Authentic braille literacy development through interdisciplinary instruction and learning

Abstract

Incorporating braille across disciplines and into authentic settings may increase motivation and acquisition. This paper explores the merging of science content instruction with authentic braille literacy development using drama strategies during a summer camp for elementary students with visual impairments and the co-occurring teacher preparation for authentic braille instruction. This study measured braille proficiency in reading and writing and science content knowledge of student participants before and after the weeklong interdisciplinary summer camp. Pre-service teachers of students with visual impairments (TSVIs) that were co-teaching with in-service TSVIs also completed the braille proficiency measures in reading and writing. The interdisciplinary camp experience and culminating museum event described in the present study provides a potential model for how to design interdisciplinary learning experiences for students with visual impairments to develop braille literacy and science content understanding.