Braille Institute Celebrates Summer Learning with Online Talent, Warmth, and Wit
Students performed original skits, covered their favorite songs with solos, and expressed themselves in art. This culmination of talent was organized by Braille Institute. To see this talent, audience members would usually go to concert venues in and around Los Angeles and Orange County. Why put so much effort into teaching these skills to the blind or visually impaired? Well, events like these align with the Expanded Core Curriculum, a set of skills listed by the CDE, California Department of Education, to foster a holistic education of the person. In this talent show braille Institute participants grew in the areas Self-Advocacy and Recreation. Self-Expression is a visual format, so it may seem difficult for individuals with low vision or blindness to tackle art, painting or sculpture. Learning to share your unique take on the world is just as vital as learning to write or speak. The expression of the individuals’ emotions, thoughts, or identity matter, and art by the blind is intriguing. Family trees made with foil or paintings with multi-media such as watercolor and Wikky Stix (r) wax-covered colored string are crafts that bridge the gap from the low vision creator to the regular-sighted onlooker. The confidence and practice of speaking to a camera with polish and energy means real results in the real world. Sharing your thoughts in a public gathering is vital to making your needs known in a public space such as a city hall, business presentation, or job interview. But let’s begin with summer semesters that usually consist of live performances within the community.
What makes 2021 different from other years was the distance learning format. Packets with supplies were sent to the student homes. Summer school programs aren’t always designed this way. Usually students look forward to trips to concert venues and recording opportunities, according to an email exchange with Scarlett T. Brais, Children’s Choir Director for the Braille Institute, Los Angeles. “With distance learning, I had to think out of the box this summer and create a curriculum that would be both fun and challenging for the students while attending virtual classes.”
Brais described the preparation for the event as a nine-week summer semester, with weekly two-hour Choir meetings. As a class, worked as a group in the effort of writing the scripts for skits and commercials. Microsoft Teams (MSTeams) app was used to record the skits. Participants with solos rehearsed privately and put in more time for their performances. Summer school online may have been a big change, but dedicated learners will find a way! They displayed their talent in music, art, and song; all the work was done by VI – Visually Impaired – students that might use either large print or Braille devices for reading and writing.
Is learning Braille from a distance a new concept? Actual Braille instruction has been carried out by postal services for a while; Hadley teaches Braille in partnership with Discovery Eye Foundation, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. See links to follow for resources in learning Braille or low vision skills.
Can students log on or enroll for the Talent Show 2022? Actually, “VI students are welcome to join the Braille Institute Youth Program anytime!” wrote Brais. Students are assigned to the Braille Center in the area based on their location. A virtual talent show is coming up in October. “I’m always creating performance opportunities for the students enrolled in choir.”
Another distinction for 2021 is the nature of the presentation via a meeting app, MSTeams. One particularly interesting app selected the video feed of the participants and placed them in a virtual audience in one frame that held several virtual chairs. Yes, the app made live-action gingerbread cutouts of you if your camera was on, and everyone had a front row seat. The presentation made a satisfying conclusion to a productive summer session. With talents like these, the students have the tools and experience of confidently expressing themselves in their classes in the fall! The entire show can be viewed on YouTube at a private link, please leave a comment and your email in the comments to this article so I may forward your request for the link to the Braille institute!
https://hadley.edu/workshops/braille
https://hadley.edu/workshops/basic-braille-by-sight-reading-series
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