Early Braille Writing Project

In partnership with  

The Early Braille Writing Project (EBWP) is a collaborative effort by PRCVI and SET-BC to make technology available to support early literacy for students who read braille in British Columbia. A set of Mountbatten Electronic Braillers (MB Brailler - Whisperer and Learning System models) is available for short-term loan to students meeting the following criteria:

• The student must be currently registered with PRCVI.
• The student must be enrolled in an early primary grade level – kindergarten, grade one, grade two, or grade three.
• The student must be receiving direct service from a qualified teacher of students with visual impairments. Devices will not be loaned on behalf of the student to resource/learning support teachers, classroom teachers, educational assistants, etc.

The purpose of the EBWP is to make the MB Brailler available to students who read and write braille as a transitional device between a foundational solution (i.e., the manual Perkins braillewriter) and more advanced solutions (e.g., braille notetaker). EBWP devices are not intended for use as the student’s primary, long-term assistive technology solution. For students in grades four and beyond, as well as those students in K-3 who will benefit from the longer-term use of the MB Brailler, teachers and school-based teams are referred to SET-BC. For more detailed information, please see the EBWP Information Package.

SET-BC has developed a number of resources to support the implementation of the Mountbatten Whisperer including an updated Visual Guide.

Getting Started with EBWP

1. Submit a request through the PRCVI Online Library Catalogue.
2. The team at PRCVI will be in touch with supplemental forms required for this type of loan.