Effects of Two Telegraphic Deletion Schemes On the Reading Behavior of Braille Readers 1

This study is part of a programmatic research effort which is attempting to develop a telegraphic writing style that will increase the ease of braille reading. Three types of literature were reduced by either 20% or 40% of their words using either a subjective or a computerized frequency method. The passages were read by 36 braille readers from grades 8 to 12. Reading performance was assessed by a multiple choice comprehension test, reading rate, and reading time. No significant decrements in comprehension were obtained either as a function of the type of deletion scheme or level of deletion. Reading rates tended to be slower for the 40% passages than for the 20% ones. Increased information density and unfamiliarity with telegraphic prose may have contributed to the slower reading rates.