An Investigation into the Commonalities of Students Who Are Braille Readers in a Southwestern State Who Possess Comprehensive Literacy Skills by Bertha Avila Guerrero, MEd A Dissertation In Special Education Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Approved Nora Griffin-Shirley, PhD Co-chair of Committee Rona Pogrund, PhD Co-chair of Committee Lee Deumer, PhD Committee Member Mark Sheridan, PhD Dean of the Graduate School August, 2017 Copyright © August, 2017, Bertha Avila Guerrero Texas Tech University, Bertha Avila Guerrero, August 2017 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I extend my eternal gratitude to my Prince of Peace, my blue- eyed Jesus, who instilled in me a love of learning and a desire to achieve more than what was expected of me. Two phenomenal women were my first introduction to what an extraordinary teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI) should be. Adalaide Ratner, who planted the seed of literacy in me at an early age, thank you for showing me that my future would be limited without the dots. Thanks to Ora Potter who watered the seed and propelled me further into independence with her encouragement and no-nonsense attitude about blindness. I am grateful for my beautiful Little Lady Godiva who patiently waited through endless hours at the library and lying on her favorite chair in my study while I worked; never complaining when the embosser woke her up and never grumbling about the late nights and early mornings. I thank Amador, my husband, my friend, research assistant, and driver, with all my heart and soul. Your unfailing encouragement and belief in me kept me moving forward; especially in the tough times, and boy, there were tough times. I want to thank you for the numerous computer hours, for keeping me fed, driving endless miles, and many, many cups of tea. I am grateful to my beautiful daughters, Amanda, LuzAndrea, and Annai: Manda for your editing and powerpoint help; LuzAndrea, for your assistance with research, tables, and PowerPoints; and Annai, for your support and prayers. Each of you are a great source of affirmation, laughter, and provided me with a much needed kick in the rear at times. Your prayers, along with your Daddy's prayers, saw me through. ii Texas Tech University, Bertha Avila Guerrero, August 2017 A very gratitude filled thanks goes to Dr. Max Manley. Dr. Manley, from you I not only learned concepts of special education in my first special education class at Texas Tech, I also learned what it was to find compassion and understanding for people who do not have the heart for our children. Teachers of the visually impaired should know that our walk as special educators is observed not only by our students but by those who serve them. Thank you to Dr. Bill Danley; you not only got me through my undergraduate statistics class, but you taught me that, as teachers, if through our interactions with our students we give them some dignity, that is a great accomplishment. Great thanks to my Compadre Dr. Ralph Carter, who believed in me and encouraged me to continue my studies. You are greatly missed. I thank my dear friend Mary Faires, a braille literacy advocate and braillist. Rae Cunningham, I thank you for your unfailing belief in me and your tireless computer assistance and your beautiful braille graphics. Thanks to Ms. Minerva Alanis who introduced me to graduate level research and allowed me never to forget that I would reach the end of my doctoral journey. Thank you, Dr. Nora Griffin-Shirley. Your tireless attempts kept me on track and moving forward. Dr. Rona Pogrund, thank you for providing direction and encouragement. Thank you, Dr. Lee Duemer, my methodologist, for your support and direction. I also want to thank my Dissertation Coach, Dr. Marcelo Schmidt who provided endless hours of assistance, never stepped back when I cried, and encouraged me when the process knocked the stuffing out of me; ¡A La Lona! iii Texas Tech University, Bertha Avila Guerrero, August 2017 Dr. Sonya Sherrod, thank you for your time, your qualitative expertise, and your encouragement. Ms. Pamela Lindell, thank you for the numerous hours of editing. Thank you for never complaining about reformatting my braille documents into APA Graduate School approved documents and for your positive attitude and multiple productive work sessions. Rick Sellers, from HIMS, Inc., thank you for your wonderful assistance. Your expertise with hardware and software facilitated my data collection and the completion of this study. I also appreciate your help in locating gatekeepers. Additionally, I would like to thank the gatekeepers who launched my participant recruitment. Finally, a big thank you to my four participants: David, Esther, Luke, and Peter. Without you, this study would not have happened. It was an honor to meet you and to briefly be a part of your lives. iv Texas Tech University, Bertha Avila Guerrero, August 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION….....................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................5 Purpose of Study ............................................................................................................6 Research Question .........................................................................................................6 Significance of the Study ...............................................................................................6 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................7 Rationale for Using Qualitative Research Methods ...................................................7 Delimitations of the Study ............................................................................................8 Limitations of the Study ................................................................................................8 Definition of Terms .......................................................................................................8 Organization of Dissertation ......................................................................................17 Summary ......................................................................................................................18 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................................................................20 Introduction .................................................................................................................20 History of Braille .........................................................................................................25 Educational Historical Perspective ............................................................................32 Reading .........................................................................................................................43 Family Support ............................................................................................................49 Emergent Literacy and Early Education ..................................................................62 v Texas Tech University, Bertha Avila Guerrero, August 2017 Literacy .........................................................................................................................71 Hand Mechanics ..........................................................................................................97 Spelling and Phonological Awareness .....................................................................100 Speed, Fluency, and Comprehension .......................................................................119 Summary ....................................................................................................................130 III. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................132 Introduction ..............................................................................................................132 Research Question ...................................................................................................132 Strategy and Rationale ............................................................................................133 Strengths and Limitations of Qualitative Research and Grounded Theory ......142 Context of the Study ................................................................................................144 Data Sources .............................................................................................................145 Data Collection .........................................................................................................147 Strengths and Limitations in the use of Questionnaires.......................................148 Semi-structured Interviews .....................................................................................149 Strengths and Limitations of Semi-structured Interviews ...................................152 Direct Observation ...................................................................................................152