AFB Press / AFB Bookstore, a division of the American Foundation for the Blind

P.O. Box 1020
Sewickley, Pennsylvania 15143
United States
Telephone: 800-232-3044 or 412-741-1398.
Fax: 412-741-0609.
Web: http://www.afb.org/store/.
Email: afborder@abdintl.com.

Products manufactured by AFB Press / AFB Bookstore, a division of the American Foundation for the Blind (listed alphabetically)

1. AFB BRAILLE ALPHABET CARD

   The AFB Braille Alphabet Card is a braille alphabet card designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. The card is embossed with the braille alphabet and braille numbers, and includes an explanation of braille and a short history of its development. DIMENSIONS (HxW): 9x 4 inches.

2. BEGINNING WITH BRAILLE: FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCES WITH A BALANCED APPROACH TO LITERACY

   Beginning with Braille: Firsthand Experiences with a Balanced Approach to Literacy, by Anna M. Swenson, is a manual for teaching braille designed for use by teachers of children who are blind or have low vision. The text provides activities for promoting literacy at the early stages of braille instruction. It includes creative and practical strategies for designing and delivering braille instruction and offers suggestions for reading aloud to young children, selecting and making early tactile books, and teaching tactile and hand movement skills. Tips are provided on designing worksheets, introducing braille contractions, teaching the use of the braille writer, and facilitating the writing process in braille. Chapters also address guidelines for individualizing instruction, the literacy needs of students with additional disabilities, and assessment of student progress in developing literacy skills. The original publication date was 1998.

3. BRAILLE BUG ALPHABET CARD

   The Braille Bug Alphabet Card is a braille alphabet card designed for use by children who are blind or have low vision. This colorful card is designed to help teach the braille alphabet. It is embossed with the braille alphabet, numbers, and commonly used punctuation. The reverse features a brief description of braille and how it is used. DIMENSIONS (HxW): 9 x 3 inches.

4. BRAILLE LITERACY: A FUNCTIONAL APPROACH

   Braille Literacy: A Functional Approach, by Diane P. Wormsley with contributions by Frances Mary D'Andrea, is a manual for teaching braille designed for use by teachers of individuals who are blind or have low vision and cognitive disabilities. The book is a practical resource for teachers of students challenged by learning braille through traditional methods because of additional physical or cognitive disabilities, the inability to speak English well, or difficulty in making the transition from print to braille. This manual presents a step-by-step approach to teaching the reading and writing of braille to both children and adults, using a functional approach based on concepts and vocabulary with meaning and utility to the reader. Key areas covered include creating braille-rich environments, selecting and teaching key words, teaching tactile perception skills, encouraging writing skills, creating stories, and keeping records. A separate section suggests ways to reach special groups, such as learners with mild to moderate cognitive disabilities, severe to profound cognitive disabilities, and multiple physical and cognitive disabilities. Sample forms are included. The original publication date is 2004. The manual is available as a 124-page paperback (ISBN 0-89128-876-7) or on ASCII disk (ISBN 0-89128-877-5).

5. BRAILLE TRAIL: AN ACTIVITY BOOK

   The Braille Trail: An Activity Book, by Frances Mary D'Andrea and Anna M. Swenson, is a manual for teaching braille designed for use by teachers of children who are blind or have low vision. The book provides an introduction to braille with games, graphics, activities, and information on braille, assistive technology used by people who are blind or visually impaired and are by readers of braille, and the biographies of Helen Keller and Louis Braille. The book is based on the Braille Bug, which inhabits AFBÆs web site at http://www.afb.org/braillebug. It teaches sighted children about braille and encourages literacy among all children. This 42-page paperback book includes braille sheets. ISBN: 0-89128-863-5. OPTIONS: The Braille Trail Parent/Teacher Guide, a 26-page paperback (ISBN 0-89128-862-7).

6. BURNS BRAILLE TRANSCRIPTION DICTIONARY

   The Burns Braille Transcription Dictionary, by Mary F. Burns, is a braille dictionary designed for use by producers of braille text for individuals who are blind or have low vision. This handbook is a reference tool for checking print-to-braille and braille-to-print meanings and symbols. It provides the braille alphabet, contractions, punctuation, and signs and symbols for braille, as well as brief descriptions of rules for their use. The handbook is organized into four sections aimed at providing information at a glance. This 96-page paperback can be used as a reference by teachers, rehabilitation professionals, braille transcribers, parents, signage companies, architects, and graphic artists. The original publication date was 1992. ISBN: 0-89128-232-7.

7. FOUNDATIONS OF BRAILLE LITERACY

   Foundations of Braille Literacy, by Robert L. Baker, Alan J. Koenig, Evelyn J. Rex, and Diane P. Wormsley, is a manual for teaching braille designed for use by teachers of students who are blind or have low vision. This text addresses the teaching of braille reading and writing in the context of literacy in general, the whole language approach, and the way in which print reading and writing are taught. Both a theoretical framework and practical applications for instruction in braille literacy are provided. The manual can be used in university training programs and by practicing educators of children and adults who are visually impaired. The original publication date is 1995. The book is available in a Braille edition (ISBN 0-89128-935-6) or 153-page paperback print edition (ISBN 0-89128-934-8).

8. GUIDELINES AND GAMES FOR TEACHING EFFICIENT BRAILLE READING

   Guidelines and Games for Teaching Efficient Braille Reading, by Sally S. Mangold and Myrna R. Olson, is a manual for teaching braille designed for use by teachers of individuals who are blind or have low vision. It presents a general reading program adapted to the needs of braille readers, based on research in the areas of rapid reading and precision teaching. Educational braille games are included. This 116-page paperback was originally published in 1981. ISBN: 0-89128-105-3.

9. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR BRAILLE LITERACY

   Instructional Strategies for Braille Literacy, edited by Frances Mary D'Andrea and Diane P. Wormsley, is a manual for teaching braille designed for use by teachers of individuals who are blind or have low vision. This handbook provides instructors with strategies and methodologies for teaching braille. It is intended to help pre-service and in-service teachers develop their instructional literacy and braille skills, and provides information on working with children who have congenital or adventitious visual impairments as well as students with additional disabilities or who are speakers of English as a second language. Resources for teachers and effective techniques suggested by experienced braille instructors are also included. This 472-page paperback was originally published in 1997. ISBN: 0-89128-936-4.