[nfbwatlk] Braille

[Frederick Driver]

F.Y.I.

My brief article published.

[quote]

Braille is beautiful!
An invitation to Louis Braille's 200th birthday

By Frederick Driver

January 2009 was the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth.  Louis,
who was blind, developed an efficient system of raised dots for reading
and writing.  It revolutionized education and independence for blind
people and is now in use across the world.

Braille is not a specialized or esoteric skill.  The ability to read and
write Braille is to the blind what print is to the sighted--basic
literacy.  Sadly, the emphasis on Braille in education has declined in
recent years.  Students with some residual vision are often encouraged to
focus on their weakest sense, struggling at a disadvantage, rather than
acquiring Braille literacy, which might help them succeed.  The National
Federation of the Blind, the most influential organization of blind people
in the world, says that "only 10 per cent of blind children are learning
to read Braille in school.  This continues despite the fact that studies
have shown that 80 per cent of all employed blind people read and write
Braille fluently."  These studies reinforce what the NFB has been
advocating for years:  Braille literacy is the key to employment and full
participation in society.

Technologies such as computer speech and talking books, while useful, are
not substitutes for literacy.  Imagine the uproar if the sighted were told
they didn't need to learn to read and write--that speaking and listening
were good enough.  The blind have as much right to literacy as the
sighted.  It is imperative that all legally blind citizens have the
opportunity to master Braille.

Louis Braille's 200th birthday is a global celebration of literacy.
Everyone is invited to the Canadian Federation of the Blind convention,
Louis Braille: From Literacy to Liberty--a Louis Braille Birthday Bash,
May 1-3 in Victoria.  Check the website for details at www.cfb.ca.

In:
Multiplicity,
A bi-annual newsletter from the Diversity Advisor,
Office of the Vice-President and Provost,
University of Victoria,
Spring-Summer 2009,
pages 2-3.

Accompanying graphic:  Photo of fingers reading Braille