braille as a text technology

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of standard grammatical structure used in writing.

Similar to learners of other languages, learners of braille may gain an ability to

read and access texts at differing levels. Like any other learners, ³...findings show that

braille patterns are processed in a variety of different ways by different people and in

different conditions´ (Millar, 1997, p. 249). It is certainly possible for one to have a

learning or other disability in addition to a visual impairment, and so the education of a

braille reader needs to be differentiated much in the same way that it may be for a fully

sighted learner.

Unfortunately, the adoption of braille has not been incredibly widespread. Other

assistive technologies such as audio recordings of written texts are often preferred, as

they do not require the listener to have any special knowledge of the unique braille

reading system. Braille requires an upfront commitment to learn and understand a

formulaic system of communication, and in the case of someone who is born blind, this

development occurs when a learner is also trying to gain a grasp of a language in its

audio or spoken form. While this is realistically similar to the effort required of a sighted

learner who is first learning to decode our written structures, the fact that there are other

audio alternatives available for visually impaired learners can often mean that braille is

not fully pursued. Indeed it has been estimated that braille readers constitute, ³...fewer

than 10 percent of the estimated number of persons who are legally blind in the United

States and slightly fewer than 40 percent of the estimated number who are µfunctionally

blind¶ (defined as those whose ability to see is light perception or less).´ (National

Federation of the Blind, n.d.) This can easily create a vicious cycle, as fewer users of an

assistive technology such as braille mean a corresponding decrease in those able to teach



and transfer this knowledge to a new generation.

Like other writing systems, braille does have its limitations in functionality.

Legibility can often become a problem, as a text can easily become altered by a reader

who presses too hard on the pages on which it is transcribed, creating changes in the level

of braille dots on the page (Millar, 1997, p. 138). Similar alterations can occur if a braille

text becomes worn or otherwise damaged, and these frustrations are compounded by the

fact that a blind reader, obviously unable to visually inspect a paper book, will not

discover these deficiencies until he or she attempts to access the text.

Further, the requirement to indicate each letter of a word separately can mean

that braille texts are many pages longer than their roman alphabet written counterparts.

This challenge has meant that several systems, or µgrades¶ of braille have emerged, each

with different characteristics. Grade one braille is a system that replicates only the 26

letters of the alphabet and punctuation, grade two braille, the most common system in

use, incorporates contractions to shorten words, and grade three braille goes even further

in shortening entire words to serve as a sort of shorthand (Omniglot, 2010).

Due to its historical era of creation, braille has been a pioneer system in

advancing the abilities and education of previously disadvantaged and disabled people.

While many more advanced and technical systems have emerged since the advent of

braille, the idea of creating a system that would allow the blind to read the same texts as

sighted people meant that an enormous gap in understanding and education for the blind

could be bridged. Of course, the functionality of such a system can often depend on the

assistance of those without a visual disability, and the limited portability of large braille

texts has meant that digital audio solutions for the blind have thrived as an alternative.



The implementation of braille has meant a heightened awareness of the needs

of those with disabilities, and the system has served as a model for further developments.

The very idea of non verbal communicating by touch and feel has been applied to a

variety of applications. Sidewalk strips using raised plastic guides of different levels that

can be felt underfoot, braille-like dots on paper currency, and employing a variety of

different edging, shapes, and sizes of coins are all similar applications. While many of

these advancements are primarily intended to benefit the visually impaired, they can

often prove useful to a sighted individual, and they do serve to heighten an awareness of

the needs of others.

The future of printed text appears to be in flux with the advent of more and

more advanced digital technologies, and braille is undergoing a similar period of

questioning and transition. Still, braille remains an incredible enabler in breaking down

traditional barriers, and its highly codified and touch-based foundations have served to

expand the possibilities of non verbal communication for us all.

Bibliography



Canadian Braille Authority. (2010). About Braille. Retrieved October

16, 2010, from http://www.canadianbrailleauthority.ca/en/about_braille.php

Canadian National Institute for the Blind. (2010). Biography of Louis

Braille. Retrieved October 14, 2010 from

http://www.cnib.ca/en/living/braille/louis-braille/

Canadian National Institute for the Blind. (2010). Braille Literacy.

Retrieved October 14, 2010, from http://www.cnib.ca/en/living/braille/literacy/

Millar, S. (1997). Reading by Touch. London, UK: Routledge.

National Federation of the Blind. (n.d.). Estimated Number of Adult

Braille Readers in the United States. Retrieved October 14, 2010, from

http://www.braille.org/papers/jvib0696/vb960329.htm

Omniglot. (2010). Braille. Retrieved October 16, 2010, from

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/braille.htm

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