Literacy: The Key to Opportunity

Abstract

This article discusses braille as a means to literacy for blind persons from the perspective of the National Federation of the Blind. The problem of decreased braille literacy is tied to negative attitudes about blindness and inadequate training of teachers and rehabilitation professionals. A case study of a low vision child whose parents have engaged in a long and bitter struggle to obtain braille instruction is also presented. The case is examined with regard to how educational planning is conducted as well as the effects of attitudes concerning blindness. It is argued that if braille is viewed by professionals as truly competitive, then there should be no reluctance to teach braille to children for whom print reading is no longer efficient. “Braille bills,” which would give parents of legally blind children an absolute right to obtain braille instruction for their children, are addressed. The article concludes that the technical problem of imprecise criteria by which to evaluate which children should read print and which children should read braille is fundamentally tied to beliefs about blindness. As professionals develop true beliefs in the competence of blind people and the efficacy of braille, educational planning will then stress braille, resulting in a resurgence of literacy for the blind population.