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From: Warren.King@p0.f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org (Warren King)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: For what it is worth
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Date: 16 Nov 90 16:17:05 GMT
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> Hi warren,  I had no idea you were sighted.  Funny, you don't look
> blind either.  The template for a signature guide might work
> provided you don't have any loops in your name.  If you had the
> desire to sign your name on a check, why wouldn't you have the same
> desire to fill out the check? To teach children the shapes of
> letters, teachers use wooden or plastic letters, blocks with the
> letters made out of sandpaper and several other tactile aides.
> What I was trying to find out, were these aides affective for a
> child who has never seen and has no concept of spatial
> relationships a sighted child would.  I became interested in the
> topic when I realized a friend who is blind could not write.  I
> first thought that if my friend wanted, I could teach them the
> rudiments of handwriting.  I did not consider the problem of having
> no idea of what things looked like.  I just took for granted that
> everyone could think of a shape and then picture it in their mind.
> I am really not looking for a quick fix, I want to know of a
> technique that will assist a totally blind person to write.  I also
> want to know if that is a worthwhile project.  Is it helpful for a
> person who is blind to know how to write?  Thanks for the signature
> guide idea.  Henry

Henry,

    You have got me thinking on this one! <grin>  You are right about 
the loops causing problems, I would imagine that the teacher would have 
to select a cursive handwriting style that minimized loops.  If I were 
going to try to teach conceptualization, I think that I would still use 
the template idea to help initialize the shapes.  I would think about 
placing the template over a clay or plasticine tablet and use a stylus 
so that the results could be immediately "seen" by the student being 
able to get a tactile impression of the shape they just created.  
Possibly a heavy waxed paper might do the same job.  I would also think 
that care would have to be made in cutting the template so that the 
angles are the same as would be used when writing and not just straight 
up and down.  That also means that consideration could be taken as to 
whether the student is right handed or left handed, because the angle 
would be different.
         -Warren-

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