Getting in Touch with Braille Literacy Data, 12/17/17 GITWL Showcase (text-only version) p.8
Slide 1: Showcase Overview: Getting in Touch with Braille Literacy Data - History & Politics of “the” Braille Reader Statistic
Frances Mary D’Andrea, Ph.D.
Rebecca Sheffield, Ph.D.
Val Morash, Ph.D.†
Slide 2: With great appreciation and in memory.
Dr. Valerie “Val” Morash
1985 – 2017
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head-and-shoulders photo of Val Morash in front of a tree with autumn leaves
Slide 3:
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“… advocates of the tactile writing system are wrestling with how to address record low Braille literacy.” - Philip, M. (2017, Nov 01). Technology seeks to preserve fading skill: Braille literacy. AP Financial.
“In an environment where only ten percent of blind children receive Braille instruction…” - National Federation of the Blind, Wells Fargo launch the 2017 BELL Academy program. (2017, Jan 04). PR Newswire.
“In 1970, more than half of blind American school children could read braille. Now, only about 10% can.” - Reading lessons; displaying braille. (2015, Jun 20). The Economist, 415, 79.
Slide 4: Range of definitions
braille “literacy”
· braille learner
o will learn braille in the future
o has been taught (some) braille
o receives some/all instructional materials in braille
· braille reader
o can read some/all braille characters
o proficient braille reader
o reads braille for a range of purposes, at/above grade level
· braille user
o uses braille exclusively
o uses braille primarily
o uses braille and print
“blind” population
· blind, legally blind, “totally blind,” no functional vision, self-identifies as blind
· visually impaired, self-identifies as visually impaired
· low vision, partially sighted
· clinical acuities vs. functional vision
· student eligible for special education services due to blindness/visual impairment or progressive vision loss
· congenitally blind vs. adventitiously blind vs. age-related vision loss
· deafblind and/or additional disabilities
Slide 5: Our Method
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icons representing books and a magnifying glass
Graphic organizer
Level 1: Systematic literature review
Level 2: Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Level 3: Electronic databases, Key journals, Historic documents, Hand searches
Slide 6: Of 48 sources* that mention “braille literacy” rate…
· 25 affirm some braille literacy rate without mentioning a source
· 12 cite the APH Federal Quota Census
· 3 cite the National Federation of the Blind
· 5 cite primary source research
* Pending final analysis
Bar chart:
Categories and numbers cited on this slide are displayed in a vertical bar chart
Slide 7: What about APH’s Federal Quota Census?
Appropriate Use of Federal Quota Census Data
The specific purpose of the annual Federal Quota Census is to register students in the United States and outlying areas who meet the definition of blindness and are, therefore, eligible for adapted educational materials from APH through the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind.
Statements regarding student literacy, use of appropriate learning media, and students taught in a specific medium cannot be supported using APH registration data. – www.aph.org
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icon representing a hand pointing to the left
Slide 8: Implications
· What message are we sending if we say or imply that 90% of people who are blind are illiterate or that literacy is declining?
· When we do not have recent, reliable sources of data to support any statistic, we must be careful about providing numbers, whether in research publications or in the main-stream media.
· As a professional field, we must not repeat statistics without citations.
· “How many braille readers are there?” is a complex question. It is important to consider exactly what you want to know and why. Are we asking the right question?
Slide 9: Contact us
· Frances Mary D'Andrea –
· Rebecca Sheffield –
Learn more at our concurrent session! today, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
· Thank you to APH for the digitized Migel Library and to the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired for use of their archives!
· Thank you to Eric Caruso & Daisy Lei for research assistance.
· Work in progress, reference list available upon request.
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icon representing a mailbox with flag raised, door partially open, mail inside
Sheffield, D’Andrea, & Morash, 2017