independence and dignity. Reading and writing play a role in 
most everyday tasks--at home, in stores, on the street, using public or 
private transportation, and at work. The more reading and writing we can do 
on our own, the more independent each of us can be and the more self-respect 
we can have. Literacy is also important for becoming more fully informed 
about issues and events of importance to us and letting others know what we 
think; for the pleasures of reading letters from friends and relatives, 
stories, poetry, etc. ... and writing our own.



Literacy is just as important for adults who are visually-impaired or blind 
as for anyone else. And it is no more difficult to acquire, given the proper 
assistance and support. Moreover, whether or not one is functionally 
literate, using either print or braille, plays a large part in one's quality 
of life. In today's job market, it strongly affects one's employment 
opportunities or lack thereof. Even for those who are not seeking paid 
employment, whether or not a person has and utilizes literacy skills plays a 
large role in how much self-respect, independence, access, inclusion and 
equal treatment that person can experience.



Many immigrants and refugees from countries outside the United States, 
Western Europe or Oceania never learned to read and write in their first 
language because of poverty and the need to go to work at an early age. 
Those who had visual impairments as children or developed them as adults 
often suffered from the lack of educational opportunities for students 
needing accessible formats, such as large print or braille.



Coming to the United States opens up new opportunities for blind and 
visually-impaired immigrants and refugees to acquire functional literacy in 
accessible formats, as part of acquiring the new language and beginning to 
feel more self-confident, becoming more independent in their everyday lives, 
and feeling as if they have greater general control over their futures.



With this in mind, it is vital that all of us--professionals and 
volunteers--who are involved in assisting blind and visually-impaired 
new-comers prioritize helping them to develop real functional literacy, not 
just oral English proficiency.



...



4.  Literacy for New English Learners Using Braille



Not everyone who is legally blind is totally blind. Most legally blind 
people have some remaining useful vision. If a new English learner is 
totally blind or has no useable vision, then she or he can and should learn 
English literacy using Braille. Even older adults can learn braille if they 
understand its value and have the motivation and persistence to learn. 
However, when the person is partially sighted or legally blind, with some 
useable vision, there may be a debate as to whether she or he should learn 
literacy with braille or large print. If the person can use large print 
without significant eye strain or fatigue, they may want to avoid what they 
view as the stigma of using braille and the challenge of learning a new way 
of reading and writing.



a.  Trends in braille literacy



After World War II and into the mid-1960s, many professionals involved in 
the rehabilitation of adults and children who were legally blind with 
limited vision encouraged the learning of literacy through braille. Although 
figures are difficult to come by, the American Printing House For the Blind 
found that in 1963 51 percent of legally blind school children in graded 
programs in public and residential schools combined, used Braille as the 
primary reading medium, and another 4 percent read both Braille and print. 
The APH also report that the percentage of Braille users has dropped 
steadily, reaching a low of less than 9 percent in 1993.



A number of studies have found a correlation between braille literacy and 
employment among both adults who are totally blind and those with low 
vision.



Additionally, consumer (self-advocacy) organizations of blind and 
visually-impaired people have expressed concerns about the decline in the 
percentage of those who are literate using braille, because of findings 
indicating that inadequate literacy skills reduce the ability of blind and 
visually-impaired adults to participate on an equal basis in society with 
their fully sighted peers.



...



CITATION: Kashdan, S. & Barnes, R. (2004), Notes on Literacy for New English 
Learners with Visual Limitations.  Workshop document, Kaizen Program for New 
English Learners with Visual Limitations; Seattle, U.S.A.



Copyright © 2004 Kaizen Program for New
English Learners with Visual Limitations







Kaizen Program for New English Learners with Visual Limitations 810-A 
Hiawatha Place S., Seattle, WA 98144, U.S.A.  phone:  (206) 784-5619 email: 
kaizen at literacyworks.org

web:  http://www.nwlincs.org/kaizen/



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Kaufmann" <steve at thelinguist.com>
To: "The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List" 
<englishlanguage at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 3:08 PM
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 4489] Re: Blindness and SLA


Many people learn languages without being able to read them. I presume that
blind people can do the same. I once knew a deaf mute Japanese student who
could communicate in 13 languages in writing. It is all a matter of
motivation.

Steve

On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 8:12 AM, Martin Senger <MSenger at gecac.org> wrote:


>  Pax et bonum all! (peace & goodness)

>

>

>

> Does anyone know of any research or information on blind people learning a

> secondary language?

>

>

>

>

>

> Martin E. Senger

>

>

>

>

>

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-- 
Steve Kaufmann
www.thelinguist.blogs.com
www.kpwood.com
604-922-8514



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