By Grace Gundel
◦ Literacy is more than just acknowledging print or Braille. Those are the vehicle through which literacy can be accessed independently.
◦ Literacy is the application of phonemic awareness to phonics, which aids the understanding of vocabulary which supports comprehension and overall literacy.
◦ Literacy should be accessible to all. Not only should literacy be presented in the mode in which a student requires, but it should be presented in an accommodated manner that is functional and engaging for all.
◦ Being literate is not just being able to read in a preferred medium. Being literate is being able to synthesize information being presented in Braille or large print, on paper or through auditory means. Being literate means being able to have conversations about something you’ve heard or read. Being able to exchange ideas or comments about texts and engage with others about a topic is literacy.
◦ Literacy starts with us, the professionals. I believe it is my responsibility to teach children how to glean information from text and the world around them. It’s my responsibility to make all children literate in a way that they can be most successful. It’s my responsibility to show children that literacy is all around them and is a tool to navigate the world around them. It’s my responsibility to highlight that people, like authors, have had experiences they want to share with the world. It’s my responsibility to demonstrate how to connect with texts and the world around us.
◦ Literacy is not an isolated experience that only occurs in my room in the form of reading Braille or large print. Literacy is breaking words into syllables with foam swords. Literacy is imitating stories in real life and putting ourselves in the characters’ shoes. Literacy is being able to communicate with our friends at lunch about common topics and experiences. Literacy is being able to listen and comprehend directions and carry them out independently.
◦ Literacy is multifaceted and requires the mastery of prerequisite skills that build upon one another. Knowing this, literacy should be scaffolded and chunked into attainable bites in which students can be successful. Children need to experience this success for further engagement. Literacy goals are individualized for each student in a way that not only supports their next step of understanding but also is functional for them as a person.
◦ Literacy is hard. Reading is hard. Writing is hard. It’s my job to meet students where they are functioning academically and emotionally with regards to school. Viewing literacy from a trauma-informed lens means acknowledging that learning is hard for students for a myriad of reasons. Our brains are not wired to read. Reading is foreign to all people once they are exposed to it. This foreign task is made even more difficult when you’re a blind 5 year old learning to make sense of the world. It’s knowing that some days, literacy isn’t going to happen through Braille because reading Braille is hard. It’s my job to respect a student’s boundary for that day and give them access to literacy in a different way. A way that is attainable for them in any given moment.