Although the literacy medium mainly used in the schools for the visually impaired
is braille, students with visual impairment and additional disabilities have experienced
more difficulties in learning braille due to lack of intellectual and sensory abilities
than the students with only visual impairment, and sometimes they have become the
exception in the education of braille. Therefore, this study investigate the effect of
individualized meaning-centered approach using jumbo braille on the reading abilities
of the students with visual impairment and additional disabilities.
This study was conducted on 3 students with visual impairment and other disabilities
by using Individualized Meaning-centered Approach. Functional words which were
meaningful, interesting and directly necessary for the students were selected as
target words and, additionally, transitional words were selected to see if the students
can read other words which contain syllable(s) of target words that the students
already learned. Braille reading instruction through Individualized Meaning-centered
approach was conducted for around 3 months from March 2014 to May and after the
instruction, reading accuracy test was implemented for 5 days.
The results of this study are as follows; First, the individualized meaning-centered
approach using jumbo braille had positive effect on the enhancement of the reading
abilities for target words of the students with visual impairment and additional
disabilities. The individualized meaning-centered approach using jumbo braille increased the number of syllables which the students can read in the target words and also
enhanced the accuracy of reading syllables. In addition, the number of target words
increased which the students can read and their accuracy of reading words was
enhanced as well. Second, the individualized meaning-centered approach using jumbo
braille had positive effect on syllable reading ability in transitional words of the
students with visual impairment and additional disabilities. It also increased the
number of target syllables which the students can read in transitional words and
enhanced the accuracy of reading syllables. Therefore, in the education of braillereading
for the students with visual impairment and additional disabilities, instructions
applying the individualized meaning-centered approach using jumbo braille should be
more actively implemented.