Megan:And that would be good for reading together.
Kathy: Yes, of course, the pictures are not described. The sighted person reading the book would need to describe the pictures.
Megan: Do you ever record books to audio?
Peg: Actually, no, we buy a lot of commercial books on tape and we have books that we get from the Talking Book Library in Phoenix. Sometimes organizations do volunteer to record books, but because so many books are available commercially we haven’t really had to rely on them. There are some wonderful commercial productions right now that have sound effects and voices which our students really enjoy. We do have audio books on poetry from the Talking Book Library, but not the ones we will be receiving from Stanza Bonanza. It might be possible to have our students read and record these new books and make them available for checkout.
Peg: I think one of the books that Stanza Bonanza has is in audio format, but there’s just one.
Megan: Right, Bohold the Bold Umbrellaphant, by Jack Prelutsky. I enjoy that book. So do you plan to convert some of the Stanza Bonanza books?
Peg: Yes, some of the books we will add Braille to the print pages. We’ll see if a book is available commercially in audio format and if it’s not, that would be a good project to do with the students. Possibly have a middle school or high school class help us record. We could also have deaf students help us produce a signed video/CD of some of the poetry books.
Megan: Words become more tactile through Braille. Since you work with Braille and with students who read Braille, do you feel that your concept of words is concrete in a way that is not possible for those of us who cannot read Braille?
Peg: Braille is more like a code, so it doesn’t really make words more concrete, per se. It doesn’t really change the concept of the words. In Braille you would translate word for word, so that you’re getting a coded translation, where as, sign language is different.
If you interpret poetry in sign language you might get different ideas. It’s visual and there is not a sign for every word.
Kathy: Sign language and Braille are two entirely different forms of communication. I would think that sign language is more interpretive, because you’re interpreting print into sign, whereas Braille is the exact copy of the print, only in a different format. Sign language requires internalizing and comprehending the language.
On Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. see Ayisha Knight perform her poetry in sign language at the UA Poetry Center as part of the Tucson Poetry Festival.
Support Stanza Bonanza by dropping by the Poetry Center booth at the Chalk Art Festival, Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Jacome Plaza downtown on the corner of Stone and Pennington.Stanza Bonanza at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind
by Megan Coe
A current outreach program at the Poetry Center is to seed local elementary, middle, and high school libraries with contemporary books of poetry. The program, Stanza Bonanza, will distribute kits of 25 books of poetry each to nearly 30 Tucson schools in May. The Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind, which serves preschool through high school students, will receive three kits, one for each level.
I interviewed Peg Hartman, librarian, and Kathy Barry, Braille transcriber, in the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind library. We talked about Stanza Bonanza, poetry, and their unique jobs amidst the din of students perusing the library and the chirps of Tony, the mascot cockatiel.
Megan: So Peg, you were one of the first librarians to sign-up your school for the Stanza Bonanza program. What initially interested you in Stanza Bonanza?
Peg: I’ve always been aware of the Poetry Center at the University of Arizona. I attended the Housewarming Festival when you moved into your new building last October. That’s where I first saw something about Stanza Bonanza. I went to your website and thought that poetry books would be something that our students would benefit from.
Megan: And how do you think that poetry can supplement the education of students?
Peg: With literacy, words and understanding. Stanza Bonanza, by making poetry books available to schools, gives students more access to poetry, another form of literacy.
Kathy: It’s a great creative outlet if you read in Braille or see it in sign language. Your other senses are heightened and it’s interesting how creative the cycle can be.
Megan: Do you think that there are specific benefits or challenges in teaching poetry to deaf and blind students?
Peg: Poetry provides critical thinking skills, awareness of rhyming and rhythm, vocabulary and interpretation. Poetry can also be a lot of fun and it’s meant to be shared. The challenges are providing the materials in accessible formats. At our school we provide materials in print, large print, Braille, audio and sign language (video), so that all our students will have access.
Megan:Do you read books aloud to students who only learn through hearing?
Peg: Right. We either read books aloud or have books on tape. Books that have been recorded are another way for our students to learn poetry.
Megan:Kathy, you adapt your library books to a format suitable for your deaf and blind students. Can you talk a little bit about the process of adapting the books?
Kathy: For blind students information can be downloaded, scanned or typed. Computer software programs allow me to translate materials into Braille. I use special Braille embossers (printers) to produce the text. For low-vision students, the print is enlarged. Deaf students can read the print, however, the print must be interpreted/translated into sign language for presentation. We also can create videos with interpreters signing the poetry for students to watch and enjoy.
There’s a couple different ways that the conversion can be done. We can actually make a separate book. We have twin vision books where there’s an opaque sheet of Braille that is inserted next to the print pages. Or we can print the Braille on an opaque label paper and place it right into the book over the printed words.
