Some awareness months highlight entire disabilities, others focus on singular events, and some can be attributed, at least in name, to one person. Such is the case for World Braille Day, which is celebrated on January 4, 2022. The day was recognized by the UN in December of 2018 and Braille is mentioned throughout the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Braille was created by the namesake of the system, France’s Louis Braille, and a guide was first published in 1829. Today, Braille accounts as the main way of reading for a comparatively small percentage of people. However, it remains a key tool in everyday life even as its use is declining in a literacy context. Braille is noted in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as section 504 and section 508 of the rehabilitation act.
The decline in braille usage is not a new issue, according to experts. A regularly referenced 2009 report by the National Federation of the Blind, aptly named “The Braille Literacy Crisis in America: Facing the Truth, Reversing the Trend, Empowering the Blind”, listed usage rates of less than 10 percent amongst legally blind Americans. Their focus was on braille as a key component to education. In their words:
The future of sighted children depends on a proper education; the future of America’s blind children is no different.
A 2012 report by the BBC placed the usage rate in the UK at approximately one percent, rising to 10 percent when considering those who use braille in everyday life, but not as their primary form of reading. More recent data from the American Printing House for the Blind found that in 2016, of the 63,357 students they had access to, just under 8 percent were Braille readers. In contrast, just over 32 percent were non-readers.
Part of this decline has been attributed to the increased use of technological tools. A 2012 NPR article called braille “under siege” due to the influx of smartphones, audiobooks, and other digital advancements. As you would expect those working in the industry have reacted by seeking ways to support Braille itself through technology.
The National Braille Press, founded in 1927, launched the Center for Braille Innovation in 2008. The Boston-based organization has supported projects like an affordable Braille notetaker, a tactile ruler, and a refreshable Braille reader. CBP also awards the Touch of Genius Prize, given to projects that move braille-related innovation forward. Past winners include reusable Braille labels a ring-like device used to make reading easier, and a guidebook and program for the iPad when it comes to tactile learning.
One of the key advantages of understanding Braille, advocates say, is the connection between literacy and employability. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, 2017 data showed that blind or visually impaired people in the U.S have an employment rate of 44.2 percent, that’s 35 percentage points lower than the employment rate at the time for those without disabilities. A 2015 article published in the Journal of Blindness, Innovation, and Research noted that the authors’ study found an $11,000 wage gap between those who read Braille and those who don’t. There was an employment rate gap as well, of twelve percentage points.
So, while Braille usage is comparatively low, as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind puts it:
Braille = print, braille = employment, braille = independence, braille resources = success.
Happy World Braille Day!
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