User:Kevin Cartwright/Braille literacy for Hands of the Blind

= Braille Literacy for the Blind = Since its invention by Louis Braille, the Braille code has become a fresh spring of life that has no doubt helped to wash away past painful memories of illiteracy for blind people. The liberating autonomy and independence gained as a result has contributed to improving their quality of life. Additionally, Braille has helped to provide greater access to information, while broadening channels of communication to literacy for the blind. Most importantly, Braille has helped to restore the dignity and respect once denied such persons so many years ago. Today, blind people are able to achieve the full range of their dreams, hopes, goals and ambitions in both their personal and professional spheres of life. All things considered, the doors of opportunity once closed to the blind are now opened to them as access to the information highway is brought right to their fingertips.

What is Braille?
Braille is a system of six dots arranged in two parallel rows having three vertical dots on the left and three vertical dots on the right. Similarly, the six-dot Braille cell can be compared to a six-dot domino. Unlike the blind who can read it with their fingertips, the sighted, when trained, can read it with their eyes. With this in mind, it is important to remember that Braille can be written in any language. As it is a code by which any of the worlds' languages can be written and read. Throughout the years, the Braille code has undergone a number of revisions. The most recent of these changes is the Universal English Braille Code UEBC, which remains at the heart of the ongoing debate igniting fears that Braille could lose its original form due to efforts being made by experts in the field to unify the code and thus make it easier for the blind or visually impaired to read. Despite these growing concerns, the UEBC continues to gain momentum as the push for the newly revised code to maintain its stronghold on Braille literacy receives wide acceptance.

Braille and New Emerging Technologies
Considering the immense changes that Braille has undergone over the past decade, blind people are gravitating more and more towards other digital tools to augment their reading and communicating preferences. For example, the blind uses assistive technologies, such as refreshable Braille displays, Braille note takers, Braille embossers, talking smart phones, among other technological solutions. This shift from hard-copy Braille to electronic Braille and other mainstream devices is no doubt one of the major contributing factors to the steady decline in Braille usage in many parts of the world over the past decades.

Recognizing the tremendous impact of new emerging technologies on the future of hard-copy Braille, its value and usefulness in the ongoing literacy debate for the blind must not be overlooked. More importantly, many proponents of Braille strongly feel that frequency of reading hard-copy Braille needs to be encouraged, while exploring ways to balance the use of digital technology to enhance the use of Braille and to encourage more blind people to read the code.

Braille and Early Literacy
Much like sighted children, blind children reading at basic levels should be able to understand common words and answer simple age-appropriate questions. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Blind children in particular are often placed at a great disadvantage when not exposed to literacy very early as children. This exposure, however, is dependent on how much reading is done during this time to cultivate the foundational skills of literacy. Furthermore, the availability of Braille textbooks and opportunities for receiving quality Braille training are paramount to their success. When these foundations are built,

Teaching core subjects, such as, science, mathematics, comprehension, language and other vital academic skills  will produce more positive educational results. Essentially, struggles to learn to read and write Braille or print are greatly minimized when introduced to children during their formative years. Although sighted children have an advantage over blind children when learning to read, it is crucial for blind children to be exposed to literacy-rich environments that enhance aural and communication skills as well as provide Braille practical teaching and learning experiences. Above all, blind children need to be taught to read and write Braille by teachers who are adequately trained and knowledgeable about the Braille code.

Statistics
In 1960, 50 percent of legally blind school-age children in the United States were able to read braille. According to the 2007 Annual Report from the American Printing House for the Blind, there are approximately 57,696 legally blind children in the U.S. Out of those school-age children, only 10 percent use braille as their primary reading medium. There are numerous causes for the decline in braille usage, including school budget constraints, technology advancement, and different philosophical views over how blind children should be educated.

A major turning point for braille literacy was the passage by the United States Congress of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which moved thousands of children from specialized schools for the blind into mainstream public schools. Because only a small percentage of public schools could afford to train and hire braille-qualified teachers, braille literacy has declined since the law took effect. Braille literacy rates have improved slightly since the bill was passed, in part because of pressure from consumers and advocacy groups that have led 27 states to pass legislation mandating that children who are legally blind be given the opportunity to learn braille.

In 1998-99 there were approximately 55,200 legally blind children in the United States, but only 5,500 of them used braille as their primary reading medium. Early braille education is crucial to literacy for a visually impaired child. A study conducted in the state of Washington found that people who learned braille at an early age did just as well as, if not better than, their sighted peers in several areas, including vocabulary and comprehension. In the preliminary adult study, while evaluating the correlation between adult literacy skills and employment, it was found that 44 percent of the participants who had learned to read braille were unemployed, compared to the 77 percent unemployment rate of those who had learned to read using print.

Currently, among the estimated 85,000 blind adults in the United States[citation needed], 90 percent of those who are braille literate are employed. Among adults who do not know braille, only 1 in 3 is employed. Statistically, history has proven that braille reading proficiency provides an essential skill set that allows visually impaired children not only to compete with their sighted peers in a school environment, but also later in life as they enter the workforce.

Braille Instruction at Hadley[edit]
Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired is the largest educator of braille as well as the largest worldwide provider of distance education for people who are blind or visually impaired. Braille literacy has been a priority for Hadley since its founding in 1920, and to this day, braille courses are still the most popular. During the 2010 fiscal year, Hadley enrolled nearly 3,400 students in braille reading and writing courses alone (combined sighted and blind students). Hadley currently offers 14 braille courses taught by 11 highly trained instructors. Nine courses are focused on tactile learners, and Hadley also provides five courses for sighted individuals, including families and professionals in the field.

Hadley School has advanced the use of braille in a number of ways over the years, including being one of the first institutions to use the Thermoform Duplicator, which copies braille from paper to a Brailon (a sheet of durable plastic), and one of the first to use a computer-driven, high-speed braille printer. Hadley produces more than 50,000 braille pages each year, supplementing mass brailling done offsite. For a fee, Hadley provides braille transcription services in accordance with the Braille Authority of North America. Transcribers are certified by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

NLS Braille Certification Program[edit]
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress has contracted with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to offer a certificate of proficiency for braille transcribers and proofreaders who are interested in working in their communities to produce braille materials for blind people. Certified braille volunteers transcribe material into braille that is used by state departments of special education, NLS, and libraries that distribute books and magazines through the NLS program. These volunteers complete a detailed course of braille transcribing and provide essential materials in the advancement of braille literacy.

The NLS also offers a broad range of braille literacy information and resources including braille books, software, and other material intended to assist with the production of braille. They provide educational resources for instructors who teach braille as well as those who are interested in learning to read and write braille.

ReadBooks! Because Braille Matters[edit]
The ReadBooks! program from National Braille Press distributes free braille literacy bags in the U.S. and Canada to families with blind children, birth to age 7. The program introduces blind children to braille at the earliest age and encourages families to read print/braille books together. Since the inception of the program in 2001, over 9,000 braille literacy bags have been distributed in English or Spanish.

ReadBooks! bags contain age-appropriate print-braille books; a primer for sighted parents to learn braille; tactile literacy objects/games; waxed string for drawing; and a guide for parents on why and how to read books with their young blind child. Print-braille books are standard print books, like Miss Nelson Is Missing or Corduroy, with braille text added on transparent plastic sheets so everyone can read together. National Braille Press works with educators and early intervention professionals to identify families who could benefit from the book bags; families can request their own bags. There is increasing evidence that parental beliefs and attitudes about reading and the opportunities parents provide their children in reading can greatly influence children's reading development. Parents can help their children prepare by providing a braille-rich environment in the home.

Dots for Tots[edit]
The Dots for Tots program aims to engage and strengthen the senses of a visually impaired child. This is important to get them prepared for reading and interested in literacy. The free program offers free books and kits to promote literacy among blind children of preschool and early elementary age. The dots in this program are very important and parallel with the literacy requirements of a sighted child learning their ABCs. It also helps grab a blind child's interest in the same way that a picture book encourages literacy for a sighted child.

The program equips schools and educators with the tools to ensure that children who are blind receive the same quality of education that their sighted peers do. It helps remove education barriers as well as ease the fears that many children have of facing school with a handicap.

This program provides visually impaired children with books that have been printed in braille. Children are able to follow along with the rest of their classmates when reading popular children's books in libraries, at home, or in a school environment. Dots for Tots provide a kit that includes the children's book in braille, a tape with a professional descriptive narration with sound effects, and a set of three-dimensional toys that allow them to understand the importance of visualizing stories with their fingers.

Connecting the Dots[edit]
The American Foundation for the Blind offers the Connecting the Dots resource for parents to promote early braille literacy. The program provides a folder containing fact sheets about braille, resource lists, and information for parents about braille, organizations that promote braille literacy, sources of braille books and magazines, adapted materials, and other information intended to promote literacy development.

Instant Access to Braille[edit]
The Instant Access to Braille program, supported through US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs CFDA 84.00327A, provides blind and visually impaired students with access to learning materials in braille to support braille literacy efforts in general education classrooms. This program provides portable braille note-taking devices to students to train students as well as assist educators, parents, and school administrators overcome the barriers of teaching special needs children and ensuring that students receive the equivalent education opportunities that sighted children receive. The program also provides assistance with converting their printed learning materials into electronic format so that visually impaired students are not at disadvantaged in the school environment.

The Instant Access program is intended to assist students in grades 3-10 that use New York State curriculum and is focused on academics related mainly to Social Studies. There is no charge for the braille note-taking devices, disk drives, printers or setup of the equipment. The program is a one-year school-based project and can be adjusted to take full advantage of features that will benefit the student and support the education process.

Braille Challenge[edit]
Main article: Braille Challenge

The Braille Challenge is an annual two-stage competition to motivate blind students to emphasize their study of braille. The program parallels the importance and education purpose of a spelling bee for sighted children. In the competition, students transcribe and read braille using a Perkins Brailler. Their speed and accuracy, reading comprehension, ability to decode charts and graphs, and spelling are tested.

The Braille Challenge started locally in 2000 sponsored by Braille Institute to help encourage and promote students' braille skills. In 2003 Braille Institute began partnering with other organizations and formed an advisory committee to make the Braille Challenge accessible to all children across the United States and Canada. That year, 200 students from 28 states and four Canadian provinces traveled to participate in the regional events, sending 55 finalists to Los Angeles to compete for the 2003 Braille Challenge title. Participation in the contest has doubled since 2003.

By 2005 the institute received 775 requests for the preliminary contest, representing students from 40 states and six Canadian provinces. In 2009, 31 blind service agencies and schools for the blind and visually impaired throughout the United States and Canada are hosting regional events. Over 500 students participated regionally in 2009, with the national top 12 scores in each of the five age groups scheduled to compete nationally at the final round held at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles.

Twin Vision books[edit]
The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults provides specially-made "Twin Vision" children's books with both braille and written English. The dual encoding allows both adults and children who are visually impaired to read along with a person who is not visually impaired.

Twin Vision books are also provided by Braille House to the whole of Australia

Future Implications for Braille Literacy
Due to the technological revolution, changes in Braille literacy are inevitable. As blind persons experience the life-changing ease with which new mainstream solutions can help to facilitate their access to information, many of them, especially the modern-day generations of blind people are more likely to use the new devices rather than learn to read and write with their fingertips. Although such digital devices incorporate electronic Braille, it cannot be regarded as a substitute for hardcopy Braille. Furthermore, sighted people are considered literate because they learned to read and write print, not because they learned to use technology. Hence, regardless of the many options in technology, shouldn’t blind people learn how to read and write hardcopy Braille to truly be considered as literate? Moreover, the early foundations of literacy have always been grounded in a hands-on approach to reading and writing long before there was technology. That said, the rapid descent in reading hardcopy Braille will continue to be overshadowed by the marvels of technology as blind people place more confidence in their reliability and consistency and thus move farther away from the conventional ways of acquiring Braille literacy skills.