The World at Your Fingertips

Braille is a building block of literacy. Literacy is a building block of independence.

Here are just a few examples of situations in which being able to truly read in Braille is critical:

• Studying, not simply reading, complex material such as a chemistry book, cookbook, or financial statement
• Keeping two channels open to the mind at the same time, as in delivering a speech when referring to notes
• Taking notes and keeping records for easy reference, such as address books and "to do" lists, and labeling
  items such as food containers, file folders, and CDs
• Reading aloud, e.g. Blind parents reading to sighted children as they develop reading skills
• Learning the intricacies of language: spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Communicating with and among people who are deaf and blind, who have no other means of human communication other than hand to hand "talking"

The Use of Braille

For some people, Braille is a symbol of loss. Learning to read Braille means they are blind, and being blind means they are dependent and incapable. For other people, Braille symbolises independence: the ability to gain and organise information without relying on another person's judgment about what is important or relevant.

The change in society's conceptions about blind people, as well as studies and writings increasing awareness on blindness issues, have definitely helped to improve attitudes toward blind people.  However, issues such as lack of Braille instruction and low literacy rates among many blind children tell us that there is more work to be done on policies and the attitudes that often help to form the policies.

Braille is the system of six raised dots created in 1821 by French schoolboy Louis Braille. It is the only medium through
which children with profound or total loss of sight can learn to read and write.

While tape recorders and talking computers are handy and important sources of information for blind people, only braille allows for complete command of written language.

In recent studies, blind people who learn braille at an early age have generally been found to complete more years of
school, have higher incomes and employment rates, and read more in adulthood than do blind people who do not learn braille in childhood.

Without Braille, large print, the spoken
word and other types of accessible media,
the visually impaired would be cut off from
a world of information, be it in education,
employment or leisure.