Techniques for Better Reading: Advanced

In an earlier workshop, you learned about two-handed tracking and the beginning split hands technique. Now let's build on those methods and learn some new moves that can help you read even more quickly and smoothly.

To begin, make sure you're sitting in a comfortable position with your reading materials on a table or a lap tray at about waist level. Rest your hands lightly on the page. Relax your arms and shoulders and scan the full page before you begin to read. Then move to the beginning of the first line with your fingers curved and your index fingers touching.

Let's look at a method called the intermediate split hands technique, which builds on the beginning split hands technique. Begin by using both hands to read across the line, feeling the braille with the pads of your fingers. This time, when you reach the middle of the line, let your hands split apart. Use your right hand to finish reading the line while your left hand slides back to the beginning and drops down to find the next line. Once your right hand reaches the end, move it to join your left hand.

On the new line, begin the process again. Read to the middle of the line with both hands and let your left hand skim back and down to the next line while you finish reading with your right hand, then move your right hand to meet your left hand and start again.

Keep in mind that your goal is to glide along the lines and maintain a light touch as if you're tickling the dots. If you press too heavily, it can start to numb your sense of touch with the braille.

In fact, here's an exercise to try. Feel the back of one hand with the fingers of your other hand. If you press and rub hard, you'll feel your bones and tendons underneath the skin. Now try it again and barely brush your fingers across the surface. You'll feel the texture of your skin and you might feel hairs, details that were hardly noticeable when you pressed down. Think about this with braille too. You don't want to feel what's under the page. You want to feel what's on the surface.

Now let's check out an even faster and more efficient way to read braille. This one is called the scissors technique. To practice this method, begin with both hands reading halfway across the line, just like before. Then let your hands split as your left hand moves back to the beginning and drops down and your right hand reads to the end of the line. But this time, as soon as your right hand finishes, begin reading the next line with your left hand. Move your right hand to meet the left somewhere towards the middle of the line and let your right hand take over the reading while your left hand moves back to the beginning and down again. Then keep going in the same way, with your left hand reading the first part of each line and your right hand meeting it near the middle, then taking over to read the second part.

As you get more comfortable with this technique, you'll decide where to split your hands and where to let them meet, so it feels right for you. And with more practice, you might find that this method can help you move smoothly along the page without ever having to pause or slow down.

Finally, here's one more tip to keep in mind whenever you're reading braille. There are times when you may be tempted to scrub your fingers up and down to try and feel the dots, but scrubbing will slow you down and make it harder to keep your place in the sentence. Always keep a light touch and let your hands feel the braille from left to right. If you miss something, move back to the beginning of the word or phrase and read it again.

Try out these different reading techniques on your own and see what you like best. There's no one size fits all approach. And with practice, you'll find a comfortable, efficient reading style that works for you. As always, if you need more information or you've got your own tips to share, contact a Hadley braille expert. Of course, as with anything new, give yourself time, patience and practice and you'll get there.