[stylist] My Louis Braille Speech

[Robert Leslie Newman]

Hey you all, the January issue of The Braille Monitor is out. One of the
articles is the Louis Braille keynote speech that I wrote for the 2009 White
Cane Banquet. 

I've pasted it in below. Check it out. 

  [PHOTO CAPTION: Blind actor David Decant delivered a lecture as Louis
  Braille dressed in period costume.]
  Remarks by Louis Braille
  by Robert Leslie Newman
  ************
  From the Editor: The Omaha Chapter of the NFB of Nebraska conducts a
  White Cane Banquet each October. Last year Dr. James Nyman addressed the
  assembled audience, and we reprinted his speech in the March 2009 issue of
  the Braille Monitor. This year, in honor of the two-hundredth anniversary
  of the birth of Louis Braille, the inventor of the Braille code, David
  DeCant, a blind actor, addressed the crowd as Louis Braille. This is
almost
  exactly what he said:
  ************
  Bonsoir. Good evening. I am Louis Braille, and I am proud to have been
  asked to be the keynote speaker for this White Cane Banquet. As we start
  this important time together, I have a question for you. I want to hear
  your answer. Messieurs et Mesdames, is it not true that being able to read
  and write is the heart and soul of literacy, and that all people, the
  sighted and the blind, must have this skill for a complete and meaningful
  life?
  Ah oui, all of us are in agreement--reading and writing are important.
  I know we will also agree that my message, my story has relevance to
  everyone in this room, blind or sighted. Recall that I was once sighted
and
  became blind. If life has taught me anything, it is that, no matter
whether
  you are sighted or blind, with the proper methode and chance egale--tools
  and opportunity--you can compete with your fellow man. Ah oui, I will
begin
  by telling you my story--where I lived, how I was blinded, how blind
people
  once lived, how I invented the raised-dot system named for me, how Braille
  has spread across the globe, and how it is used. Then I will report on how
  Braille is faring today here in your country.
  As you can tell, I am French. I was born on January 4, 1809, in a
  small French village called Coupvray. I was the baby of the family, the
  youngest of four children. My papa was a harness maker; his workshop was
  attached to our small stone cottage. I loved to watch my papa work his
  magic. From a shapeless hide, a large piece of leather, he could fashion a
  system of straps to harness the power of the horse. Like most little boys
  who watch their papas work, I wanted to grow up to be just like him. One
  day, when I was three, I sneaked into my papa's workshop. I looked at and
  touched everything, picturing how my papa made the harness. The shiny
tools
  were especially interesting. When I found my favorite one to watch him
use,
  the awl that makes the little holes, I decided to try using it. I knew
from
  watching my papa that I had to make the hole right in the middle of the
  strap. I looked very closely, placing the point of the awl just so, and I
  pushed. The leather was very tough, so I pushed and pushed and, mes amis,
I
  do not know how it happened. I poked my eye; it hurt. (Shrugging in
  resignation) Infection came, taking both my eyes. In those days we did not
  have the medicines of today, and I am lucky I did not die.
  (Another expressive shrug) C'est la vie. Though my parents did their
  best for me, the only blind people they had ever seen were beggars on the
  streets. (Placing his hand over his heart with much emotion) Mes amis, God
  love them. They believed that, if only I had a good education, I might
make
  something of my life. So at age seven I was enrolled in the village
school.
  I did well for not being able to read and write. (Pausing for emphasis)
  But, Messieurs et Mesdames, I ask you, what is an education without
  literacy?
  Mais oui, my parents wanted more. They had heard of a school in Paris,
  the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, where a blind youth could learn a
  trade. So at ten I left my home and family to go to the big city. I will
  not tell you the details of life in that damp and drafty old building with
  steep, winding staircases and long, narrow hallways, where the slightest
  noise echoed. And, mon Dieu, the food! This banquet food (making a broad,
  two-armed gesture meant to include his surroundings) in comparison is a
  feast. But that school had one advantage beyond price, books that could be
  read with the fingers. The print was raised. One traced each sentence,
  letter by letter, word by word. In many cultures well-meaning people have
  tried using such a system of embossing the language. (A shrug) Messieurs
et
  Mesdames, though the blind can read the words, the system is very slow.
  When I was twelve--for those of you who care for such things, it was
  1821--we learned of a new raised system of reading. A soldier came to our
  school--I will never forget him, Captain Charles Barbier. He showed us his
  system called "night writing." He had devised it to keep his soldiers safe
  when they had to read a message at night. The good captain thought his
  system might prove useful to the blind. Mes amis, you will not be
surprised
  to hear that, like other boys and girls would be, we were fascinated by
the
  raised dots and dashes of this new code. Alas, there was no punctuation or
  capitalization, and the symbols were not letters but sounds. All too soon
  everyone lost interest in night writing.
  However, I could not stop thinking about the code and running my
  fingers over and over the dots, wondering what could be made of this idea;
  I knew something was there. Then success! By the time I was fifteen, I had
  streamlined the system, which I based on six dots in two vertical rows,
  like the "6" on a domino. And, for you English speakers, I added an extra
  letter to my new French alphabet, the "w," so that it would work for you
  too.
  (Pausing reflectively) Messieurs et Mesdames, those of you who know
  history know that my raised-dot system was not accepted with open arms.
No,
  not even by my teachers, not until 1844. (After a tiny pause, brightening)
  However, the blind of the world did eventually receive the gift of
  literacy, the ability to read and write independently. I am proud to say
  that others have taken my French system of reading text, made it fit their
  languages, and developed additional codes, such as the one for
mathematics.
  Now the blind in all cultures can be literate. Braille--ha-(looking self-
  conscious) I still find it awkward to use my surname for my code. But I
  think of what my English school friend once said: "Hey, Braille, better
  your surname than mine--Jones."
  But enough about me and the early history of Braille. It is time to
  look at the present and the future of literacy for the blind in America.
  (Pausing to lift a copy of the Braille agenda for the evening) I am
holding
  up tonight's Braille agenda. So first I commend you for honoring the
  equality of the blind, providing us equal access to this evening's written
  material. I ask you, is it true that the blind in the United States of
  America in the twenty-first century have equal access to your culture's
  print texts? (Pausing for the shouts of No! to die down) Messieurs et
  Mesdames, what is it that you are telling me; what am I hearing? Let me
  review my research about where Braille literacy has been, where it is
  today, and where it must be in the future.
  (Cocking his head and raising an eyebrow) You Americans do know that
  Braille was not your only touch system for writing? You too had your (hand
  tracing an imaginary curve to illustrate raised print writing, then
tracing
  a block letter in the air) Roman letters. Messieurs et Mesdames, such
  writing is pretty to look at, easy for the sighted to read, but too slow
to
  read with a finger; and one cannot write it by hand. Then there were the
  dot systems--you have had several. There was New York Point and American
  Braille. As a Frenchman who knows about revolutions, I remind you that,
  before you Americans could finally decide which code to settle on, you had
  what was called "The War of the Dots."
  Finally in 1932 you made Braille the accepted standard for reading and
  writing for blind people in the United States. By the 1940s and 50s many
  blind adults in rehabilitation were being taught Braille and 50 to 60
  percent of blind children were learning to read and write Braille. Like
me,
  the majority of these children lived in the schools for the blind, where
  blindness skills were deemed important. And oui, blind children learned to
  read at the same time as sighted children. There was equality--no
  difference in their ability to read rapidly--many words a minute--un,
deux,
  trois-Ha, I was counting-excusez moi--when I get excited, I revert to
  French. As I was saying (counting on his fingers) Braille readers were
  reading one-, two-, three-hundred words a minute, and more--blind people
  reading as fast as their sighted brothers and sisters. Though, mes amis,
  (shrugging in resignation) back then Braille books were not as common as
  print; Braille readers of the last century were not like the fortunate
  Braille readers of today. Today you have the computer, the Braille
printing
  machine, and the wonderful-qu'est ce que c'est?--the electronic Braille
  device with dots that move up and down to make the Braille symbols with no
  paper--the refreshable Braille display. Think of it, reading without
paper!
  My research reveals that this beautiful machine was the invention of a
  Frenchman. Oui, then with this technology connected to the Internet,
voila,
  you have at your touch in Braille everything that has been written.
Braille
  readers have never had it so good in education, in employment, and for
  pleasure. Oui, let us talk about where Braille is being used in this
  culture.
  (Referring to his notes) Pardon, I read my Braille notes. You need to
  help me here. Please answer this question. Do you agree, reading is a
  necessity? (Listens to the crowd's response) Ah, oui, Braille is used in
  the home to label things, take care of business, read books to our
  children, and more. In education we see Braille in the schools for reading
  textbooks, taking notes, and giving speeches, and it is especially good
for
  math and-(eyebrows raised and mischievous grin)--for learning languages
  like English and French.
  My notes next tell me that Braille is used for employment. Oui, as we
  witnessed this evening, young Adam helping his employer's customers,
  reading information with his paperless Braille display, and Michael, who
  will use both print and Braille in his professional position. Of course
  many more blind people are using Braille for employment. You and I know
  that blind people can do many, many types of jobs, but you and I also know
  that it has always been hard for the blind to find employment. And, though
  more blind people are working today, my research shows that from 35 to 70
  percent of blind people are still unemployed. And, mes amis, of the blind
  who are employed, 90 plus percent of blind people with jobs are Braille
  readers. (Slapping the table and shaking his Braille notes for emphasis) I
  say to you: what does this mean? Is it not literacy, Braille literacy,
that
  has tipped the balance, making these blind workers successful?
  (Waiting for the crowd to settle down) Messieurs et Mesdames, looking
  back at America's record, I can see from the statistics that, since the
  blind have left their residential schools for public ones, the emphasis on
  blindness skills decreased. I saw this in Paris when I was young. If you
  can see a little, the sighted want you to use your vision. Can you believe
  it? When it comes to reading and writing, as those of us who know about
  blindness recognize that print is not always the better methode. (Looking
  serious and striking his fist on the table) And now there are reports of a
  Braille literacy crisis in your schools. Ninety percent of your blind
  students are not given the tool that will allow them to read and write.
  (Shaking the Braille agenda at the crowd with some heat) For shame! I hold
  this Braille up to the world and ask you: what is this? Is history
  repeating itself? In this modern age with more information to read and
  learn from than any other time in history, I find it incroyablex that you
  are moving blind people away from fluency, from complete literacy!
  From its conception Braille has never been only for blind people who
  cannot see at all. It has always been for people blind or sighted who are
  unable to read print efficiently.
  If I may speak, one blind person to other blind people, to the blind
  of this new century and to those who work with the blind, we have all
  understood that there are different levels of blindness. Some are like me,
  unable to see any light; for us print is not an option. But mes amis, most
  blind people are able to use their limited vision, so they can read some
  print. And we know that, if you resist the limitations of blindness and
try
  to live using only your limited sight, you limit yourself. We also know
  that the person who embraces both blindness and sight and learns the
  methodes for both blindness and sight, he is the complete one. He is not
  limited. I have never met one of these blind-sighted people who has
  regretted learning both print and Braille. Before I let go this thought,
  let me remind you of the sighted man who created the touch system of
  reading and writing for sighted soldiers, Captain Charles Barbier. He knew
  the value of using a touch system when the visual one was dangerous.
  (Starting in a reflective mood) I must back up for a moment to make an
  observation. I find it significant that in my travels around this century
I
  do not find that those who use modern gadgets for reading have abandoned
  reading for themselves. The sighted have their monitors on and actively
  read the print. Granted, the blind use computers egalement with the
  sighted. However, when I stand nearby and listen to the words being read
  aloud to them, it is no different now than it was for centuries past--the
  blind are just listening; they are being read to. They understand the
  sentences, but not the punctuation or the look of the page. They can
  pronounce the words but not the spelling. These blind people cannot read
  that story to another person. They cannot read a book to a child. How will
  such people do math, in their heads? How will they read the labels on
their
  food or medicine containers? On which side of the employment scale do
blind
  people wish to sit, the unemployed or the employed?
  Messieurs et Mesdames, my report is near its close. We must speak of
  the future, not of what may be, but of what must be. When you asked me to
  examine the history and use of Braille here in America, I did not know
what
  I would find. I will admit, I did not expect to find that an efficient
  methode, a tool for reading, would fall from favor. I do not believe that
I
  have identified all the reasons why this has happened. However, in some
  places Braille is viewed as a negative symbol, a stigma associated with
the
  unacceptability of blindness. Some educators even say that Braille is slow
  and obsolete, which we know is not true.
  In my research I also found forces for good, groups of people who
  believe that it is respectable to be blind. They recognize that a good
  methode of reading and writing is necessary. Messieurs et Mesdames, this
  group, the National Federation of the Blind, is speaking the loudest and
is
  working the hardest to change what it means to be blind and to promote
  Braille literacy. I commend you! (Raising his arms and voice) I have read
  about your programs: Braille Readers Are Leaders--competing with other
  Braille readers so that later children can compete with everyone); your
  support of Twin Vision books--Braille and print text on the same
page--your
  support for laws and rules to make teachers teach Braille when print is
not
  a good option; your insistence that young students be taught by certified
  Braille instructors; your work with other countries to establish a unified
  Braille system; your Braille Buddies program; Braille letters to Santa
  Claus; your exciting commemorative Braille coin. And I know that you teach
  Braille in your blindness training centers. Your voices and your written
  words, both print and Braille, are in all corners of this big country.
  I stand with you. Just as I knew two centuries ago that to compete I
  needed a good methode for reading and writing for full literacy, I believe
  that we are of the same mind and heart today. Just as I found nearly two
  hundred years ago that it was a struggle to have Braille accepted even
  after it has been proven to be equal to print, I see you are faced with
the
  same reality, same struggle today. Let my voice here tonight be
remembered.
  Let us inform the world that we have joined hands in the effort to make
  this change for all systems of literacy are good. Braille literacy is
equal
  to print literacy, and literacy is what makes people equal.
  ------------ 


Robert Leslie Newman 
Email- newmanrl at cox.net
THOUGHT PROVOKER Website- 
Http://www.thoughtprovoker.info