| Tommy had presented me with a challenge that I | | | | since that would make Tommy feel different. He |
| had not encountered yet in my short teaching career | | | | used braille athome to read his assignments, but how |
| so far. Normally, children that are visually impaired are | | | | were us teachers supposed to make him an active |
| sent to the Westfield School for the Blind, which is a | | | | partof class without braille? |
| few towns away, but Tommy's parents insisted that | | | | I came up with a solution - an audio book. I asked |
| he be placed into his local public school. They wanted | | | | Tommy's parents to provide him with a walkman for |
| Tommy to feel as normal as possible; that he was no | | | | him to bring to class. I purchased a copy of the audio |
| different than other kids. | | | | book that we were currently reading in class - All |
| A very noble concept for sure. I admired Tommy's | | | | Quiet On The Western Front. |
| parents for their thinking, and I admired Tommy | | | | I met Tommy before class, and explained him my |
| even more for his courage to go through with his | | | | plan. I would set the audio book to a certain part. |
| parents' plan. As his English teacher, I only saw him | | | | First, I would call on several other students to read a |
| for 40 minutes a day. I ran a class that revolved | | | | few paragraphs. Then, when it came to the part that |
| around reading ... how was I supposed to have my | | | | I had set Tommy's tape to, I would call on him. Then |
| students take turns reading a book aloud in class? | | | | he would press play on is walkman, listen to the |
| What would happen when it was Tommy's turn? | | | | author, and repeat it back out loud to me! |
| Tommy was fluent in braille, but his parents insisted | | | | Thanks to an audio book, a blind student could feel |
| that we not use braille bookswhile he was in school, | | | | normal among the rest of his class. |