The relationship between phonological abilities and reading progress in blind children was investigated in two interdependent studies. The first examined the performance of a sample of 22 Braille readers aged 7:10-12:1 years. The second compared the phonological skills of two 'matched' Braille readers, one a struggling learner and the other making good progress. An adapted form of the Phonological Assessment Battery was used in the research. Results for the first study showed that, while reading scores on a standardized test were lower than for sighted children, the scores achieved by this sample for each test of phonological awareness/memory were higher than those expected from the norms of the sighted standardization sample.
Results of the second study demonstrated marked differences between the two learners, not only in their phonological skills but also in their approaches to learning. The role that phonological competencies play in Braille learning is discussed in relation to the complexity of the symbol system and the tactile processing involved. The results have implications for the identification of phonological dyslexia in Braille readers and for the teaching of Braille.