Have you ever wanted to learn Braille (the tactile reading and writing system for the blind)? Whether you are interested because:
- you have a friend or family member with a visual impairment
- you are a parent of a visually impaired child
- you are a teacher preparing to welcome a blind student into your classroom
- you are a teacher of the visually impaired with a caseload of academic braille readers
- you are a reading specialist who values all the different forms of literacy
- you are a linguist who adores acquiring new ways to communicate
- you are a person who seeks to understand and celebrate people’s differences
- you are simply intrigued by such an amazing and unique form of communication
- none of the above, some of the above, or all of the above
Regardless of your reason, if you are sighted and have a smart phone, your new entirely free Braille e-learning course is literally at your fingertips. UEB Prep is a high-quality, interactive mobile learning platform designed to take both professionals and families step by step through their braille literacy journey. UEB is an acronym for Unified English Braille: the braille code used throughout North America by blind readers and the professionals who serve them as established in 2016 by the Braille Authority of North America (BANA). The UEB Prep App was created as a collaborative project between Portland State University’s Special Education and Computer Engineering departments to provide a simple yet powerful mobile tool for mastering the Unified English Braille code. According to the app’s website,
“UEB Prep is an iPhone/Android app that teaches the tactile system of braille to both sighted people and the visually impaired.”
Their mission statement:
“The mission of the UEB PREP project is to make braille learning accessible and fun to all.”
The first course produced by the app, called Braille for You and Me, was specifically engineered for families and parents of children with visual impairments, meant to deliver instruction In short, precise installments following a logically progressive sequence with plenty of varied reinforcement activities built in, making the app a highly suitable learning choice for the busy life of working adults. The app doesn’t just cover the braille alphabet. It will fully prepare you to understand grade 1 braille: essentially the alphabet and basic punctuation marks, then move you into grade 2 content such as contractions, word and group signs, and more complex punctuation symbols.
Here’s the Braille for You and Me course lesson list:
- Lesson 1: The Braille Cell and letters a-j
- Lesson 2: Letters a-k
- Lesson 3: Letters u-z
- Lesson 4: Capitalize and Punctuate It!
- Lesson 5: 1-2-3 Look at Me! Braille Numbers
- Lesson 6: Look Ma, Real Words! – Wordsigns
- Lesson 7: Staying Strong – Strong Contractions
- Lesson 8: Hey Shorty — Shortforms
- Lesson 9: “Talk to Me” — More Punctuation
- Lesson 10: Group Hugs — Group Signs
- Lesson 11: More Shortforms
- Lesson 12: Hold Me Still — Strong Wordsigns
- Lesson 13: How Low Can You Go? — Lower Wordsigns
- Lesson 14: Jack and the Beanstalk — Lower Groupsigns
- Lesson 15: Just Because We Can — Even More Groupsigns
But its not enough to just read the lessons. What makes UEB Prep such a great learning platform is that it is truly interactive, requiring participation from the learner to proceed.
“Users reinforce course content by moving through interactive exercises including multiple choice questions, reading translations, and fill-in-the-blank problems. Learners can also use a built-in braille keyboard to braille individual words and full sentences, which allows for practical practice in a fun and engaging way.” Paths to Literacy
UEB Prep is your no cost learning solution for sighted braille learners. Download from the App Store and start learning today!
