Skip to Content

Lesson 1: My Braille Story (for braille readers/learners)

Name(s) of students(s):
Age and grade level:
Goal or objective from IEP connected to lesson:

After completion of the lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Access and gather information from a resource.
  • Give an informative presentation about braille.
  • Schedule an appointment.
  • Use a preferred method for setting and meeting deadlines.
  • Solicit and use feedback from others to improve his or her communication skills.
  • Create and provide a print document for distribution.

Materials needed: electronic note taker, Internet access, calendar, printer.

Discussion

“As you pursue work opportunities, you will need to articulate your unique skills. You need to know what you are good at and be able to discuss your abilities with others. It is also necessary to be prepared to advocate for the accommodations you will need at work through disclosure of your disability. One way you can practice all of those skills is to give a presentation about braille to your peers on campus. Being able to read and write braille is a skill you should be proud of. If you are truly a good braille reader it will increase your employment opportunities. Think about the fact you are skilled in accessing the world of print through the use of braille on your refreshable braille display or braille note taker. Those are important skills you should feel comfortable and confident talking about. You never know, giving presentations may be one of your future work duties, and good leaders often have good public speaking and presentation skills. Completion of this activity will give you advanced practice with these skills and as a result, you will be able to add PowerPoint presentations to the list of acquired skills that you can discuss in a job interview.”

Activity 1: A Powerful Presentation

  • Instruct the student to develop a PowerPoint presentation about braille using the Braille Bug website as a resource. Encourage the student to use some of the activities from the What is Braille? section of the site to make the presentation interactive and engaging for the audience.
  • The PowerPoint presentation will be developed over a series of instructional sessions. Instruct the student to set deadlines in his or her calendar so he is prepared for the presentation in advance of the presentation date (see next step).
  • Have the student schedule a time to give the presentation (after school in the library, during a class period, on the school news show, etc.) with the appropriate school personnel. Encourage the student to take advantage of opportunities to promote braille during Braille Literacy Month in January or National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October.
  • Instruct the student to set standards for his or her performance. Prior to presenting in front of a larger group, have the student rehearse the presentation in front of a smaller audience. The student should take the opportunity to ask the audience to give feedback on the performance via a survey. Instructors may want to guide the audience to provide the student with realistic feedback. Require the student to create and print a survey which may include the following questions:

1.         Did the student speak naturally?
2.         Did the student stand during the presentation and move around some?
3.         Did the student vary the tone, pitch and volume of his or her voice?
4.         Did the student have good eye contact with the audience?
5.         Did the student stay within the set time limit?
6.         Did the student stay focused during the presentation, giving ample time for questions?
7.         Are there additional suggestions you would offer to improve the performance?

  • Instruct the student to evaluate his or her own performance using the same guiding questions. Encourage the student to practice his or her presentation in front of family or close friends and to get their feedback.  
  • If the student encountered a problem during his or her presentation, discuss how the problem was solved and, if necessary, evaluate the outcome of the solution to the problem.

Additional Resource from APH CareerConnect

Public Speaking Lesson Plan

Lesson Extensions (Optional)

  • Encourage the student to volunteer to lead a Braille Club at school teaching others how to braille the alphabet.
  • Encourage the student to mentor young braille readers/learners in his or her community.
  • Have the student write an article for the school newspaper or yearbook about braille.
  • Ask the student to create a bulletin board in the guidance office displaying professions in teaching braille (Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Braille Transcriber, etc.).

 

 

Progress notes:

 

Goal of next lesson: