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Another fun braille Web site

As many of you know, I'm trying to learn braille - again. I know if I could just master it, I'd benefit. I can't tell you how much I wish I'd been able to give my speeches at ATS with Braille notes. Because of timing issues, I had to cut my speeches at the last minute as I was giving them. It's so hard just to keep track of where you are in the talk, keep from sniffing the notes throughout the talk in order to maintain something approaching eye contact with the audience - and yet not lose your place. If I could have been skimming with my fingers the whole thing would have been much more successful.

At any rate, I did manage to keep up with my Braille on the road. It's been since I've been home that I've been getting lax. Bad Heather, bad, bad.

I found this Web site on the links of my friends, the Palmer Family's, blog.

This site is geared towards kids. The braille is visual - however, I'm finding that a good method for me is to combine visual learning with tactile learning. If I "see" the contractions, I learn them faster and I know what to look for with my fingers, which helps when you're teaching yourself. I am not, however, learning braille visually. That would defeat the point. I am a visual learner, however, and this method does help me. I'm sure there are Braille instructors rolling over on their dots at the suggestion - what can I say - if it works for me, I'm using it.

This site is not only good for those of us trying to learn, but for kids just curious about braille.

There's a place where you can type in your name and see it in braille.

There are several games you can play by having to "break the secret code" to interpret the clues or the answers (a copy of the braille alphabet is provided to help).

It's a cute site - and for those kids and teachers who are trying to learn braille, there's a reading club and some suggested activities.

Here's the site: http://www.afb.org/braillebug/

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