Seeing Differently

Do you think you would have a hard time coping with losing your eyesight?

1 “Hi, Grandpa,” said Carson, taking a seat across from his grandfather at the breakfast table. Carson knew that his grandfather’s eyesight had been going downhill for the past year. Still, it was a shock to realize that his grandfather could now see only occasional shadows and changes in light.

2 “Morning, Carson,” said Grandpa, with the same old grin he had always had. “Here, try a bite of this. ” Grandpa neatly scooped up a piece of omelet from his plate and offered it to Carson.

3 Carson ate the piece of omelet and made a face. “The eggs aren’t too bad, Grandpa,” he said, “but I don’t know how you can eat all that hot sauce for breakfast.

4 Grandpa laughed. “It keeps me young!” he said.

5 Carson was surprised to see Grandpa walk over to the computer a few minutes later and flip it on. “Do you need some help, Grandpa?” asked Carson.

6 “I don’t think so,” replied Grandpa. “I just wanted to get a little dose of morning news,” he said.

7 “How will you do that?” asked Carson curiously, pulling up a chair next to his grandfather.

8 “Well, I’m going to go to a special website where I can hear an audio clip of the news. I listen to the headlines and then choose a story I want to hear more about. ” Carson’s grandfather began typing at the keyboard.

9 “How do you know where all the letters are?” asked Carson.

10 “I’ve been typing for a long time,” answered Grandpa. “After 60 years of typing, I think I have the location of the keys committed to memory. But if I didn’t, I could use a Braille keyboard to guide me. ”

11 “Do you use Braille to read books?” asked Carson.

12 “Sometimes,” replied Grandpa. “Usually, I just do it to stay in practice though. Books in Braille can be very large and awkward to use because spelling out words in Braille takes up more space than using the Roman alphabet. That’s why a type of Braille called Grade 2 Braille is used in almost all books. In Grade 2 Braille, contractions are used to represent frequently used words. For example, b stands for but, c stands for can, and d stands for do. Using contractions makes a Braille book easier to read and hold.

13 “I prefer listening to audio recordings of books. There are some marvelous readers. The range of voices a single reader can do is quite impressive. ” Grandpa paused to adjust the volume on the computer’s speakers. He looked surprised when Carson grabbed him in a bear hug.

14 “I’m glad you’re here, Grandpa,” said Carson. “And I’m glad that you’ve adjusted to the changes in your eyesight so well. ”

15 “Losing my eyesight just made all my other senses sharper,” said Grandpa. “It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. ” He smiled at his grandson. “I’m happy to be here, too,” he added. “I can never get enough time with my grandkids. ”

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1. Why does Carson make a face after he tries his grandpa’s omelet?

2. How are the Braille contractions that Grandpa talks about different from the contractions you are familiar with?

3. How can Grandpa type without seeing the keyboard?

4. Name two reasons that Grandpa prefers audio books to Braille books.

5. Number the events below to show the order in which they happened.

_____ Grandpa explained Grade 2 Braille to Carson.

Carson hugged his grandpa.

Carson sat down at the breakfast table.

_____ Grandpa turned on the computer.

Use the letters of the Braille alphabet to decode the words below.

6.

A B E I L M O P R T

7.

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