Most of the deafblind students we work with do not know any language because they have not been taught to communicate. Since they don’t have a language, we can teach them any language. We have chosen English not only because the training team is from the United States, but also because in many countries, it is easier to get English facilitators because English is often taught in schools. Using English does not hinder the student’s ability to communicate with their communities because English is only used for reading. When they learn sign language in the ABC program, it will be their national sign language so that they can communicate with those around them who know sign language.

As mentioned in the answer to the first question, if the deafblind student does not know any language, English is to be used. For blind hearing students who speak a language other than English, ABC uses their language because they are going to use phonics to learn Braille just like you saw Brandon doing in the story . If the language already has a Braille code based on its alphabet, the facilitator will follow the existing Braille code. The facilitator will make the keychains by choosing textured objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet in the student’s language. Using a slate and stylus  or a Braille typewriter such as the Perkins Brailler  the facilitator will print the letter for each textured object and glue it to the back of the keychain.  Then the facilitator will proceed as usual. 

As mentioned in the answer to the first question, if the deafblind student does not know any language, English is to be used. For blind hearing students who speak a language other than English, ABC uses their language because they are going to use phonics to learn Braille just like you saw Brandon doing in the story above. If the language does not have a Braille code, the facilitator will assign each letter of the language a Braille symbol. To standardize the process, ABC uses the English Braille symbols for the first 26 letters. Some of the symbols in English Braille have also been flipped or turned to provide more symbols if the language has more than 26 letters.

ABC can be beneficial for students ranging from ages 7-70. There are exceptions of course, but the actual requirements are that the student can sit through a lesson (school-age children) and that at the other end of the age range, an adult student is still able to learn and grasp new things. For sure, there are students younger than 7 who can sit through a lesson and there are students older than 70 whose minds are still sharp and are able to learn new things. The age range serves only as a guide whereas the requirements are a truer measure of who can benefit from ABC.

The curriculum is currently only available through an ABC training workshop. To request a workshop, please fill out the form on the Contact Us page.

So far, the training workshops have been conducted in developing countries. Due to the developing nature of the countries, the workshops are funded by donors and therefore, are free of charge for the participants. If you would like to help fund these workshops, click here  or the donate button at the top of the page. If you are in the US, and you would like to request a workshop, please fill out the contact form.