SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED UNIT STANDARD THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

Prepare Braille reading readiness

SAQA US ID	UNIT STANDARD TITLE
117857	Prepare Braille reading readiness
ORIGINATOR
SGB Inclusive Education
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY
-
FIELD			SUBFIELD
Field 05 - Education, Training and Development			Adult Learning
ABET BAND	UNIT STANDARD TYPE	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	CREDITS
Undefined	Regular	Level 5	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5	10
REGISTRATION STATUS		REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE	SAQA DECISION NUMBER
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		2018-07-01	2023-06-30	SAQA 06120/18
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2026-06-30		2029-06-30

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This unit standard does not replace any other unit standard and is not replaced by any other unit standard.

PURPOSE OF THE UNIT STANDARD

The purpose of the Unit Standard is that a credited learner is able to master tactile skills, including certain finger, hand and arm movements required for reading Braille and to teach these movements to others. This Unit Standard contributes to the set of competence required to read Braille efficiently, or when assisting with the facilitation of learning of blind persons, including children. Achieving this set of competence improves speed and accuracy of own Braille reading and that of others.

Credited learners are capable of:

Identifying characteristics of efficient Braille readers

Selecting finger, hand and arm movements for Braille reading

Differentiating symbols, symbol patterns and columns using tactile feedback

Developing a personal Braille reading style

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

The credits and level assigned to this Unit Standard are based on the assumption that learners have already attained the following competencies:

Communication and language at NQF Level 4

Reading and writing uncontracted and contracted Braille

UNIT STANDARD RANGE

Range statements are provided in the body of the Unit Standard where relevant. Learners who are credited with the unit standard can prepare their own and others' (including children) tactile readiness for braille reading.

Specific Outcomes and Assessment Criteria:

SPECIFIC OUTCOME 1

Identify characteristics of efficient Braille readers.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1

Braille reader characteristics are described correctly in terms of Braille reading.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2

Identified characteristics are described in terms of the impact of such characteristics on Braille reading efficiency.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE

Characteristics can include difficulties with health which may impact negatively on the ability to learn to read.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3

Braille reader characteristics in terms of Braille reading are identified accurately.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4

Efficiency is defined in terms of specified requirements for Braille reading.

SPECIFIC OUTCOME 2

Select finger, hand and arm movements for Braille reading.

OUTCOME RANGE

Movements can include flat-hand scanning, tracking, etc.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1

Advantages and disadvantages of different types of movements are accurately identified.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2

Selection of movements is justified in terms of specific context requirements.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3

Selected movements optimise Braille reading efficiency.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4

Relaxation techniques are used for new readers.

SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3

Differentiate symbols, symbol patterns and columns using tactile feedback.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1

How Braille is arranged on a page is determined correctly and accurately according to given arrangement.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2

Symbols that are the same are accurately identified.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3

Differing symbols are accurately identified.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4

Page numbers are accurately identified.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5

Blocks of full cells in different positions within lines are located correctly according to given positioning.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 6

Columns of symbols are tracked correctly in terms of specified tracking requirements.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 7

Appropriate exercises and techniques are used to develop tactile discrimination.

SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4

Develop a personal Braille reading style.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1

Personal Braille reading style meets specified requirements.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2

Own limitations, strengths and weaknesses are identified accurately.

ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3

Personal Braille reading style developed optimises Braille reading efficiency.

UNIT STANDARD ACCREDITATION AND MODERATION OPTIONS

Assessment of learner achievements takes place at providers accredited by a relevant ETQA (RSA, 1998b) for the provision of programs that result in the outcomes specified for this Unit Standard.

Anyone assessing a learner against this Unit Standard must be registered as an assessor with a relevant ETQA.

Any institution offering learning that will enable achievement of this Unit Standard must be accredited as a provider with a relevant ETQA.

The relevant ETQA according to the moderation guidelines and the agreed ETQA procedures will oversee moderation of assessment and is responsible for moderation of learner achievements of learners who meet the requirements of this Unit Standard.

UNIT STANDARD ESSENTIAL EMBEDDED KNOWLEDGE

Credited learners understand and can explain:

Characteristics of efficient Braille readers

The impact of efficient Braille reader characteristics on Braille reading efficiency

Finger, hand and arm movements for Braille reading

Advantages and disadvantages of different types of finger, hand and arm movements

Differentiation of symbols, symbol patterns and columns using tactile feedback

How Braille is arranged on a page

Braille reading styles

UNIT STANDARD DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME

N/A

UNIT STANDARD LINKAGES

N/A

Critical Cross-field Outcomes (CCFO):

UNIT STANDARD CCFO IDENTIFYING

Identify and solve problems where responses to problems show that such critical and creative thinking has been used to make responsible decisions regarding personal Braille reading style.

UNIT STANDARD CCFO ORGANISING

Organise and manage oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively to ensure that personal Braille reading style developed optimises Braille reading efficiency.

UNIT STANDARD CCFO COLLECTING

Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information about the characteristics of efficient Braille readers to select finger, hand and arm movements for Braille reading.

UNIT STANDARD CCFO DEMONSTRATING

Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation when individual limitations, strengths and weaknesses are identified accurately.

UNIT STANDARD ASSESSOR CRITERIA

N/A

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this unit standard was Reregistered in 2012; 2015.

UNIT STANDARD NOTES

Notes to assessors

Assessors should keep the following principles in mind when designing and conducting assessments against this Unit Standard:

Focus the assessment activities on gathering evidence in terms of the main outcome expressed in the title to ensure assessment is integrated rather than fragmented. Remember we want to declare the person competent in terms of the title. Where assessment at title level is unmanageable, then focus assessment around each specific outcome, or groups of specific outcomes.

Make sure evidence is gathered across the entire range, wherever it applies. Assessment activities should be as close to the real performance as possible, and where simulations or role-plays are used, there should be supporting evidence to show the learner is able to perform in the real situation.

Do not focus the assessment activities on each assessment criterion. Rather make sure the assessment activities focus on outcomes and are sufficient for enabling the gathering of evidence around all the assessment criteria.

The assessment criteria provide the specifications against which assessment judgements should be made. In most cases, knowledge can be inferred from the quality of the performances, but in other cases, knowledge and understanding will have to be tested through questioning techniques. Where this is required, there will be assessment criteria to specify the standard required.

The task of the assessor is to gather sufficient evidence, of the prescribed type and quality, as specified in this Unit Standard, that the learner can achieve the outcomes again and again and again. This means assessors will have to judge how many repeat performances are required before they believe the performance is reproducible.

All assessments should be conducted in line with the following well documented principles of assessment: appropriateness, fairness, manageability, integration into work or learning, validity, direct, authentic, sufficient, systematic, open and consistent.

QUALIFICATIONS UTILISING THIS UNIT STANDARD:

	ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	STATUS	END DATE	PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QA FUNCTIONARY
Core	49277	National Diploma: Braille Practice	Level 5	NQF Level 05	Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"	2023-06-30	ETDP SETA
Elective	67373	National Diploma: Orientation and Mobility Practice	Level 5	NQF Level 05	Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"	2023-06-30	ETDP SETA

PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS UNIT STANDARD:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

1.	South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind