Mann Middle School opened Hillsborough County Public Schools’ first braille collection on November 19 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Mann Middle School Principal Brad Brooks greeted everyone in attendance and shared that the new collection is something the district and school are proud of.
“We worked very, very hard to get a grant that we were able to utilize to purchase these books for our students. It’s a small population — its 14 — but each one of these kids now have an opportunity to come in to a media center, check out books and, just as any other student, look for a book, find a book of their choice, go to the checkout, check it out, take it home, read and get it back on time — or late,” Brooks said.
Mann Middle School seventh grade student Aniyah Purvis spoke on behalf of the visually impaired students.
“I would like to speak on behalf of all students here who are visually impaired. Literacy skills are equally important to students who use alternate mediums, such as large print and braille. We are incredibly grateful to be in a setting where everyone feels and takes responsibility for our access. It is amazing for each of us to be able to come to our school’s media center and check out books from a variety of genres, just like our peers,” Aniyah said.
For each of the visually impaired students at Mann, the braille collection is a tremendous gift.
“For me personally, the impact of having braille books is huge. When you are listening to an audible book, that’s fine. But I love having a good braille book in my hands so I can read and enjoy … but also learn and understand sentence structure,” Aniyah said.
Brooks and Aniyah gave special thanks to Kim Ledford and Nicollette Dewsbury, and both said they are excited for the current visually impaired students and the students that will be coming to Mann Middle School for years to come.
You must be logged in to post a comment.