When I was a kid, I wasn't taught braille even though my vision was so poor that I could only read about 55 words per minute. ( had to read hunched over a bright light with thick glasses. My school work was a struggle. I loved reading but was always to frustrated. a I Lerner braille as an adult. I was in college when I started learning and finished when I was in training at the Iowa Blindness Empowerment and Independence Center after graduating from college. I felt like there needed to be a better way to learn the code. I had a number of conversations about this over the years with my mentor Peggy Ellliot. She suggested breaking the learning process down into the learning of what the symbols mean and the the development of the sense of touch.
After graduating from the training center, I taught cane travel, access technology, job seeking skills, and daily living skills at BLIND, Inc. starting in September of 1998. I taught in the center and on an itinerant basis in southern Minnesota. In 2009, I began teaching braille. I noticed people struggling with the McDuffy Reader and decided to make some worksheets to help. These worksheets proved so useful that Sharon Monthei, author of the mcDuffy Reader, started using them with her English language learner students as well. People really like how they could take a few sheets out of the binder and take them with themn to study on the bus or at the doctors office. I started working on what would become CODe Master. My colleague, Ryan Strunk provided valuable feedback as we beta tested the system with our communications students. We started to see really positive results. Students were learning the code in approximately six weeks. They were more excited about learning and felt as though they could better use braille in their jobs and lives.
In 2012-2013, Code Master won the Touch of Genius Prize from the National Braille Press and the Jacob Boullatin Award from the NFB. These were huge honors and bit overwhelming. In the summer of 2013, my wife became pretty sick. There was also a managerial position opening at the Iowa Department for the Blind. I took this position so that I could return to Iowa to be closer to family and be able to take care of my wife.
I had offers from NPB and APH to distribute Code Master, however, with moving and starting a new job, I couldn't work out these details. I gave away the files to everyone who asked for them under a Creative Commons License, however, I didn't have the ability to produce or license hard copies for sale. I've had a lot of requests over the years. I tried to figure out how IDB could sell Code Master, but there was too much red tape.
In 2015, Helen (Stevens) Mejia became my coauthor and helped me update Code Master for UEB. She did the audio recording with the help of Tim West at the Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled. The Library helped us to put the Code Master audio onto NLS cartridges and also make it available as Mp3 files. We also created Code Master Lite. This is a short version for older individuals who want to learn uncontracted braille for notes and labeling. We have been working with braille instructors at IDB like Nami Wallace to create a teacher guide and other materials to help folks use the textbook more effectively and in alignment with the system. We would also one day like to create a kids version for elementary students. The adult version can be used successfully with middle and high school students who have at least 6th grade vocabulary, but we know there is a need for materials for younger kids and folks who are Englissh language learners.
Code Master Methodology for Teaching Braille to Adults from Braille Monitor February 2013