Teachers' Perspectives on the Use of the Moon Code to Develop Literacy in Children with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities
By McCall, Steve; McLinden, Mike; Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, Vol. 101, No. 10, pp. 601-612Publication Date: October 2007
Article describes a study conducted in the United Kingdom to examine teachers’ motivation and purposes for using the Moon Code to develop literacy skills in children with visual impairments and additional disabilities who are unable to read and write in Braille. The Moon Code is a line-based tactile code developed in England in the 1840s and has survived as a code for elderly people who are blind and lack the tactile sensitivity to read Braille. The study revealed that the teachers made the decision to begin literacy instruction with these children for reasons that were more complex than simply developing skills in reading and writing. The teachers viewed literary instruction as a way to increase a child’s self-esteem, social inclusion, and independence. Instruction in literacy also provided some teachers with a sense of purpose.
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
