BRAILLE IN

ESTONIA

Tartu Emajõe School2015

Monica Lõvi and Ilona Tars

Achievements

Handbook of Estonian Braille Increase in adapted study

materials. Better accessibility to

information in digital formatResearch papers

Handbook of Estonian Braille, published 2012

Main goal: developing and standardizing of Estonian

Braille in co-operation with the Estonian Language

Institute and representatives from interest groups

Sub-goals

• Description of Estonian Braille• Rules for translating Maths, Physics,

Chemistry into Braille• Guidelines for adapting written

materials into digital format• Guidelines and rules for adapting

study materials into Braille

Working group

Representatives from:• Tartu Emajõe School• Estonian Library for the Blind• Estonian Federation of the Blind• Institute of Estonian Language

Almost historyAlmost history

… … kirjutamiseks ja lugemisekskirjutamiseks ja lugemiseks

45 Braille displays

PCs and JAWS

Written materials in Braille and digital format 2015

•Tartu Emajoe School:Student books ~250 different books in 2015 (178 in 2011/12) ~ 80 in e-format in 2015 (zero in 2011/12)

Estonian Library for the Blind 2015, Marja Kivihall

•5 different newsletters and 10 different journals in digital HTML format by e-mail;•About 200 BVI subscribers•65 e-books (also from university libraries)

Braille development

• Essential for Braille literacy• Braille in paper and in e-format are

both necessary; ½ prefers e-format• Guidelines for translation into Braille in

paper and in digital format 6-dot and 8-dot systems; Braille for music notation

• International co-operation

Braille methodology

• Lellep, Sirli 2015. Master Thesis „Preparation of Blind Children for Written Language Acquisition“ Tartu University

• Veispak, Anneli 2012. Doctorial Thesis „Perceptual and Cognitive Underpinnings of Braille Reading

Children with BVI 2015

• 10 Blind students in regular school following mainstream national curricula for basic or secondary school

• 3 blind students at Tartu special school

• Data from social security: 45 BVI children 0-7 years old; 150 BVI students 8-20 years

Conclusion

• The importance of Braille is recognized both by authorities and BVI

• Production and accessibility of adapted materials for BVI is increasing thanks to availability of modern hard- and spftware

… and suggestions

• Adapting written materials into digital format – both people with blindness and low-vision benefit from it

• Continuing development in teaching methods of Braille

• Research on Braille literacy

Continuing national and international co-operation

• THANK YOU !