VIDBE-Q Volume 64 Issue 4
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not be for the family. For instance, we know, based on diagnosis and
observed skills, the child is going to need braille to access literacy. Best
practice tells us to put braille into the home as soon as possible since
incidental braille-exposure doesn't occur the same way incidental print-
exposure does. However, if the family is not yet accepting of their new
journey, or if medical or other needs are still very pressing realities, this
may not be the real "next step."
Instead, we may need to spend extra time focusing on the precursors
to braille literacy yet also provide appropriate recommendations that fit
within the family's routines, priorities, and concerns. For example, we might
choose to focus instruction using sensory bins, touchy-feely books, and
rattles with varying textures. These activities, while not braille-specific, help
develop tactile skills which the child will clearly need, while allowing the
parents time to come to a place where bringing actual braille materials is a
more natural next step. Of course, that doesn't mean that some of the
touchy-feely books don't have braille inside, or that we don't focus on fine
motor skills like finger dexterity and tactile discrimination, we just might not
be very explicit about the child's need for braille quite yet. It is just as
important for us to give space for the family to understand and come to
