The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) in Australia is offering a free online course on UEB (Unified English Braille) to train people who are sighted, The program is designed for classroom and specialist teachers, parents, teacher aides and other professionals supporting children and adults with vision impairment.
The course consists of two modules with 31 lessons. Module 1 covers basics of braille, including the alphabet, some simple punctuation, simple word signs and group signs. Module 2 includes complex two-cell contractions, short forms, group signs, punctuation, numbers, print symbols, braille mode indicators and type forms, capitalization and names and abbreviations are covered here.
The course may be accessed using a Mac or PC computer and any web browser (eg Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome). The course is not available via a tablet, such as an iPad. Lessons are completed with a standard computer keyboard using a number of keys to replicate the keys of a braillewriter. Marking is fully automated so that learners receive immediate feedback as they progress through each lesson. There are a number of lesson support videos under “video resources” in the “resources” section of the course. The videos are also available via YouTube.
For those wishing a Certificate of Completion, RIDBC Renwick Centre offers certificates for each of the two modules, with a processing fee of AUD $50.
For more information see: http://uebonline.org/