1. Do you have a professional success story that
could encourage and inform others in the field
of visual impairment? Send your idea to Jane
N. Erin at Ͻjerin@u.arizona.eduϾ, and she
will assist you in developing an article for a
future issue of Practice Perspectives.
Using a New Electronic Brailler
to Improve Braille Learning
at the Florida School
for the Deaf and Blind
Kathleen J. Michaelson, Laura Matz,
and David Morgan
When Mary Lou Hofmann, the principal of
the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind
(FSDB), was at a conference in 2012, she
encountered an electronic brailler that had
just been introduced to the market. The
SMART Brailler, manufactured by Perkins
Solutions, Perkins School for the Blind, is an
electronic device that has a video screen and
provides audio feedback. It displays and
speaks letters and words as a student brailles
them, which provides instant feedback to a
student, allowing him or her to work indepen-
dently. The video screen on the device is
designed to allow parents of children with
visual impairments and teachers who educate
such students in inclusive classrooms to ob-
serve visually in Roman letters what students
are writing in braille.
Although Ms. Hofmann was not sure what
the potential benefits would be, she decided to
purchase one and to ask Kathleen Michael-
son, braille specialist at FSDB, to experiment
with it and see if she thought it could be
useful. Two years later, interviews conducted
at FSDB indicate that all of those who have
been exposed to the SMART Brailler believe
it improves the learning capabilities of most
students who have the physical and cognitive
ability to learn braille. FSDB now has more
than a dozen SMART Braillers and is using
them in multiple classrooms and in a variety
of learning situations.
ABOUT THE PERKINS
SMART BRAILLER
The SMART Brailler was conceptualized
and invented by David Morgan, vice pres-
ident and general manager of Perkins
Products (see Figure 1). Mr. Morgan
wanted to improve on traditional methods
of learning braille and to introduce new
technology that would foster independent
learning and help bridge the gap between
when students would transition from using
a low-tech Classic Perkins Brailler to using a
refreshable braille display–and-laptop combi-
nation, which led to the development of a
braillewriter that combined text-to-speech
audio output, a visual cellular phone dis-
play, and learning applications that are de-
signed to support full engagement by the
learner.
The SMART Brailler is both a mechan-
ical and an electronic braille writer. When
the electricity is off, it works just like a
standard braille writer, producing hard-
copy braille. When it is turned on, the user
receives instantaneous audio and visual
feedback so that a visually impaired student
The second and third authors of this Practice
Perspectives are employed by Perkins School
for the Blind, the manufacturer of the
SMART Brailler, the electronic brailler prod-
uct that is the focus of this report.
Figure 1. The SMART Brailler.
226 Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, May-June 2015 ©2015 AFB, All Rights Reserved

2. can hear whatever is being brailled—in-
cluding contractions—and a sighted user
can see the print on the screen at the same
time. It also has a USB port, which enables
an individual to save a file created on the
SMART Brailler as a text file, then put
the USB dongle into a computer and print
the document or e-mail it.
The easy-erase button is designed to
allow a student to correct errors immedi-
ately without having to reinsert the paper.
Plus, the error is corrected both on the
hardcopy braille and in the text file when
the easy-erase button is used. The menu
buttons on the front of the brailler allow
navigation of options that include choice
of languages, voices, and color settings.
The SMART Brailler is designed to act
as a bridge between a mechanical braille-
writer and other high-technology assistive
devices such as refreshable braille dis-
plays, audio technology, and iPads, which
many students will begin using once they
become fluent readers and writers.
METHODS
In April 2014, Perkins Products and FSDB
conducted interviews to study the effect of
the introduction of the SMART Brailler in
classroom settings. Interview participants
were three teachers, two braille specialists,
and the assistant principal at FSDB. In ad-
dition, seven students and the parent of one
child were questioned about their experi-
ences with the SMART Brailler.
The teacher interviewees came from a
range of teaching backgrounds. They
were young teachers with more than five
years of teaching experience and dual cer-
tifications (elementary education as well
as visual disabilities). These three were
selected for the study presented here be-
cause they had already been using the
SMART Brailler in their classrooms. The
braille specialists were also dually certi-
fied (visual and education), with many
years of teaching experience, but their
work tended to focus on braille learning
and also the evaluation of new technolo-
gies. The braille specialists oversaw the
introduction of the SMART Brailler to
the school and were the staff members
who were the most familiar with the de-
vice. The assistant principal, also dually
certified as a teacher of students with vi-
sual impairments and reading specialist,
was interviewed because of his interest in
the ability of the device to engage parents
in braille learning. The parent was invited
to participate in the study because her son
owned a Perkins SMART Brailler, and she
was a parent resource for the school. (A
“parent resource” is a parent of a child at the
school who serves as a resource for other
parents and mediates parent-teacher com-
munications.)
The data was collected through two
days of one-on-one in-person interviews
that were conducted by Laura Matz. The
interviews were transcribed and then re-
viewed by Kathleen Michaelson, the pri-
mary overseer of the SMART Brailler
project at FSDB. All participants were
asked if they would be willing to be inter-
viewed for potential publication and were
also filmed. Each participant signed a re-
lease form created by Ms. Michaelson.
Interview questions
The interviews set out to answer the fol-
lowing 7 questions:
1. What are the challenges for students in
learning braille?
2. What are the challenges for teachers in
teaching braille?
©2015 AFB, All Rights Reserved Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, May-June 2015 227

3. 3. What is the most widely used current
method of teaching braille?
4. What are the benefits of this current
methodology?
5. What are the disadvantages?
6. Has the SMART Brailler aided in the
teaching and learning of braille?
7. What sets the SMART Brailler apart
from other technologies that are used
to teach braille?
RESULTS
Challenges in braille learning
for students and teachers
According to the teachers and the assis-
tive technology specialist, the major hur-
dles for students in learning braille are
memory issues—that is, remembering the
dot configurations and contractions. This
memorization is particularly difficult for be-
ginning braille learners who are trying to
remember both the cells that make up the
letters and learning how to discriminate tac-
tilely between letters. Such students learn
the braille code while also trying to
understand how to use a brailler and
perform such tasks as inserting paper,
erasing errors, moving the margin
guides. These challenges often lead to a
lack of motivation to learn braille,
which can be the most difficult issue
that the teacher has to overcome.
The teachers listed a few major chal-
lenges in teaching braille. These challenges
included a lack of time, confidence, or pa-
rental acceptance, as well as needing to
teach braille to students who are learning
English as a second language. The issue of
lack of time is especially true for teachers
who are also teaching content areas such as
science, mathematics, and language. The
teachers indicated that teachers who are
subject specialists lack confidence in their
braille skills, since much of their teaching
time is spent on particular subject matter. In
addition, teachers often have to struggle to
convince parents and students of the impor-
tance of braille. For example, listening to
audio technology is often considered to be
an easy substitution for learning braille.
Teaching braille to immigrant students who
may be acquiring a new language (English)
as well as a new writing code (braille) pres-
ents its own challenges as well. All of these
factors affect the teacher’s ability to make
learning braille fun and interesting.
Current methodologies
for teaching braille
All the teachers that we interviewed for
this study agreed that the Classic Perkins
Brailler is the most widely used teaching
device in the United States for learning to
write braille. They also indicated that they
used Building on Patterns from the
American Printing House for the Blind
(APH) and the Mangold Developmental
Program of Tactile Perception and Braille
Letter Recognition for teaching their stu-
dents to read braille.
The teachers indicated that these stan-
dardized and accepted teaching method-
ologies are popular because they are
widely accepted as being “tried and true,”
meaning that there is no need to convince
parents, teachers, or others as to why
these methods are being utilized.
The Classic Perkins Brailler provides
those who use it with exposure to spatial
orientation of text and the formatting of
print on a page. This information is
viewed by teachers as very important,
which explains why this mechanical de-
vice is still used for early braille learners
as opposed to refreshable braille display
technology (which provides only one line
228 Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, May-June 2015 ©2015 AFB, All Rights Reserved

4. of cells), or alternative learning methods
that do not provide hardcopy braille.
The downside of the Classic Perkins
Brailler is that students frequently struggle
to edit a document, which often requires
reinserting a page and trying to position the
paper so that the incorrect braille cell can be
altered. The teachers indicated that students
often lack the motivation to learn braille,
and they prefer to use audio technology.
Students do not think learning braille with a
traditional braillewriter is “fun,” and they
find it easier to simply listen, without hav-
ing to learn how to spell or format text.
Teaching and learning braille
with the SMART Brailler
All the teachers we interviewed indicated
that they believed the SMART Brailler
has changed how they teach braille and
how their students learn.
One of the biggest plusses of the new
technology, according to those we inter-
viewed, is how motivated students were
to use it. The teachers said that their
students argued over who would get to
use the SMART Brailler, since there
was not one available for each child in
each classroom. Even during recess,
children returned to the classroom to ask
if they could “play” with the SMART
Brailler.
The teachers we interviewed indicated
that the SMART Brailler was perceived
as “cool” by their students. Teachers said
the device allowed students to learn on
their own and to take ownership of their
work, because the audio feedback con-
firmed when they brailled something cor-
rectly, which built their confidence.
Alex Ritter, a resource teacher for
grades K–6, said,
It has changed the way students have
learned because they appreciate the
feedback and can take ownership.
They say to themselves, “Hey, wait a
minute. That didn’t sound right,” in-
stead of saying, “Hey, Ms. Ritter,
help me.” It is very powerful for
kids.
“I have a student in middle school—and it
is like pulling teeth getting him motivated
to do anything that has to do with braille,”
said Kathleen Michaelson. “I sat him
down and handed him the SMART
Brailler. I didn’t show him anything—he
listened to the tutorial, practiced it, and
started writing like crazy. I have never
seen him so excited about brailling. He
says, ‘Ms. Michaelson, look—I can do
this and this!’ He wasn’t motivated to
memorize anything and now he is learn-
ing contractions.”
The teachers commented that it was
easy to use and learn with a SMART
Brailler compared to computer technolo-
gies; that it was more durable in compar-
ison to other electronic braillewriters; that
it was more portable and lighter than a
Classic Perkins Brailler; and that its tech-
nological capabilities were a good intro-
duction to an iPad, a computer, or a
braille display. It was also much easier to
erase and edit braille than with a Classic
Brailler, due to the easy-erase button,
which modifies the hardcopy braille cell
and the electronic text file. Moreover,
the SMART Brailler’s compact key-
board and lighter key stroke require-
ment was physically easier for small
hands to use.
Although the Classic Brailler is capable
of providing only tactile interaction, the
SMART Brailler’s immediate audio and
©2015 AFB, All Rights Reserved Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, May-June 2015 229

5. visual feedback is designed to encourage
students to use multiple senses, which
reinforces learning. Nancy Berger, a spe-
cialist in helping children make the tran-
sition from print to braille, said,
As students’ braille improves, it
becomes more legible and they be-
come more fluent readers. I attribute
this improvement to the SMART
Brailler. One of my students had a
terrible time before and now he
catches errors immediately. It has
made a big difference in the work he
is turning in to me and to his middle
school teachers.
The visual feedback on the digital screen
allows teachers to easily see what the
student is brailling. It also enables the
teacher to modify the learning mode for
each student.
Ms. Ritter said,
It helps me work with groups. I will
have them use the headphones and I
can be working on Nemeth or the
abacus with a different student, and
have the student on the SMART
Brailler writing a story. It provides
me with versatility because I am get-
ting objectives accomplished, but I
don’t have to be with them every
second.
The outcomes are also improved, said
Ms. Ritter:
The goal might be for the child to
write 26 letters and read 19 letters.
Now the child can create his own
worksheets and learning opportuni-
ties. I have one student who was very
far behind in reading. As soon as I
got the SMART Brailler, I realized it
was a motivator. I work with him on
reading from Building on Patterns
from APH. Then, as reward time, he
gets time on the SMART Brailler
and I am working learning goals
into it.
The SMART Brailler’s “nonjudgmental
feedback” has been described as encour-
aging positive “team learning” between
multiple students, as opposed to feedback
from peers, which can be perceived as
personal criticism. Ashley Dalia, a fourth-
and fifth-grade language arts teacher,
said, “In the past, I have teamed two kids
up to work and learn together, but some
kids don’t like peer criticism. The
SMART Brailler is nonjudgmental.”
The teacher participants also indicated
that the device appealed to parents. Justin
Cosgrove, the assistant principal of the
K–8 Blind Program, says, “Something
that I really like about the SMART
Brailler is that parents can work with their
children and see their progress, even if the
parents aren’t braille users themselves. It
allows parents to be active learners with
their child.”
Misty Porter, the parent of a student
at the school, stated: “My favorite
things about the SMART Brailler are
that there is audio so it says out loud
what you are brailling, it is tactile, and
then there is a visual component for us
print readers so that we can learn the
braille code.”
Students we interviewed also indicated
that the SMART Brailler enabled them to
share the learning experience with sighted
friends or siblings. “Alex,” a student,
said, “My brother thinks it is the coolest
230 Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, May-June 2015 ©2015 AFB, All Rights Reserved

6. brailler in the world. I think the same
thing as my brother.”
“Paul,” another student, said, “The
SMART Brailler helps me learn the let-
ters and contractions and I don’t need any
help when I do it because I can tell when
I do it right or wrong. It’s quicker for me
to learn. . . . and I like the different
languages.”
CONCLUSION
All of the teachers we interviewed in-
dicated that the SMART Brailler im-
proved the speed and accuracy of their
students who were learning braille. As a
result of these improvements, educators
at FSDB have modified their methodol-
ogy for teaching braille to incorporate
the Perkins SMART Brailler. Teachers
indicated the device allowed them to
use their time more efficiently and that
their students demonstrated renewed
senses of “ownership” for their written
materials as well as increased motiva-
tion to learn. Teachers said that several
of the children who were having the
most difficulty learning braille were
able to learn much faster than they did
before using the device. Students re-
ported that they perceived learning
braille as “fun,” and teachers told us
that their students competed for time to
use the SMART Braillers.
Laura Matz, M.B.A., director of marketing and
sales, Perkins Products, Perkins School for the
Blind, 175 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA
02472; e-mail: Ͻlaura.matz@perkins.orgϾ. Da-
vid Morgan, M.B.A., former vice president and
general manager, Perkins Products, Perkins School
for the Blind; e-mail: Ͻties_dm@yahoo.comϾ.
Kathleen J. Michaelson, M.Ed., teacher of stu-
dents with visual impairments, braille specialist,
The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, 207
North San Marco Avenue, 208 Kramer Hall, St.
Augustine, FL 32084; e-mail: Ͻmichaelsonk@
fsdb.k12.fl.usϾ.
Physical Education and Visual
Impairment: Collaborative
Communication for Effective
Inclusion
Mey van Munster, Erin Weaver, Lauren
Lieberman, and Katrina Arndt
Students with visual impairments need ac-
cess to differentiated, inclusive opportunities
for physical education. Research has demon-
strated that significant improvements in motor
activity and balance are possible for these
students through training (Aki, Turan, &
Kayihan, 2007; Jazi, Purrajabi, Movahedi, &
Jalali, 2012). Unfortunately, physical educa-
tion teachers have reported that they face
challenges in working with visually impaired
students, due to the lack of specific informa-
tion regarding how such students learn and
how to effectively differentiate lessons (Con-
roy, 2012).
Lieberman, Haegele, Columna, and Conroy
(2014) noted that teachers of visually im-
paired students and certified orientation and
mobility (O&M) specialists can help with
many aspects of physical education, since
there are several components of the expanded
core curriculum that can be learned through
physical education. To address the gap be-
tween physical education teachers’ interest
in supporting students and their ability to do
so effectively, we have developed three
forms for physical education teachers,
teachers of visually impaired students, and
O&M specialists to use throughout the
school year. The focus of the forms is on
helping physical education teachers under-
stand and maximize students’ functional vi-
sion during classes.
When selecting teaching strategies and ma-
terials to be used in physical education
classes, the teacher may ask: What is the most
suitable surface type (brightness, color, con-
©2015 AFB, All Rights Reserved Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, May-June 2015 231