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Activity and strategy

Making Storage Accessible

The ability to access books and materials easily and independently is crucial to the development of early literacy skills for children who are blind, visually impaired or deafblind.

Closet shelves

At home, we have many “browsing book” boxes placed throughout our living room.  All of the books have braille and many of them have tactile pictures or are touch and feel books.  My son Liam, who is deafblind, can go to one of these  boxes and enjoy them whenever he wants.  It is important to me to give him as many opportunities to read and access braille as often as possible.  We keep the books in the same spots all the time so that he can easily find them. They are in places that are easy and safe for him to access.  I also try to add new books to the collection often.  

liam in storage closet
A boy explores books on a shelf in the closet.

I can never have enough storage for all of Liam’s books, activities, puzzles, braille work, etc… Almost all of our closets in the house are full of braille “stuff” or crafting supplies to make more braille “stuff”.smiley One closet, in particular, I designate for Liam’s “special” books and activities.  These are books that I want to make sure are read with “care” or ones that have pieces that I don’t want to lose.  We keep this closet locked to keep everything safe and organized. (I have a busy 6 year old and 3 year old at home – as they get older I can easily leave the door unlocked.)  Liam can ask me to open this special closet.  I have it organized so that the books and activities are accessible to him.  He can feel all the books on the middle shelf and pick which one he wants to take to the couch and read.  He can choose an activity from the bottom shelf to bring to the living room to play.  He loves being able to choose his own activities and this closet allows him the opportunity to do that INDEPENDENTLY! smiley

books in boxes
Books stored in plastic bins
boxes of books
Books in baskets on a table and on the floor
storage strategies collage
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