DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO In a church basement, kids stand behind sets of six colored circles arranged in two columns on the floor. DANIELLE So the first letter we're going to do is an easy one, we're going to do a B. VO What seems like a modified game of Twister is helping teach Braille to kids in this church basement in Rhode Island. DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO Kids assume different positions to touch combinations of the circles beneath them. DANIELLE Bella you're on "4, 5" VO The kids stretch and lunge to place feet, hands, elbows and bellies on different combinations of circles lined up in two columns on the floor. DANIELLE The next letter is "S". DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO Animation shows the Braille cell with the dots numbered one, two and three down the left column and four, five and six down the right. VO The two columns of dots represent the Braille Cell, from which all letters of the Braille alphabet are written. And this Braille yoga is part of the BELL Academy, a summer program from the National Federation of the Blind that's teaching Braille and more to blind and low vision kids in 30 states with support from Wells Fargo. DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO Kids read Braille and type on Braillers BELLA I love the activities we do. VO: 13-year-old Bella Lundberg, who has been blind since the age of 5 is using a Braille typewriter to create a journal entry. BELLA I’m a writer, I love writing. It’s awesome to be able to write in Braille. I love it. I write short stories, I’m hopefully gonna write a novel someday. DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO A small group of kids and adults sit at a table with money. VO: In addition to Braille, BELL focuses on everyday skills to help boost confidence and independence. MOLLY So if you can't see what kind of money you have, if you fold... NATS JESUS They're folded. MOLLY Yeah. MOLLY So each one is folded a different way. VO: Molly Faerber is the director of the BELL Academy of Rhode Island. MOLLY Unfortunately, you know, society has traditionally very low expectations for blind people.

And so, our job is kind of to say, you know blind people actually can do that. You know, we can cook for ourselves, and we can you know, get around independently, and we can, you know have fun. DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO Teenagers and young adult volunteers sit at an arts and crafts table. VO A typical day at BELL is a lot like any summer day camp with arts and crafts, HALEY I’m reaching for stickers and I know I’m getting it because I can feel the different shapes. VO: Games DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO Kids play goal ball. DANIELLE Oh! A block by Jesus! Nice job! VO: And circle time. HALEY Even though blind people can't see, they can still use their other senses. DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO Students wearing learning shades mix ingredients for cupcakes. VO Students who have some low vision wear sleep masks or "learning shades", so they can rely completely on their non-visual senses to accomplish tasks. 15-year-old Chris Bove, wears his while he learns to make a microwave cup cake. DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO Chris puts mug into microwave CHRIS Make sure it's on the rotating part. BELL teaches some techniques that you can use if you’re blind that like other people wouldn’t even think to teach you. DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO A volunteer helps a young boy measure cupcake mix. DANIELLE Okay, so take your mug and we're going to dump that in your mug. VO: Danielle Petch is a teacher of the visually impaired for the Providence school system - and the only fully sighted volunteer working with the kids. DANIELLE They’re not just learning from a teacher that’s sighted, they’re learning from each other and that’s really important is that they’re blind and visually impaired themselves and they’re just as capable of teaching anything. They can do anything they want. DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO A blind adult teaches kids with hand held Braille cells VO: Who can make an "X"? The Wells Fargo logo and copyright appears.