If I could tell you a common set of characteristics that helped define the person who is blind's potential for employment success and subsequently their quality of life it would be most influenced by their ability to read and write Braille. I know that I write frequently about Braille literacy because Braille literacy more than any other skill translates directly in to an increased quality of life for the person who is blind. When I work with people, it is immediately apparent who has good Braille skills and how those skills are influential in building other strong skills in the expanded core curriculum. Orientation and Mobility skills are the next set of skills but even in the context of Orientation and Mobility, Braille is still an essential necessary skill. Consider how many signs are in Braille' A typical office building, university building or elevator all present signage in Braille for the person who is blind. Without the Braille skills, all the doors in a building are unmarked and the buttons in an elevator are just an unlabeled set of buttons. The person who is blind would require special training to count the buttons in the elevator or specific directional instructions to each individual room in that building without Braille skills. In an Assistive Technology context, Braille skills provide the person who is blind the opportunity to use modern technologies with a Braille display or allows that person the benefit of a Braille Notetaker. I will write more about the benefits of a Braille Notetaker in a later article. The below article continues to highlight how important early Braille education for students who are blind.
"Future Reflections Special Issue 2004
By Ruby Ryles, Ph.D.
"An exhaustive study has cast aside some erroneous stereotypes while underscoring the importance of Braille education at an early age. The study has revealed
that literacy rates of blind high school students who began their Braille education at an early age are consistent with those of their sighted peers. The
study further disclosed that legally blind children who received infrequent or no Braille training, or who began their Braille education later in life,
exhibit noticeably lower literacy rates.
The study was conducted by Ruby Ryles, Ph.D., founding coordinator of the master�s program in Orientation and Mobility at Louisiana Tech University/Louisiana
Center for the Blind. Ryles performed the study for her University of Washington doctoral dissertation in special education..."
- Currently, among the blind adults in the United States, 90 percent of those who are Braille literate are employed. Among adults who do
- not know Braille, only 33 percent is employed. ("A Boost for Braille", The Boston Globe 2008)
- 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."
