Braille In A Modern Context

I recently read an article in the National Post asking, “Are braille’s days as the great equalizer over?”. After exploring arguments for and against teaching braille, the National Post concludes that the status of braille's longevity is limited. However, I strongly feel that braille is as useful, relevant and important as when it was first invented.

While assistive technology has grown tremendously in recent years, nothing can replace the value of true literacy. Screen readers, e-books, apps for smart phones and other assistive tools are wonderful: but still not a full substitute for being able to read independently and communicate effectively in the world of work. As any child who first learns to read can tell you: reading, and understanding the world around you through the written word, is a beautiful thing.

That statistics on braille employment are depressing, with as many as 70% of blind North Americans being unemployed. However, statistics also demonstrate that blind braille readers are much more likely to be employed consistently. Employment, to me, has always meant stability, independence and purpose - and I would find it difficult to be without any of those things.

It's true that braille has declined for many reasons, many of which are systemic. Blind children are now fully integrated with general schools, overcoming a great and formerly long-standing barrier. At the same time, schools often lack the teachers or resources to teach braille, and it is left out of the curriculum in favour of assistive technology. Although understandable, it makes me value schools such as W. Ross MacDonald in Brantford, Ontario that offers an education which incorporates braille as yet another skill they can draw upon when needed. I have met a number of their graduates, and have had the pleasure of working with a number of them, and the one thing I was always aware of, was the confidence they had. Does braille literacy lead to greater confidence simply because a blind person has more options in communications?

As a blind professional, I can tell you that braille is a powerful format for organizing any non-digital material. It is tremendously useful for notes when speaking in gatherings, meetings and conferences. Audio is my preferred format, but it’s not discrete like braille for notes during a presentation. Sometimes assistive technology is just not convenient or available.

Ultimately, it comes down to the individual's choice to learn braille or opt for the ever-growing assistive technology. As someone who became blind later in life, my experience with learning braille from traditional print has been a struggle, and many times I have wished that it was a skill I had learned earlier in life. Just as learning any new language or skill opens doors, learning braille opens up a whole world for a blind person. When it comes down to our children, who learn so quickly and with such intensity, how could we possibly deprive them of the option for learning braille?