[nabs-l] Braille Under Siege As Blind Turn To Smartphones

[Chris Nusbaum]

Hi Anjelina and everyone,

Although there is technology out there which can help us access 
information a lot faster than Braille, there is still an 
importance, in my opinion, to Braille.  Yes, there is technology 
that we can use, but I don't think it can replace Braille as a 
form of literacy.  I believe that as print is the form of 
literacy for the sighted, Braille is the form of literacy for the 
blind.  Perhaps the best way for me to express my opinions on 
this issue is to paste here a submission I wrote for the Readers' 
Forum of the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind, in response 
to previous posts in that Forum which expressed mixed feelings 
about the importance of Braille.  What are your thoughts on this?

Chris

This is the Readers' Forum submission:

In response to previous posts in the Reader's Forum regarding 
Braille:

There is an interesting debate within the blindness community and 
in the community of people working with us regarding Braille and 
its importance in the digital world in which we live.  There is 
no question that we have seen a remarkable advancement in 
technology, including technology for the blind, and this 
technology will continue to advance and become more accessible.  
Although a lot of information isn't accessible to us, just look 
at what we have in the way of technology that could easily make 
Braille obsolete: notetakers, screen readers, iDevices with 
VoiceOver, etc.  All this technology is very good and allows us 
to access information like never before; don't get me wrong 
there.  But it can't replace Braille! There is technology; there 
is audio; there are ways out there for us to access books besides 
hardcopy Braille; but in my opinion there is nothing that can 
replace Braille literacy.  Yes, you can read books using audio 
(human-produced or synthesized,) but that's not literacy! Anybody 
who is familiar with the English language (or whatever language 
the audiobook is produced in) enough to listen to a person 
talking can do that! But literacy, in my opinion, is the ability 
to communicate effectively and efficiently using some system of 
reading and writing.  Even in today's technologically-driven 
society, there is still a huge emphasis placed on literacy; most 
jobs require you to be able to read; you're definitely not going 
to get into any kind of college without being able to read; 
literate people are typically regarded in society as educated and 
so are much more respected than those who can't read.  Even the 
technology that sighted people use is all print-based, in that 
the sighted user must read the print on the screen to get at any 
information on the computer/mobile device and to operate the 
device.  So, we really are the only people whose form of literacy 
(and the teaching of it) is effected negatively by advancements 
in technology.  However, this technology, in my view, doesn't 
even come close to making Braille obsolete.  As print is the form 
of literacy for the sighted, so Braille is the form of literacy 
for the blind! I believe we still need Braille and that it is 
very important to us! If you ask anybody who says we don't need 
Braille anymore the question: "So should we stop teaching sighted 
children print," you'd most likely get a resounding "No!" So why 
should we eliminate our form of literacy just because there's 
technology that can replace it? Braille is still our form of 
literacy, and I think eliminating it or stopping the teaching of 
it would place all blind people at a severe disadvantage to their 
sighted peers.

Chris Nusbaum
Taneytown, Maryland


Chris Nusbaum
Email and Google Talk/Keychat (on the BrailleNote) ID: 
dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Skype: christpher.nusbaum3 or search for Chris Nusbaum

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The 
real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that 
exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and 
opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical 
nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan

----- Original Message -----
From: "Anjelina" <anjelinac26 at gmail.com
To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:49:22 -0500
Subject: [nabs-l] Braille Under Siege As Blind Turn To 
Smartphones

Good evening fellow students,
What are your thoughts about this NPR article?
Since technology is such a large part of our daily lives, 
especially as students, how do you keep up with your Braille 
skills?
Besides using my BrailleNote for taking notes/reading, labeling 
items  and the occasional Braille leisure novel, I don’t have 
as much access to Braille as I’d prefer.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/02/13/146812288/b
raille-under-siege-as-blind-turn-to-smartphones
Anjelina
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