National Federation of the Blind

Braille Readers are Leaders

Braille equips the blind with literacy in the exact same manner that print empowers the sighted. Yet, today fewer than 10 percent of blind children are learning Braille.The National Federation of the Blind is introducing the “Braille Readers are Leaders” Literacy Campaign to improve Braille literacy and double the number of young Braille readers by 2015.

Background

The Braille code, the primary system of reading and writing used by people who are blind, is a relatively modern invention that has frequently met with opposition. The code is named after its creator, Louis Braille (1809-1852), who developed and published the first manual on his code at the age of eighteen. Blind students enthusiastically took to the Braille code as until then the only means of reading independently, was using embossed letters. The embossed letters were slow and difficult to use, and no easy way to write using this system existed. Essentially, the embossed letter system was invented by fully sighted individuals as a means of helping blind people to be normal. Despite the clear advantages of Braille and the enthusiastic support for the system among young blind students, usingthe code was challenged by sighted schoolmasters who viewed it as simply another barrier between blind and sighted individuals. The Braille code was first introduced in the United States in 1869 but faced many struggles before its adoption as the Standard English Grade Two Braille code, in 1932.

From that point until the early 1960s, many blind people were routinely taught to read and write Braille from an early age. However, by the 1980s, the Braille literacy rate among blind people was reported to be near 10 percent. This meant that the vast majority of blind people were illiterate—they could not effectively use print or Braille to read and write. A number of causes led to the decline in Braille literacy, including:

  • The emphasis, since approximately 1965, on teaching children with some remaining vision to read print, to the exclusion of Braille;
  • Negative attitudes toward blind people and the communication skills they need;
  • Lack of standardized Braille teaching methods and of quality control to ensure high standards of teaching;
  • The misguided notion that technological advances, such as cassette tapes, were a viable substitute for Braille;
  • Discouragement of newly blinded adults from learning Braille under the false belief that it cannot be mastered after childhood;
  • Not giving older individuals the opportunity to explore how some Braille might help them maintain their independence and manage their own medications; and
  • Underestimation of and view of Braille as unusual, thus, the blind themselves are viewed in a similar fashion.

A Much Needed Shift

Led by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a number of initiatives were undertaken, beginning in the 1980s, to change the decline in Braille literacy. These included raising public awareness about the benefits of Braille and an effort to adopt state laws that strengthened access to Braille instruction and instructional materials for blind children. While significant progress was made in the 1990s in changing public policies related to Braille and raising awareness of the importance of Braille to the blind, the literacy statistics for the blind show that far too few blind people have access to quality instruction in Braille. This is true despite the fact that research conducted during this period demonstrates a significant relationship between Braille and employment. That is, better than 80 percent of the blind people who are gainfully employed utilize Braille in their daily lives. This is contrasted with an unemployment rate among the blind that is often cited to be 70 percent. Braille, independence, confidence, success, and literacy are all tied together.

“Braille Readers are Leaders” Literacy Campaign

The National Federation of the Blind–the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the United States–will establish an unprecedented and comprehensive initiative in Braille literacy beginning in July 2008 to coincide with the unveiling of the design for the Louis Braille Commemorative Coin from the United States Treasury in honor of Braille’s 200th birthday. This initiative will be marked by the most significant investment in literacy for the blind ever—raising $8 million for Braille literacy programs into the future—and an innovative network of programs that dramatically enhance opportunities and education for the blind.

The campaign has aggressive goals:

  1. The number of school-age children reading Braille will double by 2015
  2. All 50 states will enact legislation requiring special education teachers of blind children to obtain and maintain the National Certification in Literary Braille by 2015.
  3. Braille resources will be made more available through online sharing of materials, enhanced production methods and improved distribution.
  4. The American public will learn that blind people have a right to Braille literacy so they can compete and assume a productive role in society.

The first phase of the campaign is raising sufficient funds to fund such future programs as:

Braille.org: The Superhighway to Literacy

A new website, will be launched as a clearinghouse “portal” to become the premier Internet resource on Braille and educate the public about the capabilities of the blind well into the future.

Braille Outreach Projects

Big ideas begin with grassroots innovation. The NFB includes seven hundred local chapters located in each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Thousands of blind people come together in these local chapters to establish programs in partnership with members of the community to improve the integration of the blind into society on terms of equality. A significant focus of the Braille literacy campaign will be providing local grants to innovative outreach and education programs around the country that have a clear emphasis on Braille.

“That the Blind May Read”: An Educational Documentary

TheNational Federation of the Blind will raise awareness of the 2009 Braille campaign by helping to produce a one-hour documentary about Braille, its history, and the role it plays in empowering the blind all around the world. Never before has an accurate, and in-depth educational look at Braille been produced in a multi-media form for a wide audience.

Braille Reading Pals

A Braille reading-readiness program for blind infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older students with reading delays will enhance literacy through early exposure to Braille. The program will equip parents with early literacy materials and will connect them with resources to support their child’s literacy development throughout the years such as mentoring from other parents of blind children and free Braille books.

“Braille Readers Are Leaders” Contest

A dynamic program encouraging Braille reading at all grade levels (K-12) and awarding prizes in a number of categories to students reading significant amounts of Braille each year.

“Braille Is Beautiful” Curriculum

An innovative curriculum to teach sighted students how to read and write the Braille alphabet code and increase students’ sensitivity to and understanding of blind persons will be introduced. This modular curriculum will be flexible, with components to serve different age ranges.

Braille Certification Training Program

NFB will undertake an aggressive outreach effort to significantly expand the pool of teachers certified in standardized teaching of Braille and individuals certified in transcribing and proofreading Braille in all Braille codes (literary, math/science, and music).

Braille Research in Literacy

The National Federation of the Blind will help improve Braille- related programs by filling gaps in the Braille knowledge base, designing studies to evaluate the effectiveness of currently available Braille curricula and teaching strategies for blind people of all ages, measuring the blind population and Braille readership, and disseminating accurate information about Braille- related research.

Braille Technology Development

In the 21st century, literacy requires the integration of and accessibility to technologies that facilitate reading, writing, and access to information. Tremendous potential exists for stimulating such development and incorporating the use of Braille into technologies in order to enhance literacy for the blind. Electronic refreshable Braille displays, dynamic tactile pads, new Braille writing technologies, and machines for producing tactile graphics are all examples where technology development is required. New, low-cost, Braille writing technologies are also needed as the current tools have not been significantly improved in decades. The National Federation of the Blind will establish a technology development team made up of strategic university, industry, and other supporters to generate new Braille-related technologies and bring them to market at an affordable price.

As this imaginative campaign develops during 2008 with its focus on fundraising, many new opportunities, innovative programs, and great partnerships will emerge to further shape the scope of this literacy initiative. The NFB is the leader in Braille education, awareness, and advocacy and the literacy campaign will build on that leadership to build previously unimagined opportunities. With imagination and innovation, we will build a future full of opportunities with Braille.