36
speakers as young adults. Four reported they
could read and write braille in their native language. The ability to speak and read/write in
braille depended greatly on the age of the participant when he/she immigrated to the U.S. In general, the older the participants were when they
came to the U.S., the better they felt they were
able to speak, read, and write in their native languages. Every participant rated language as the
most important factor in their post-school success. However, school-based language services
were phased out within two years for all participants. Those who felt they were not proficient in
English found school and employment difficult.
Culture
It was difficult for the participants to separate culture from their religion, especially for participants who were Muslim. None of the participants received exposure or education about their
native culture at school with the exception of "All
Cultures Day" and special holiday celebrations.
Teachers made an effort to learn about the culture and religion in all but two of the cases. Maintenance of the native culture depended upon the
family and its level of acculturation to mainstream
American culture. Feelings of misunderstandings
and isolation were reported by many of the participants.
Personal Satisfaction
All participants reported that they were
highly satisfied with the educational services they
received in the U.S. They all got an education in
the United States that they would not have received in their native country, both in core content
and specifically for their needs due to their visual
impairment. Although the instructional time from
the TSVIs was reported as less than one hour per
week, participants were grateful for this time, as
the alternative was no services from a specially
trained TVI in their native country.
