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sighted peers, such as braille, the Big Five area of literacy are still vital in their
literacy development.
As stated by Swenson (2011) in The ABC Braille Study: Results and
Implications for Teachers, "instruction must focus not on just the braille code,
but on basic reading processes". In other words, teachers of the visually
impaired need to teach beyond the braille code; students need to understand
the phonics behind the words they are reading and spelling. With adapted
lessons and materials, students can do just that - they can develop an
understanding of not just the braille code, but of the connections between the
letters and the sounds they are hearing in order to make meaning (Swenson,
1999).
Students with visual impairments or blindness are tactual learners,
which makes abstract concepts can be hard to grasp. It is important that
Teachers of the Visually Impaired utilize tactile, concrete objects that the
student can connect personal meaning to when teaching literacy (Swenson,
1999). Bags with tactual objects that represent pictures in a book can be
utilized to help the student gain meaning. This is a simple way in which
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