Re: Tutoring blind/vision impaired students

[Alvin Maddengrider <a.madden@morehead-st.edu>]

Rob, 
For what it's worth, we have not only had blind and low-vision tutees but 
we currently have a blind tutor.  His name is Jon Glass, and he is a 
remarkable individual.  He first came in here as student being tutored in 
college algebra and finance.  I initially hired him to tutor economics 
(He learned all about the supply-demand curve using some children's game 
where pegs and plastic links create patterns on a pegboard), but he has 
turned out to be an excellent writing tutor for several reasons:

1.  Forcing students to read aloud makes them see the connections to 
conversation, so they detect errors on their own.

2.  He has excellent conversational skills and has turned out to be quite 
helpful with ESL students as well as students growing up in Appalachia 
with some very intriguing and creative grammar (Some of the newspapers 
here in the state have started calling this dialect Hillbonics or 
Appalonics).  

3.  His dog will not tolerate poor grammar (just kidding :) !)

Anyway, what questions do you have, Rob?  I will forward them to Jon or 
our disabilities person.  Jon is a good writer, by the way; last week, he 
handed me a well-written proposal for a presentation he wishes to give at 
the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing at University of 
Kentucky next fall.

Alvin
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Alvin Madden-Grider				Learning Specialist
a.madden@msuacad.morehead-st.edu		UPO 1217, MSU, Morehead, KY
  

On Tue, 6 May 1997, Rob Russell wrote:

> I was just wondering if anyone on the list has any experience working
> with blind or low vision students in the writing center environment?  We
> are working with one blind student now, and we have several low vision
> students, so I'd love to begin a dialogue on this topic if anyone is
> interested.
> 
> Rob Russell
> Virginia Intermont College
>