What about Braille?

MDPOBC encourages students to develop all the skills of blindness including Braille literacy and independent travel.  Through partnerships, MDPOBC helps create many special training opportunities for blind children in Maryland.  See Youth Empowerment Grants link.   The Division also promotes Braille literacy through Braille Story Hours and helping students enter national Braille contests, such as the Braille Challenge.

The BELL summer program is a two-week day program (weekends not included) designed to offer pre-kindergarten and elementary age low vision beginning Braille readers an opportunity to be immersed in Braille and increase the use of tactile skills for reading Braille. Children will receive Braille instruction daily as well as learn alternative techniques through arts and crafts, games, field trips, and other fun activities. Maryland conducts three BELL programs, one in Baltimore City for students in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and surrounding areas, one in Glendale for students in Montgomery County, PG County, and surrounding areas, and one in Salisbury for students in Wicomico County, Worcester County, Dorchester County and surrounding areas. Find out more about the BELL program here.

What should my child know about reading Braille and when should he know it?  What should my child know in order to use Braille to read math problems, show his work and compute the answer?  You will find the answers to these questions and more by going to the English Language Arts Frameworks and Mathematics Frameworks. 

Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Frameworks for Braille
English Language Arts Frameworks Download MS Word
Mathematics Frameworks Download MS Word
Appendix A: Braille, Formatting, and Tactile Graphics Alignment by Grade Download MS Word
Braille, Formatting, and Tactile Graphics Checklists By Grade Download MS Word