Image via Wikipedia

Not since the birth of the Braille language has there been such an exciting time for those who have lost their ability to see. Today, technology is helping the blind take part in more activities than ever before. New technology is available to do everything from read a computer screen to help with the task of creating text messages. Anyone who diagnosed as blind should invest in these programs.

• JAWS: the most robust text reader for a computer. The program reads written words on a computer screen and makes it possible for the user to navigate the Internet.
• Kurzweil: This simply program allows a user to scan any written document into a computer. IT then translate the document into audible form.
• GOODFEEL: Blind students and musicians can use this nifty use to translate music into a format that the blind can study and play.
• Virgo 4: A text converter that is light years ahead of industry standards. It can also be used to create text to braille documents.

To make things even easier, there are new Braille keyboards. These keyboards make it exceptionally easy for students to use computers. By combining a Braille keyboard with a program like JAWS, the blind can use a computer as effectively as a seeing person.

While there is no doubt that being blind is a disability, today it does not mean living life in a world of darkness. Thanks to recent technological advances, the blind can now experience the world in a whole new way.

Image via Wikipedia

There are many organizations that assist people with disabilities. Blindness can be especially hard to cope with, but there are some top-notch groups that work hard to assist those with sight disabilities.
While many groups are based in the United States, there are organizations for the blind in other countries, such as the National Federation of the Blind United Kingdom. For blind advocacy groups in Canada, search with Canada 411. Here is additional information about three of the top groups for the blind:

The National Federation of the Blind

Founded in 1940, the National Federation of the Blind has gone from 16 members to more than 50,000. The NFB has worked to ensure that, unlike in other blind assistance groups, blind members hold the power and the priorities of sighted members never overtake those of the blind. The NFB also works to encourage laws and politicals moves that will benefit blind people.

American Foundation for the Blind

This organization seeks to open doors for the blind, specifically with technologies that provide assistance to sight-disabled people. The AFB is based in New York, but maintains centers around the United States, most notably the Public Policy Center that lobbies Congress for laws that to benefit the blind.

American Council of the Blind

What started as a magazine for the blind, the “Braille Free Press,” became the American Council of the Blind in 1961. THe ACB focuses mainly on media for the blind, a salute to their Braille Free Press roots. This group draws much attention to Braille publications, radio, and now, with the advent of Braille computers, Internet-based content.

Image via Wikipedia

You may have a child that is blind; or perhaps you are part of a library or community group that is seeking Braille books for children. There are many sources available that can help you obtain these types of book for free.

Register at the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. This service is part of the national Library of Congress and provides services for reading disabled, low vision or blind citizens. While you will have to submit documentation of the disability, you will then have access to all materials available through the National Library Service. You will have the ability to search catalogs and request specific books.

The Kenneth Jernigan Library also allows you to borrow books. These books are selected by librarians and set to your child through the mail.

Free Braille books are also available from the American Action Fund. Approximately once a month, your child will get a book or chapter from a book.

The Braille Institute is also a great resource for books. The organization provides free books to children from its Special Collections program.

Another source of free Braille books is the Angel Program at Seedlings Braille Books for Children. Your child and you can select two books per year from their extensive catalog.

In addition, check your local libraries for additional sources of Braille literature for your child. A simple internet search can also help you find outlets that can provide books and other reading material.

Image via Wikipedia

Braille technology is implemented in different equipment so that visually impaired people can use it in their routine work. This Braille technology can show more than 80 characters on the screen and it refreshes automatically. There are also Braille printers that transfer the information from system to paper. Another useful Braille device is the Braille note taker that comes with keyboard. The information from the note taker can be retrieved using speech synthesizer or transferred to laptop.

Magnifying technology includes all programs that are specially designed for computers and also video magnifiers. This magnifier can be used along with computer screen, television, and even with the video monitor. The programs for magnifier are loaded in the computer using specific software. Optical character recognition is one of the popular technologies used by the blind people. This technology scans words and characters from the document and saves in the PC or OCR’s memory. The stored information can be accessed using magnifiers or Braille technology.

Speech system is another technology that converts the words from the document into spoken language. This technology comes along with screen reader.

What is Braille?

It is important to remember that Braille is not its own language.  Braille is an alternative way to read languages that already exist.  The dots people associate in Braille are arranged in different combinations to represent different letters. There are different combinations of dots of each language.  A person reading in English in Braille and a person reading in French in Braille would not be using the same letter codes.

Where did Braille Come From?

Braille was invented by a teenage boy named Louis Braille who lived in the early 1800s.  Louis was born with full sight, but injured one of his eyes during a childhood accident.  Feeling left out in school, Louis used his creative and scientific talents to come up with a way that he could read and write.  While studying, Louis learned about a dot system initially used by the French army.  Louis put his own spin on the idea and soon after Braille was born.  Louis even published the first Braille.  Although Braille benefited him, it was not originally accepted by teachers and doctors of his day.  But like many great inventors, after his death, Braille eventually caught on and helps millions of blind people everywhere to this day.

Modern Braille

Braille has come a long way since days of Louis Braille and so has technology.  Braille can be found everywhere these days.  Braille is often found on ATM machines, so that visually impaired individuals can access their bank accounts with out assistance.  Braille can also be put on cell phones and computers so that blind people can be independent workers.  Braille is popular in elevators to help blind people who live in apartment complexes or stay in hotels while on vacation.

What does Vitamin B do?

Taking  vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 supplements can lower the risk of macular degeneration in older adults.  Macular degeneration occurs when the retina is harmed or deteriorating and can be a leading cause of blindness.  Vitamin B keeps the retina strong and lowers the risk of serious complications. Vitamin B 6 can also help with dryness in the eyes.  Many older people may experience dry eyes due to illness, low estrogen or other illnesses.  Healthy eyes should sustain a certain level of moisture.

What foods contain vitamin B?

If you do not like taking supplements many healthy foods contain vitamin B.  Vitamin B6 can be found in bananas, avocados, salmon, peas and brown rice.  Vitamin B12  can be found in turkey meat, wild salmon and dairy products.

Catch Eye Problems Early

Your retina can be saved if your doctor catches the problem early on.  Always call your eye doctor if you are experiencing problems seeing up close or far away, blurry vision, haloes or other abnormal eye functions.

Signs that You Need More Vitamin B

If you are experiencing other odd symptoms along with your sight problems, it may be the sign of a vitamin B deficiency.  Anxiety and fatigue can be signs that you need more B12.  Many vegetarians are prone to B12 efficiency if they do not take supplements because most vegetables are not a good source of this vitamin.  It’s not as common to have a B6 deficiency since it is found in many more foods.  However, if you are having a lot of loose stool or weight loss along with your eye problems it may mean that your body is not absorbing all of the B6 vitamins in your food due to an interaction with another medication that you are taking.

How Cytomegalovirus Spreads

Always wash your hands thoroughly after coming in contact with the blood, semen, urine or breast milk of another person.  If this person is infected with cytomegalovirus and you touch your eyes with dirty hands, the infection could be spread to you.  It is also possible to get this illness from a blood transfusion, organ transplant or through unprotected sex.

Side effects

People with unhealthy immune systems who catch this virus will start to have many vision problems.  These sight issues can include seeing spots, blurry vision and eventually blindness in both eyes.  In addition, they can develop back pain and chronic bowel problems.

Diagnosis

If you have HIV, AIDS or another serious illness and you are experiencing these symptoms it is important to call your doctor.  An eye doctor can check your retina for inflammation.  Your primary care doctor can also take a urine or blood sample and have it sent out to see if you test positive for the virus.

Treating Cytomegalovirus

If your health is in poor shape, you may need up to two weeks of intense treatment therapy to help your body fight back.  You will be given medication daily injected directly into your veins or inserted with a catheter.  When you doctor believes you are stable, there are a number of oral medications that he can prescribe to you to keep this virus in check.  There is no cure for this illness, but these pills can prevent cytomegalovirus from spreading and will also keep your symptoms under control.  It is important to always take your medication as instructed and to see your eye doctor immediately if vision problems return.  If not managed correctly this illness can cause permanent blindness in people with already weakened immune systems.

What is MS?

MS is a disease that effects the spinal cord and brain functions.   MS patients can experience muscles issues, urinary problems, pain and fatigue.  Vision problems can also occur as a side effect of MS.  There is currently no cure for MS.  In addition to sight problems, other early warning signs of MS include tingling or numbness in the limbs, trouble with balance, intense feeling of weakness and the unintentional slurring of words.

Temporary Blindness

Some MS patients experience temporary blindness.  During an MS pain flare, some patients can go blind for a day or a few weeks and then have their vision suddenly return.  This is often caused by inflammation of the optic nerve.

Optic Neuritis

55% of people with MS will have some form of optic problems.  Due to chronic inflammation, MS patients with optic neuritis can experience blindness in one eye or blurry vision in both eyes.  Steroids can be used to help with the chronic inflammation and reduce the chance of optic neuritis.

Other Eye Problems

Some MS patients will never have issues with blindness, but may be effected by other vision issues.  Uncontrollable eye movement can be a symptom of MS.  There are medications available to control this symptom.  Double vision can both an MS patient when their eye muscles become too weak.  Double vision is usually a temporary problem during a bad MS pain flare and is not a permanent issue.  Doctors usually will let the double vision issue resolve itself.

Food

Eating healthy foods such as carrots and broccoli can benefit your vision.  Many vegetables such as contain beta-carotene, vitamin c and other nutrients that promote health vision.

Don’t Smoke

Smokers are at risk for many other health problems.  Although lung and heart problems are talked about the most, smoking can also effect your eyes.  Smoking can lead to glaucoma and cataracts which in their late stages can cause blindness.

Protect Your Eyes

Take care of your eyes.  Always wear sunglasses at the beach or during a long day in the park.  Don’t use tanning beds and if you do always wear proper eye protection every single time.   Wear goggles when playing rough sports or working with power tools to avoid injuries to the eye.  Always wash off eye make up and mascara before going to bed to avoid frequent eye infections.  Clean your hands well before touching your eyes or putting in contact lenses.

Keep Your Appointments

Go to the eye doctor regularly.  Many eye issues that are caught early can be fixed or stabilized through medication or surgery.  Blindness is more likely to occur with eye injuries or conditions that are left untreated. If a doctor prescribes you glasses, contacts or eye drops it is important to use them as directed.

Lighting

Always use proper lighting when reading, using the computer or doing work.  Straining to see is very bad for the eyes.  If you like to read books in bed while your spouse is sleeping, get a tiny light to stick on to your book so that you can see with out struggling.

Glaucoma

One in eight blind people are effected by glaucoma.  Glaucoma occurs when fluid builds up in the eye.  If this problem is not managed, vision issues will occur.  Early signs of glaucoma include seeing halos around objects and blurred vision.  If a doctor catches glaucoma early it is treatable and the patients can take medication to prevent blindness.

Diabetes

Many diabetics may develop blindness. Diabetes can causes changes in the eye’s blood vessels.  This can cause retina damage that if caught too late can be irreversible.  It is important for diabetics to call their eye doctor immediately at the first signs of any vision problems.

Degeneration

As the body ages, some people will experience degeneration or malfunction of the retina.  Many older individuals retinas slowly degenerate over the years and the vision loss may not be great enough at first for them to seek help.  Laser treatments are available to help repair the retina if the issue is caught early enough.

Retinitis Pigmentosa

More commonly know as night blindness, this disorder is inherited.  People effected by this condition normally begin to show signs around the age of 10.  Children may complain about not being able  to see at night or in poorly lit classrooms.   Many people with this disorder can develop tunnel vision which later grows into vision so poor that they are considered legally blind by the time they are 18.  Since there is currently no cure for this condition, some people inflected with this illness will have to live their life using an immense amount of light to see.  Others people may go completely blind at some point in their life.

Don’t Over Parent

Your blind teen is getting older and may be eager to do more things on their own.  When your child was younger, she may have wanted you to brush her hair or button her clothes.  As blind teens seek more independence just like their non-visually impaired peers, they may want to start doing more for themselves.

Don’t Be Afraid to Punish Your Blind Teen

A blind teen is still a teen and needs to be treated like one.  If you are raising multiple teens and tweens the same rules should apply for all of them.  If your blind teen tries cigarettes, listens to inappropriate music you have banned from the house or  breaks any other family rule it is important for you to give your blind child the same punishment that you would give to any of your other kids.

Support Groups

Although it is good for your blind teen to interact with all types of teenagers, it can be helpful for your son or daughter to have some blind friends as well.  Take your teen to a blind support group or youth conference where they can make new friends.  Having someone who can relate to their situation can help a teen get through rough times with dating, school work and other youth issues.

Encourage

Encourage your blind teen to join after school activities.  These can be activities designated for handicapped students or mainstream activities that your child feels comfortable doing.  Becoming good at a hobby can lead to making new friends and finding interests that your teen may want to pursue in college.  Being in a club or sport can also raise your blind teen’s self-esteem.

Masseuse

Blind adults may be interested in a career as a masseuse.  Many blind people develop their other senses, including touch to heightened levels. Blind people can use their increased sense of touch to get a job at a spa or even start their own massage business.

Transcribing

Most blind people can type perfectly fine since anyone can memorize a keyboard.  Think about it, you probably have been using a computer so long that you barely look at the keys anyway.  Blind individuals can  listen to audio tapes and type up transcripts.  This can lead to a job in medical transcription or as a court reporter.

Teaching

Blind people can make great teachers because they have had to overcome a lot of obstacles in life.  Any learning material available in books can also be found on audio tapes.  Blind teachers can be inspirational to young children.  A teacher’s aid can help the blind lead teacher to grade papers.

Reach for the Stars

Modern technology has given many blind people the opportunity to do almost any job that they want.  You will find blind people being productive in all sectors of life from law to food service to journalism to accounting.  Colleges and Universities make it possible for blind students to get an education, leading to very intelligent blind individuals eager to work.  Most companies would be happy to make a few accommodations to hire a blind person if they are the candidate most qualified for the job.

Online Forums

Joining online forums for parents of blind children or children with other disabilities can help you to find support and make new friends going through a similar situation. If your real life friends don’t seem to completely understand your situation, you can vent to other mothers and fathers walking in your shoes.  You do not need to be embarrassed or nervous about revealing your identity as you can post under a made up screen name.

Real Time Support Groups

Contact a local hospital or church to see if there are any in person support groups in your area.  Venting to other local parents of blind children can help you to get through the week and have someone to talk to.  If you find another parent that you connect with, you can also set up a play date for your two children.

National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments

The NAPVI is a United States based organization looking to help blind children and their parents.  Parents can attend conferences where they can meet with top doctors and other parents.  The organization has seven different chapters through out the country based on region so that during the year people can participate in local charity events. Members can also subscribe to newsletters to keep up with trends in education for blind children and medical advancements.

Ball Sports

Blind or visually impaired kids can still participate in sports where balls or used. For safety reasons, hard balls should be replaced with light weight balls such as blow up balls, beach balls and nerf balls. Blind children can learn to play volleyball with a teacher or assistant standing by their side. Blind children can also play catch safely with light weight balls.

Playground

Visually impaired children can enjoy swings and slides with the help of a parent or older sibling.  Obstacle course type play equipment can be beneficial for blind children as they can feel their way through tunnels.

Musical Toys

Some blind children adapt to have keen hearing.  Musical toys are a great way for blind children to express themselves.  If you can afford to give your blind child private piano lessons, with a little practice and proper training playing the piano may be an activity your child can enjoy and excel at.  Young children may enjoy dolls that they can squeeze and music and sounds will come out.

Play-Doh

Blind children can have a good time crafting with play-doh.  Play-doh has a nice texture that children will find it interesting to mold with.  Scented play-doh is also now available.  You can play a game with your child by teaching them to identify different colors of play-doh by using their sense of smell.

Fight for Sight

Fight for Sight has been doing vision research for over 65 years.  This institution continuously raises money to do research to make advancements in the visual impairment world.  They continue to do experimental treatments that have helped the visually impaired.

Prevent Blindness America

Prevent Blindness America is a charity that encourages annual eye exams and blindness prevention.  The agency educates the public about vision problems in adults and children.  They continue to be a voice for the blind in hopes of getting more government support in eye care protection and research.

Sight Savers

Sight Savers fights vision loss in third world countries. Their team members travel to Nigeria to do eye exams on people who desperately need medical attention but have no money or access to doctors.  Sight Savers have saved the lives of thousands of people by healing health issues that could have eventually caused blindness as a side effect if they were not diagnosed.  They have saved 21 million people from river blindness,  common cause of vision loss in poor nations.

The Seeing Eye

The Seeing Eye is a non-profit organization based in Morristown, New Jersey.  At the Seeing Eye they train canines to be seeing eye dogs.  In addition, they temporarily house blind individuals and train them to work well with a furry companion before sending the person and the dog home together.

More People are Blind Than You May Think

There are over 15 million visually impaired and blind people in the United States alone.  21% of people over the age of 65 are visually impaired.

Blindness is Not Just for the Elderly

Over 17 million school aged children around the world suffer from blindness or another serious vision impairment.  Reasons that young people can be blind include accidents, optic nerve malfunction and retina damage during the first year of a child’s life.

Misconceptions and Stereotypes

Many people may think that all blind people see nothing but darkness.  In reality, only 10% of legally blind individuals can see nothing at all.  Anyone who has vision of less than 20/200 can be considered legally blind even if they can still see in some capacity.  On television shows and in the movies, it seems like almost every blind person can read by using braille and use seeing eye dogs to get around.  In reality, 90% of visually impaired people do not use the braille system.  Many blind people can also get around fine with a cane or walking stick and do not opt to use a seeing eye dog.

Blind People Like to Be Treated Just Like You

Since many people have never met a blind person, some people get nervous and feel like they have to treat blind people in a special way.  It is important to remember that blind people like to socialize just like you do.  Blind people want you to make jokes, tell stories and have you treat them like any other person.  Don’t assume that all blind people are completely isolated.  Many blind people hold jobs and have hobbies.  As technology continues to improve, there will be even more options available for blind people to be handi-capable.

The common method of testing the eye is to check the visual acuity by using the Snellen’s chart. This is a test that is done by making the patient view a chart with varying sizes of numbers or alphabets and the person has to read the largest to the smallest numbers. When the person is not able to read any of them, then it denotes that the person has some kind of visual problem.

Regular eye check will also help to identify the presence of any problems earlier than usual. This is because of the fact that if a yearly eye check is done, any new problems can be treated as soon as they appear and this will prevent any lasting problems like blindness. If there are no regular eye checks done, then the person may even become blind.

Cataract is one of the leading blindness problems in society, whether it is developed or not developed. There are various kinds of cataracts that are present in a person. A person may have age related cataract. This is in fact the most common kind of cataract that is seen in the general population. This occurs because of the normal ageing process. In this kind of cataract, the individual who is blind because of cataract has a layer of tissue on the eye. This tissue forms over a period of time and needs to be removed for the person to be able to see properly.

Vision check is done for the person with the Snellen’s chart to check the actual visual acuity. Once this is deceased, the cause of the lack of vision is identified using various diagnostic test and then surgery is performed to treat the condition, if it is cataract that has caused the blindness.

Other than the age related cataract, there are two other kinds of cataracts that are commonly seen. One of them is the diabetes induced problems. This is commonly the damage to the retina called as retinopathy. This can also hasten the process of cataract formation in   person. There are many studies that have been done to identify the link between diabetes and cataract. The other kind of cataract is the steroid induced cataract. This kind of cataract is seen in a person who is treated with steroids like prednisolone and hydrocortisone.

This is the phase where the person has to make sure that the book is also published. In between the writing and the process of publishing is the process where the cover and all the other things for the book is designed. The person who is the author of the book should decide on the cover for the book. This can be done by a designer because the e book should have a web designer designing the cover.

Once the cover is designed, the book is ready to be published. This means that the book is ready to be downloaded by the reader after paying for the book. The person who is interested in reading the book should be able to pay on the internet though a safe and secure process and then download the book.

Once the process of publishing the book is over, the process of popularizing the book has to start. There are many people who write reviews. You can ask a friend to write a review of your book. If the review is a positive one, then you will have many people who read the review to be flocking to the book. This will help you to make a lot of money selling your book. This is the process in which people are creating and selling e books. Once you create one, you will be able to make many more.

Falls is one of the most common problems that are faced by blind people. If a survey of all the blind people is taken, it is sure that each and every blind person has had more than one fall. The reason behind this fact is that the person who is blind will not be able to see what is in front and is more prone to accidents.

Fractures are another complication that can occur in a person who is blind, because of the falls. A blind person may fall because of the barriers that are present. Other than this, the person may also move around which can cause the person to fall by tripping. Even people who are not completely blind and are only partially blind are prone to falls. This is because when the person walks in an area where there is limited lighting, it can cause the person to hit against barriers leading to falls.

The blind person also needs to be alert at all times and use other senses like the hearing sense to compensate for the lack of vision. If the person is not alert, then there can be problems like falls and injuries occurring. Many of the people who are blind develop their hearing sense to a higher level so that it helps them in preventing accidents and injuries that might occur otherwise.

When a person is blind, the person may not be able to live life to the fullest. This is because the blind person may need to depend on other people to move around in the house and also outside the house. To prevent the person from becoming dependant on others and also to ensure that the person is able to be independent in living, it is very important to create a barrier free environment for the person.

A barrier free environment is a very important need for a blind person. This is because if there is some barrier, then the person will have a high risk of falling and injuring themselves. This can lead to fractures and other problems that can further reduce the independence of the person.

The importance of barrier free environment can be understood from the fact that those who are blind and live in a barrier free environment have a lesser risk of injuring themselves. They are also much more independent. A person who is blind and lives in an environment where there are a lot of barriers may have a high risk for injuries. The person will also need to be dependent on other people to overcome the problems that are associated with barriers. Quality of life too can be increased if the person has a barrier free environment and the individual will be able to live life better than usual.

Braille is the use of dotted alphabets that are used by the blind person to read. There are various kinds or systems of Braille that have been used and created. The 6 dot system is one form of Braille where there are 6 dots that are used by the individual to be able to read various kinds of books. Other than the 6 dot system, there is also the 8 dot system of Braille. This system has about 8 dots that are again used in the way alphabets are written.

Braille is used all over the world by people to read, if they are blind. This makes it like a uniform blind reading system. There are various books that have been made into the Braille form that can be used by the people who want to read these books. These books may be quite expensive when compared to the normal books because of the high cost of production, but they are very useful.

The books that are in the Braille form and can be used by the people who are visually challenged is actually the raised dots. There are various dots that have been made for the person to be able to read. The blind person runs their hand over the book in the Braille form. When the person runs the hand over the book, it is easy to decipher using the mind and the hand co ordination. The raised dots are deciphered by the mind into alphabets and words. This helps the blind person to read using Braille.

There are some people who become blind sometime after the birth. This too is because of the fact that some of them may be suffering from certain diseases that causes damage to the part of the brain that is associated with vision. Other than this, certain injuries to the eye can also cause blindness. When a person becomes blind, it can lead to severe disadvantages in the society.

Education for the person who is blind is difficult. There are only a few specialized schools where the blind are taught. This makes the person to be at a disadvantage right from the start. Other than the education, learning various skills also becomes difficult as the person is not able to see anything. There are some people who may not be completely blind and these people may be able to cope with life.

The person who is blind will not be able to live independently in most cases. In developed nations, it is easier for a person to live independently because of the provision of barrier free environment in the society. The barrier free environment makes it possible for the person who is blind to move around without any problems. This will also increase the independence of the person making life more meaningful.

This is a method in which the book in Braille form has various dots that are raised. As the dots are present on the paper and also because the dots are raised, the person who is reading the book needs to run the hands over the book or paper and the raised dots will help the person to read the words in the book.

Any person thinking of Braille will think of the many advantages that it has. Though the system of Braille has a lot of advantages, there are also some disadvantages of Braille. We will look at some of the other advantages before going into the disadvantages.

Learning is possible for the person who is able to read Braille. Even a blind person can educate himself thorough Braille and this is the major advantage of using this system to read. The disadvantage of Braille is that the person who is using this kind of books to read will have to spend a lot of money to read. This is a very difficult proposition for many of the people who are not economically well off.

The high cost of the books that are in Braille is just one of the disadvantages. The other disadvantage is that the Braille is present in English and there are no other fully compatible systems in any other language. There are a lot of people trying to use other methods similar to Braille for various languages, but it has not been as successful. This is a disadvantage because people who do not know English and have become blind will find it difficult.

Image via Wikipedia

A blind person will find it very difficult to compete with other people as far as education is concerned. The reason for this is that the person who is blind will have to do a lot more hard work than the person who is not blind. The person who has normal vision will have a much better reading speed than a person who is blind. Blind people usually have Braille books to read. This can be used by running the hand over the dotted lines in the book.

For the person to read in this method will take a longer time than a normal person, but this is seemingly the only system that will help the person to read independently. There are also other methods that are used by some people to read the books without Braille. In these methods, they may have to depend on other people at least for some time.

A blind person can use the method in which all the information in a particular book is recorded in the tape recorder and then the person can rewind the tape and then listen to it. This will help the person to read a lot. There are many people who use this method to read because it is simple and effective. On the disadvantage aspect, it takes a long time for the person to record and then listen to all the tapes.

Another method that can be used by a blind person to ‘read’ is to make sure that he or she tries to have a scribe read whatever is in the book. This can be useful if the person has to hear what is in the book only one time, but if the information needs to be learnt by memory, then it is very difficult to read and memorize all the information at one go.

A blind person will be partially dependent on other people, unless the person is very strong in the mind and also determined. Even if the determination is present, there are various hurdles that have to be crossed by the person to be very successful. A measure of the quality of life of the person will show that every blind person has decreased quality of life.

If a person does not have proper family support, then the quality of life of that person will be further decreased. There are various methods of measuring the quality of life of a person. The measure of the independence of the individual is one of the main methods of measuring the quality of life. If the individual is not able to lead an independent life in taking care of the self, then the person has decreased quality of life.

The blind person may not only be dependent for taking care of the self, but may also be dependent on other people for their other activities like moving from one place to another. Lack of independence in climbing stairs, eating and various another activities of life will identify the person to have decreased quality of life.

In those who are blind and have reduced quality of life, removal of the barriers will help to increase the quality of life. So this should be the role of the caretaker of a blind person.

Whatever the visual status of the person, if the person does not have normal vision status, then the person may be at a disadvantage in the society in a variety of ways. The first and the most important disadvantage that the person has is the lack of ability to read. Braille can be used, or the person can use a scribe. If the scribe is used, the person will need to try to have it read for more than once and so it is a waste of resources and is not usually possible. Braille on the other hand, can be very expensive. So, in the absence of Braille, the use of the tape recorder and cassettes is the best method of reading.

As the blind person may not be able to have the same education as a normal person, it causes more disadvantages too. There are very few societies where a person who is challenged will be able to lead a normal life. In most of the developing and under developed nations, it is very difficult for a visually challenged person to be able to lead a normal life. Since there are many disadvantages, unless a person is highly determined to succeed, a person will not be able to be successful in life, especially if he or she is blind.

1. Make a visit to your local library. Volunteer to read to adults or children on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
2. Check with local organizations for the blind in your area, including schools and foundations. Make sure the organization doesn’t already have someone on staff who organizes this important task, and if not, offer your services for free and let the organization know what days and times are available to you.
3. Find out the needs within your local church. There may be someone who needs your help not only with reading but with writing a personal history of their life or addressing envelopes or other daily tasks.
4. Provide the services free of charge by placing an ad online or in the newspaper. Visit the client’s home to read.

In the end, a blind or low seeing individual wants to glean all you desire when you sit down with a book for the first time. So, speak clearly and with enthusiasm. Read what the client wants you to read, and skip those things he or she tells you do not interest him or her. If there are pictures, maps, or drawings, explain them so that the individual can see along with you. And above all, have a good time!

In the dark world of the legally blind, venturing into the noisy,crowded world of those not vision impared, it can seem a scary, dauntless task. For Those that do venture out, and make try to make their lives as normal as possible, a seeing eye dog is the most essential partner to them. Upon completion of formal training, a graduated guide dog is matched with those who need it the most. Normally a waiting list is in place for those willing and wanting to adopt and take home a guide dog.

A dog’s personality is a very important thing to consider when looking into adopting.

Is he Friendly? Shy? Does he lead? or prefer to follow? Is he loyal, and willing to work? or does he enjoy laying in the sun? When dogs are matched with their new owners, the owners must learn the dogs name, breed and temprament, in order to bond quickly and closely with their new family member.

The breeds most commonly used as Guide dogs according to the Guide dogs of America are: 70% Labrador Retrievers, 15% Golden Retrievers, and 15% German Shepherds. Labrador Retrievers make up the majority of dogs as they have been found to be the most successful breed used. The Labrador Retriever is the dog most often used for guide dog programs throughout the world, due to their friendly attitude and willingness to work hard.

A few days of one on one training is usually needed to help the new owner and the dogs adjust and to learn commands needed to show the dog just what tasks their owner needs help performing doing things such as walking across the street, picking things up,& walking up and down steps.Once a dog is matched with their new owner and the few initial days of adjustment and training are complete,both dog and owner are ready to begin their new life together as a family that relies on one another.

There are many ways to learn to read braille for sighted people, from computer programs, pop up boards to educational toys. Parents of blind children can find these beneficial, as well as family members who have someone dear to them who is legally blind. Say you have a blind friend, and wish to write them a letter that they can actually read by themselves?

The gaps and social awkwardness that exist between those who are blind, and those who are sighted can easily be bridged with books such as “The Handbook To Learning To Read Braille By Sight” By Leland Schubert helps those who are sighted learn by exposing them to print braille and embossed braille. At the end of each educational section, it provides a quiz to help go over what was learned in each.

“New Programmed Instruction in Braille, Second Edition” By S. Ashcroft, F. Henderson, L. Sanford, and A. Koenig Is a manual used mostly in college courses used to teach the sighted all the contractions and rules for reading and writing literary braille, and contains 11 chapters complete with practice writing exercises.

Even teachers who have blind students can communicate effectively with their students by learning braille. A computer program used to teach the sighted braille is also an effective way to learn. “The Braille Teacher” by Aubrey Welle is available for DOS-compatible computers. This program is 10 lessons on the literary braille code. And is a quick way to learn, while not having to pick up a book and read.

A teacher specific computer program is “The Computerized Braille Tutor”. The program,converts the keyboard into a Brailler and shows facsimile braille dots on the screen.

1. Google books in Braille on your home computer and discover a great list of places to search; from the well-known online establishments to those companies specializing in Braille only.
2. Seek out your nearest local Braille library. Receive a catalog of Braille listings by emailing, mailing or telephoning your request.
3. Have a child who is blind? Find the latest resources by typing in books on Braille for children. Discover low cost resources, even free options in book reading to keep your child happy and interested for hours.
4. Just recently lost your sight? Want to learn how to read again? Learning Braille as an adult can be as difficult as learning a new language, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. If it’s the independence you lack and want, and the freedom to read what you want when you want, then learning Braille is for you. Even if you have low vision, learning Braille will assist you in the fulfilling life you desire.

Get started! Fortunately, these aren’t the only resources available to you on your search for books on Braille. Often, talking with others who are blind or have low sight will lend a cornucopia of ideas to keep you reading for hours to come.

1. Make a visit to your local library. Volunteer to read to adults or children on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
2. Check with local organizations for the blind in your area, including schools and foundations. Make sure the organization doesn’t already have someone on staff who organizes this important task, and if not, offer your services for free and let the organization know what days and times are available to you.
3. Find out the needs within your local church. There may be someone who needs your help not only with reading but with writing a personal history of their life or addressing envelopes or other daily tasks.
4. Provide the services free of charge by placing an ad online or in the newspaper. Visit the client’s home to read.

In the end, a blind or low seeing individual wants to glean all you desire when you sit down with a book for the first time. So, speak clearly and with enthusiasm. Read what the client wants you to read, and skip those things he or she tells you do not interest him or her. If there are pictures, maps, or drawings, explain them so that the individual can see along with you. And above all, have a good time!

Good news. There is help out there, from friends who may come in daily to assist you to classes on blindness and groups to join. You need never feel alone when it comes to your blindness.

Reach out for help.
Serve others who need you.
Be open to ideas from your family and friends and allow them to assist you with your needs.
Never be afraid to take a class or join a group. Know there are others who feel as you do and need a friend too.
Get the information you need to understand your blindness from libraries, the Internet, community groups and institutions for the blind. Be proactive in your search instead of waiting for the help to come to you.
Learn a new skill such as pottery, woodworking, or cooking. Be daring. Remember that your senses of taste and smell are only enhanced by a loss of sight.
Get the adaptive software you need for your computer so that you can still perform your regular tasks there.
If you make a mistake, smile at yourself. Getting around and learning the ropes will take some time. Give yourself permission to goof up.

Losing one’s sight is never an easy process, just ask anyone who has lost it. But ask the same person how they feel today, after a few months of working through it, and you’ll usually get a positive response.

The Braille and not so Braille

• Books on CD are important to the blind or low visual, especially if the book in mind can’t be found in Braille. Just think about the last time you slipped a book related CD into your car and the fun you had listening as you drove. Music is also a fabulous gift.
• Large print books for the low visual can be found at most bookstores or can be ordered if not in stock.
• Slate and stylus sets are fairly inexpensive and help in the reading and writing for the blind. 100# weight paper is used with the above slate and stylus set.
• Printed Braille calendars and daily planners can be located at Braille institutions and online stores and range in price from $7.50 to $20.
• Braille fiction, non-fiction and children’s books can be obtained online or through a local blind institution or bookstore.
• Screen reading software, Braille keyboard, or Braille appliance control panel overlays will help in the office and kitchen.
• A Braille raised cordless telephone is always a hit; about $60.
• Tactile board game; $10-$70.
• Speaking clocks are all the rage. Between $10 and $40.
• Sweet smelling bath supplies, cologne, or perfume. Or try something soft and cuddly.

Whatever you decide to do, keep your friend’s interests in mind, and be aware that he or she has distinguishing tastes just like your other friends you know and love. Keep the gift you choose focused on your friend and their individual talents.

Though Braille is a difficult skill to learn, with perseverance and a daily emotional shot in the arm, adults can not only learn the skill of Braille but know it enough to teach others and connect with someone through letters that they may have never been able to connect with before.

Options for learning Braille are as versatile as you are.

1. Learn from a tutor.
2. Learn from a blind friend. He or she cares for your welfare and will probably be ecstatic that you want to be a part of his or her world in this way.
3. Try an online tutorial, and get the information on your own.
4. If classes are available in your area, take one; they’re usually not too expensive and will give you a chance to work with others who are learning as you are. Your local library will have the information you need to get started or try your local college or university.
5. Check out some books at the library or purchase a few at your favorite book store.

When all is said and done you will be happy that you not only tried something new, but that you didn’t give up, but prepared yourself for the unanswered future whether your own future or someone else’s.

But one thing is for certain. You like to feel as if you are independent minded. Still, you may wonder if your disability causes you to shy away from society at times or keep you cooped up indoors for longer times than is feasible or even healthy.

Maybe we can help.

1. Offer to pick up your friend or acquaintance and take them to lunch.
2. Purchase books with large print. Think of the senses of hearing, feeling, tasting and touching when presenting gifts.
3. Be open to opportunities to assist, whether the assistance comes in the form of reading a menu or explaining an outdoor sign.
4. Don’t speak too loudly. This should be an obvious, no-no, but it’s amazing how many of us do it.
5. Driving a personal car is probably non-existent for a low vision individual. Some with low vision avoid taking the bus, taxi or other mode of public transportation because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Offer to drive them to the grocery store or to the doctor’s office.
6. Never force your help on anyone. Ask before providing it.

A low seeing individual’s life is really not that much different than your own. And it takes someone not only who is helpful to see what the low sighted might not see, but to be that kind of friend who doesn’t have it in their mind to push the seeming difference.

You’re in need of a guide dog; a dog not only to help you through the twists and turns of life, but a dog with just the right temperament for you, a dog that can be your friend as well as your eyes. Fortunately, service dogs are trained throughout the world to help their owners as well as provide friendship and comfort to them. The best guide dogs are found through programs for the blind and low seeing found online and through the local phone directory. These dogs have been trained to follow commands, even at the peril of their own lives.

Here are some helps to get you started:

• Make a list of your concerns and take them with you as you search for a program that fits your needs.
• Spend some time with a few of your favorite dogs and ask those that work within the facility questions about the dog’s individual temperament, likes and dislikes. Remember, your personal needs and disability concerns are uppermost in the trainer’s mind.
• Realize that the dog you choose will be at work for a majority of the day, but once that harness comes off; there will be time for some fun. Dogs are like people; through spending a little time, one learns who clicks with us and who doesn’t.
• If you have problems during the learning process with your guide dog, don’t wait to share the information with the instructor. Early detection of a problem will save you from larger concerns in the future. Know that most problems with your guide dog will be minimal anyway, and usually your issue, and not the dog’s. If you have hearing loss or asthma, for example, you may struggle a bit more but still qualify for a guide dog.

In the end it’s all about the experience you have as a team. And it’s important that the connection between the two of you stick.

Years ago, there was a woman who painted. She painted birds. The name of the woman is now unknown, at least in this author’s eyes, but the card received from a grandmother with the artist’s artwork on the front, isn’t. The picture is of a bird on a tree branch. Everything is in its proper place. The wings, the head, the feathers; it is unbelievable.

But then again, so are the greatest of artists who have taught me a few things:

Vision comes from within. It is sensory, and can come from our fingers as well as our toes, from what we hear on a calm, dark night, to what we experience in a crowded theatre. Voices are vision, and so is the feeling of taffeta against our cheek.

We have heard that seeing is believing, but what if believing is seeing ? Like painting blind, it is something that we seek.
Lack of sight does not inhibit the other four senses in functioning; in fact other senses only increase in intensity by this seeming lack.
Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder”? Or does beauty come from within our soul to make the cherished person beautiful?

Can we see color in the dark? Those who are blind say so by the way the color makes them feel.

Painting blind is not impossible but a miracle of choice. Like anything else, it takes tremendous effort to envision on paper what has been sheltered and nurtured within the heart.

Think about your own personal skills as well as those skills that you lack. Say you own an advertising agency. How many folks, and to what positions are they given? Can you do all of them? Are you expert at all of them?

Probably not. The same is true for the blind or low vision.

If errands during the week can be shortened by someone who can drive a car and get you there, then you hire a driver. If you need to keep abreast of the latest business trends because you own your own business, then you hire a reader. If you can’t read requests on a slip of paper for a job that needs to be handled, you record it.

Never hesitate in hiring a low vision or blind individual. Rather than thinking about their perceived limitations, ask them what they excel at and how they can bring added success to your company.

If you are a blind or low vision individual with a dream of owning your own business, don’t hesitate. Get the information you need on how to start, manage and operate your business. Get the help you need in writing a business plan and obtaining the funds you need to get your business going.

Whether you are looking to hire or work for someone else, remember that limitations only limit those who choose to limit themselves.

More and more Braille books are being distributed with pictures. Raised plastic illustrations are all the rage and books like these can be purchased through various online libraries and publishers. But that’s not all.

Many books don’t have to be purchased at all they come free to you and you, in turn, receive all of the positive results that the reading brings whether fiction, nonfiction, or commentary.

Braille books can also be purchased or ordered:

• At half of manufacturer cost.
• From random drawings sponsored by those who distribute Braille books for children.
• Through special projects such as Seedlings that provide reading materials for elementary to high school students.
• Through various programs such as the American Action Fund.
• Through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
• From various societies for the blind such as the Xavier Society that provide products for the blind and low seeing.
• From various publishers who specialize in the product.
• Through downloading.
• During an online course.
• Through various Braille magazines.
• From your local library. Search out Braille books here that you can borrow and return as well as CDs and music.
• At talking book libraries. Information is recorded and the machine and tapes are loaned to you via snail mail.

Braille books for children are given special care, and for most books, the customer pays less than the manufacturers cost for printing. For all the rewards when it comes to reading and learning, you can’t beat it.

But for teens who are, in some way, different, the quest for confidence and acceptance can be one that is even harder. For this reason it is important that the parents of teens who are in some way vision impaired keep their finger on the pulse of teen culture and help their teens to integrate, if that is what their children want.

While we would all like to believe that appearances do not matter, it is an unfortunate truth that nevertheless is true  during those teen years. And, while parents should continue to be conscious of not placing too much importance on superficial qualities, it is important to maintain an awareness of the things that are important in the world of a teenager.

Buying for blind teens is an important part of helping them integrate into the world around them and parents should not fall into the trap of assuming that, because a teen cannot see the labels or logos attached to their clothes, that what they wear does not matter.

Blind teens may be more keen than their seeing counterparts to appear as one of the crowd, so don’t discount the idea of investing in big brand clothes or Philip Stein watches on their behalf. Asking a trusted friend along on shopping trips can help offer a contemporary perspective and determine peer acceptability of purchases.

Braille uses a dot system that is made up of a cell of six dots. Of those dots several are raised based off of which type of letter is intended to be conveyed the the reader.

Braille is used as a form of coded communication and the way that it works is a bit complicated. There are six dots that form a cell. Each character requires that certain dots be raised and others are flat. There are cells and characters for every letter of the English alphabet and even for certain punctuation marks such as the question mark, period, comma and even symbols for common words such as and, but and or. There is also a commonly used eight dot system that adds extra dots to the bottom of the cell and allows people to be able to read more words then the six dot system.

The form of Braille as a form of communication for those that are blind has widely been used throughout the world. There are over six different languages that have adapted some form of the braille system for children and adults to learn.

In the United States a study showed that over 50% of the children in United States schools knew some form of braille and were able to use it in their studies. Braille has widely been praised for helping students in their studies by allowing them to have reading materials and other books that students in the class would normally have. This has allowed many legally blind children to succeed in areas such as math, science and english when normally they would have fallen behind due to the lack of reading material that was available to them.

Braille is a universally understood communication system for those that are legally blind. It allows those that are legally blind to be able to read and communicate just as well as their sighted peers. So if this is the case why is Braille disappearing from our school systems?

Braille seems to be disappearing from public schools systems for one reason and one reason only. Budget reasons. School systems no longer have the budget to be able to hire and allow Braille certified teachers into their school system. This means that they turn to over more advanced means to have the children who are legally blind read and write. This can include voice activated books and other more advanced technologies.

In the 1970s a bill was passed mandating that every student who is legally blind be able to have access to the Braille system and learning if they or their family so chooses. Although this is a bill and what public school systems should follow, many school systems still encourage students who are legally blind to try other systems of writing and reading that are a bit more budget friendly.

With these budgetary cuts the only way for a legally blind student to learn Braille is to invest their own money in a private school or tutor that allows them to learn the various cells and letters in the Braille system.

With the state of public school systems in the United States it is a possibility that the Braille system could be completely phased out of them in favor of cheaper, more modern technologies.

Braille is the main form of written communication for those that are legally blind. It is a way that they can read what others have written, see what is on a menu and even be able to learn in schools the way that those that are sighted are allowed to.

A study conducted by the state of Washington looked at the impact that learning Braille had on those that were legally blind. The study’s findings were amazing.

The study showed that legally blind students who were exposed to and learned Braille at an early age did amazingly well in all areas of study. In fact, they did just as well if not better than their sighted peers and were able to compete in the work force against them when it came to jobs.

Another area of the study looked at legally blind people and unemployment rates. Those that were unemployed and legally blind who had learned to read Braille made up 44% of the unemployed workforce. While those that learned to read print such as books, magazines and such made up a much larger number of 77% of the unemployed work force.

This study concluded that learning Braille at an early age is critical for legally blind students to develop mentally and physically as well as be able to keep up with students who were sighted. It also cited that by learning Braille these students have a better chance of learning crucial adult skills that will help them in their future careers and be able to let them be employed by many companies.

With such a finding it is amazing that schools and areas are starting to phase out the Braille system in favor of other means of reading and writing for those that are legally blind. To give those that are legally blind a fair chance it is important that school systems teach the Braille system to those that are legally blind.

The American Foundation for the Blind has recently set up a site on the Internet that allows children to explore the possibilities of learning Braille. This site is set up for grades 3 through 6, however it can be for older or younger students, who are looking for more information on the Braille system and might show some interest in wanting to learn how to read from it.

The site consists of background information on the Braille system, what is is, who uses it, what is stands for and other information that children might want to learn. It then goes on to further explain the way that Braille is set up, how other children learn to read it and prepares them to see if they are ready to learn about Braille.

The site is also intended for parents of those sighted children who might want to learn about Braille also. It shows historical content on the learning of those that are legally blind as well as various museums and places where their child can go to learn about Braille and possibly learn how to read from it.

This step to bridging the gap between those who are legally blind and know Braille and those that are sighted and learning braille is amazing. There is very little interest in learning how to read braille if there is no need to. This site is taking a step in the right direction and getting children of all ages geared up for the idea of learning how to read Braille even if they don’t need it.

So where did this form of communication come from and who invented it?

Braille originally started in response to the French army’s need for a communication system. Napoleon wanted a way for his troops to be able to communicate with each other without having to speak. By having a form of communication without speaking it lessened the chances of enemies knowing what the next move was to be and then they would be able to attack before it happened.

Charles Barbeir came up with a system that involved the use of 12 dots that could stand for various commands and codes that the army needed. This system was deemed too confusing for troops and never used by the army.

In 1821, Charles Barbeir went to the Institute for the Blind and was able to meet with one of the students there. Louis Braille was able to sit down with Charles Barbeir and talk about the system that was being used. Louis Braille found that the problem with Charles Barbeir’s system was not that it had a bad idea but that it was too large for a human’s finger to travel over the code and would therefore confuse the person. He developed a six dot code system and it quickly became known as the Braille code which has been proven very successful in today’s world.

Who would have thought that a communication system for the legally blind would have its roots with the French army and Napoleon!

Braille is the widely known and used system of communication for those that are visually impaired. This is a complex system of raised dots either 6 dots or 8 dots that allow a legally blind person to read many different texts when they wouldn’t normally be able to read the texts.

The Braille Institute of America was founded in 1919 after a J. Robert Atkinson successful published and created text for his family when he was visually impaired. After hearing his story the family of the Longyear’s donated over $25,000 dollars so that he could go on and start up a publishing company that was dedicated to writing and distributing braille text throughout America.

With the successful funding of the Longyears along with a long fought for grant through the Library of Congress services for the Blind, Atkinson was able to print his first ever magazine for those who read via braille. The Braille Magazine was first published in 1926 by the publishing firm that Atkinson started. Shortly following the publishing of the magazine and various texts came the first ever Braille version of the Webster’s dictionary in 1938.

Since then the Braille Institute has funded many community events that include a track and field race held for those that are legally blind as well as the annual Braille challenge that provides students with the form of a competition to encourage them to develop their braille skills and use them outside of school.

Currently there are over 5 national centers all over the United States and over 120 community groups that host and serve the Braille Institute of America.

The Braille challenge is a competition that tests students in their ability to read, comprehend and transcribe various codes in braille. The students will transcribe what they are given onto a machine that is known as a Perkins Brailler. They are given scores for accuracy, spelling, time and other elements of the test.

The Braille challenge started as a way for legally blind students to be encouraged to keep up with their studies of braille. Many schools are cutting back on funding and discouraging students to stop learning the system of Braille. With this challenge it can renew excitement for the form of communication and allow students to have a form of competition that is all their own.

There are three levels of Braille competition that one can compete in. Grades 1 and 2 are what people compete in while Grade 3 is a personal Braille system.

Grade 1 is the basic Braille system that anyone who wants to learn Braille learns. There are just 26 symbols and punctuation marks in this system.

Grade 2 is a bit more advanced from grade 1. This involves the use of 26 coded letters, punctuation marks and various contractions that are thrown into the Braille mix. Grade 2 is the standard for all Braille in public places and for more books and other items of print.

Grade 3 is the most advanced form of Braille and is a bit of a short hand. This will vary depending upon the person and so is used mostly for personal items such as diaries, letters and notes.

At the moment there are over 200 different regional, state and national Braille competitions being held all over the United States and Canada.

There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to the type of blindness and what the definition of legally blind is. Many people believe that legally blind and total blindness are one and the same thing. However, they aren’t.

Total blindness is the complete and total lack of vision or sight in a person. This means that a person cannot see at all no matter how close an object is and all they see is complete darkness. Total blindness is a part of being legally blind, but legally blindness does include other type of visual impairedness.

Legally blind means that a person has visual impairments that cause then to have difficulty seeing. In the United States and most of Europe, including the United Kingdom, they use the theory that a person is legally blind when they have a vision of 20/200. This means that a legally blind person would have to stand 20 feet away from something when a normal person would be able to stand 200 feet away from the object.

For this reason, total blindness does fall into the category of legally blind but a legally blind person might not fall into the category of total blindness. In a study it has showed that of all the people in the United States who are considered legally blind there are only 10% of the people who suffer from total blindness. The rest all have some form of limited vision that is a cause of psychological or neurotransmitters that cause vision problems. Often times the vision problems can be a direct result of damage to the eyes and visionary senses but not always.

Each character in Braille is separated into a group of six dots, called a cell. By rubbing your finger from left to right across these cells, you are able to ‘read’ the characters by feeling which dots are raised up into bumps and which ones are smooth. However, it can be considered not a perfect system because there are not very many combinations of six dots, and some of those combinations are not use-able because they feel very similar to other dots. For example, two dots in the left column could mean the letter ‘B’, the number ’2′, and the word ‘but’. A single dot can mean a capital letter is next, and A backwards L of dots means that the next set of cells is a number, and etc.

What’s also amazing about Braille is that it also uses sounds to communicate in the same way it uses letters. Just like texting today, you can make illegible sets of characters that don’t make any sense unless sounded out. Like ‘ur’ for texting, meaning ‘your’, you can spell out ‘cd’ in Braille to mean ‘could. Or ‘abv’ to mean ‘above’. While Braille was never meant to be a secret code of sorts, it helps the blind read quicker, as Braille sentences and paragraphs are much larger than ones in traditional text.

Unless you are born with total blindness or legally blind, there are several signs and symptoms that occur in a person over time that signify that they might be suffering from blindness or becoming legally blind.

Here are some of those symptoms that might be present.

Trouble adjusting from light to dark and vice verse.

Trouble with light sensitivity that causes extreme squinting, blinking and tearing of the eyes.

Dark spots in the center of vision.

Double vision or seeing ghost objects of items that are in front of you.

Total loss of vision in one or both eyes for a prolonged period of time.

Halos of light or multi-rainbow colors in the visionary senses.

Gradual loss of peripheral vision or not being able to see things that are on the sides of the vision.

If you or a loved one experiences any of the above symptoms it is a good idea to seek medical attention right away. Some vision problems can be corrected if they are caught in enough time. So at the first sign of any of the signs or symptoms you should seek health care advice and make sure that there is nothing wrong or you have anything to worry about.

Here is a look at the various types of eye diseases and what they are and what is done for them.

Age Related Macular Degeneration. This type of eye disease usually occurs in people ages 65 and older. The reason that this type of eye disease exists is still unknown. It could be that it is genetic or it could be that it is just a natural way that the body ages. Macular Degeneration has to do with damage or deterioration of the macula, which peoples people see straight on. With Macular degeneration a person develops fuzzy, blurred vision and almost always has a bit of a floating blob in the eye. This rarely causes total blindness or even vision loss when corrected early enough.

Diabetic Retinopathy. Vision loss and eye disease is a common occurrence in diabetics. Diabetic retinopathy is the direct blood vessels in the eyes bursting and causing burst blood vessels on the retina. This is another eye disease that rarely causes complete vision loss and when diabetes is controlled the vision will return to normal or near normal levels. However, it can quickly come back if the diabetes is left uncontrolled.

Glaucoma. There is fluid in and around the eye. When that fluid becomes to much for the eye and puts high levels of pressure on the eye it can cause problems to the optic nerve. This is a serious condition and when caught early enough can be treated with various drugs but it can also cause total blindness in many people if left untreated or not caught in enough time.

That is why there are low vision rehabilitation centers all over the place. When a person uses the word rehabilitation a person will normally think of a drug or alcohol rehab center but in this case it is nothing like that. At low vision rehabilitation centers they take the person who is suffering from low vision and work to help them out.

They do a thorough screening on the eyes to assess the level of sight as well as observe the person in a new setting. They see what type of devices and objects the person could use to make their life a lot easier.

At low vision rehabilitation centers a person will work with the person with low vision one on one and make various suggestions on how their life could be improved. These could be from finding special lamps that provide intense light for certain areas in the house, large text books that can be read, magnifying glasses and such for smaller print.

These low vision rehabilitation centers can also help on a larger scale also. They can work with the person and help them find resources, government grants and other community aids that allow them to seek funding for various objects that the person may need. In some cases they might recommend taking Braille classes and learning how to read with that. If that were the case they could set the person up with various Braille schools and centers around the area where the person will be able to learn how to read with it.

Watching a friend or loved one who is suffering from vision loss can be a tough thing to do. It is hard to watch them have to deal with the daily struggles of their life by not being able to see as properly as they used to. While it might feel as if there isn’t anything that you can do for them during this time of need, there are actually many things that you can do for them.

One of the most important ways of helping those with vision impairedness is to help them with their daily life. This can be as simple as helping them out when they ask for it to running errands such as grocery shopping or picking up prescriptions to taking them to the doctor’s appointment.

The key to helping a loved one through this type of ordeal is to make sure that you are stable and supportive. It might be a good idea to contact the local center for the legally blind and see what type of resources that program may offer. Many local programs have various devices and helpful hints that can help your loved one and yourself. Sometimes these places even offer occasional help when a person needs to be relieved of care giving duties.

Other resources that might be available to you and your loved one include government aid for vision devices that can help out to government aid for financial help with doctor’s visits, prescriptions, surgeries and other items that a legally blind person may need.

It won’t always be easy but as long as your loved one has a supportive and caring care taker by their side they should be able to deal with the vision loss in a respectful and decent way. Just remember to make sure that you are getting support for yourself just as much as you are for your loved one.

Here are a few things that you should do around a visually impaired person and a few things that you shouldn’t do around a visually impaired person.

Act like they are human. You don’t need to shout, scream or baby the person. If you feel the need to ask them if they need help, do so but don’t be surprised if they say they don’t need help or want it. Just treat them like any other person you would be friends with.

Don’t Ask Can You See This. Inquire about what the person can see or can’t and any limitations that might come up while being around them. Don’t keep walking up to items or objects and asking if they can or can’t see things that are around them.

Comfort and Support. You should show comfort and support to the person. Just let them know that you are around should they need anything but if not then you still will be there when and if they need help.

Follow Their Lead. It is a good idea to follow the person’s lead on how to treat them. Some people don’t take offense to being asked for help and in fact like to have people help them whenever they can. Others find it offensive and believe that it is a major insult to ask for help. Just observe and follow what the person does or doesn’t do.

Braille in public places has started as a somewhat innocent gesture for those that are legally blind to be able to access the signs and various other objects that are in public. However there are major limitations to these signs that shall be discussed.

The first limitation is that of the distance involved with the signs. A blind person cannot possibly know where all the signs are in a public facility. Not all signs are placed in the same place which leads to the problem of finding the sign in a public area if they are to read it.

Once the sign is found another interesting problem comes up and that is the accessibility to the sign. There are instances where Braille is well above the heads of people or even put on signs that don’t need it. This can be limiting to many blind people as they cannot be expected to stand on chairs to touch the sign.

While braille in public has good intentions unless there is a general guideline as to what should and should be done with the signs a legally blind or blind person cannot possibly know where to look or read the braille that is on the signs. With a bit of an improvement over the other signs it might be that there are universal public usages of the signs which can help out blind people to know where to look and what they are trying to read and understand.

There are tons of facts and information about the Braille system that can be very interesting to learn about. Here are some quick facts that will help you understand the braille system and who uses it.

Braille was invented by a person named Louis Braille in the 1840s as a way for blind students to be able to read and write.

There are three different types of braille that are labeled as grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3.

Grade 1 Braille is that of 26 letters and punctuation marks.

Grade 2 is that of the 26 letters, punctuation and contractions. Contractions are used in grade 2 braille as a way to save on space as braille can take up a lot of space on a paper.

Grade 3 is used for personal use and can very depending on the person. It is usually used for personal items such as letters, notes, diaries and other types of objects that are personal in nature.

The braille that is used in public is that of the grade 2 variety and is generally known by all braille students.

There are many items that incorporate braille into their items. There are braille playing cards, games, videos, books, magazines and other types of items that allow those with visual impairments to read the same items as other people.

People who take notes using braille use a metal slate that allows them to punch out the notes that they need to take. This might be time consuming but for a skilled braille learner the process can be very quick.

Braille is an ability for those who are visually impaired to read and write and engage in various activities that are cultural and fun in aspects.

Since that time period the braille system has taken a major turn and in some cases a turn for the better.

Here is a look at some of the advancements of Braille over the past few years or centuries.

Braille originally started as a written form of communication in French has now turned into a communication system in several different languages. At the moment there are forms of braille for Chinese, Japanese, English, Spanish and a number of other languages.

Braille is now also used in musical annotations and mathematics. These were not around when the first system of braille came out and have since developed the way that braille is being used today. Visually impaired people can now play musical instruments or even complete math problems that they didn’t have access to a number of years ago.

Braille can be found on various board games, playing cards, written texts, bibles and other types of reading material. There are very few types of items that don’t come in braille.

Braille is now being taught as a form of community enrichment when a person faces visual impairments. It used to be that in order to study Braille you were sent off to a school for the blind and that was an issue for many people. Now braille is taught as parts of school systems and community service projects for those that are suffering from visual impairments.

Web-Braille Important Tool for the Blind

Web-Braille is an innovative web-based resource that gives the blind vital access to many thousands of magazines, books and even musical scores as produced by the NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped) division of the Library of Congress. It also includes an ever-expanding collection of locally transcribed titles produced by cooperating partner libraries. One must have a password in order to access the Web-Braille website, and the files offered are in an electronic form of contracted braille that requires that the user have special equipment in order to make it functional.

Web-Braille Content Provides Blind With New Vistas

Since 1992, close to 10,000 titles have been produced by the NLS for downloading from their website. These can also be read online at the Web-Braille library. These titles are added to the collection at the same time that printed braille-books are shipped to libraries serving the blind. Magazines are also available in the Web-Braille format. Generally they can found on the website within a week or less of when the printed-braille version is made available. For the blind who are musicians or composers, there’s also great news. Several thousand braille scores are currently found on the Web-Braille website, with new ones being added each month by the NLS. These scores cover the gamut of musical instruments and styles. Both instrumental and voice compositions are included. This is one of the most popular features on the NLS website. Piano compositions in particular are one of the more prevalent resources.

Access to Web-Braille Website Secure and Blind-friendly

In order to use the website, a user must work with their local coordinating library to set up their account. This includes an email address and user-created password. The library then finalizes the process of activating the blind person’s account. An email is sent once this process is completed. Upon admission to the website, the user will discover that the site is designed with their unique needs in mind. With access, the user can now request items to either be mailed or downloaded at no charge.

Recent data suggests that 90% or more of the blind presently employed at least part-time in the United States are Braille readers. This important statistic hints at an even more important idea: Braille is an essential tool in the pursuit of independence and achievement for the blind and sight-impaired. Without it they are certainly faced with a more daunting climb toward equality. Knowing Braille gives the blind their best chance at reaching goals and objectives that might otherwise be unachievable. This is true both for their hopes of success in employment as well as in finding enjoyment in entertainment. Rather than being dependent on what someone else has determined is worthy of being recorded to audio, the blind have access to a much wider range of texts that have been printed in Braille versus those only recorded to CD.

The Value of Braille Relates to Perceptions of the Blind

Unfortunately, there are some who believe that the fact that it takes effort to learn Braille and that there is now technology available to replace it are sufficient reasons to discourage continued efforts to teach Braille to children. This angers many in the blind community, and for good reason. They argue that this viewpoint reveals a prejudice against the blind, specifically as it relates to their expectations of the blind’s potential for advancement and full equality. Every effort that can be made to revive the learning of Braille among children should be heartily pursued. This will insure that they control their own futures, rather than having those futures limited or controlled by others.

Changes Come Incrementally

Rather than applying a broad brush to this problem, it is best to approach it in as local a way as possible. This means that change will start at the individual level. As advocates for the blind, whether these are parents, educators, or government and business leaders, decide to emphasize the learning of Braille to blind children, the tide can be reversed. It’s not too late to start.

Image via Wikipedia

Digital Talking Books Opening New Worlds to the Blind

For many years, the only format of talking books available to the blind were those recorded onto cassette tapes. This analog recording process has been a proven and affordable technology, but also one with limitations. These include degradation of audio quality over time, a time-consuming process for recording and transferring the data, and limited length of recording time. The great news is that in recent years, digital recording onto media cards, CDs, DVDs, and the Internet have eliminated most if not all of these analog tape obstacles. Digital offers a wide variety of improvements versus analog, including the ability to use a recording in a wide variety of mediums, greatly improved audio quality, and the flexibility of rapidly sharing the information recorded to many more blind users.

New Machines and Tools Created to Help Blind Readers

With the rise of digital as the predominant medium for blind readers, there has also been improvements in the machines used by the blind to read these new and improved books. For many years, there was only one device available for users to choose from for reading books. There are now many exciting features for blind users to choose from, including such things as being able to jump back and forth in a book, bookmarking, being able to vary the speed of the playback, and even keyword searches within the text. These and other advances are making for exciting and untapped worlds to be opened to the blind.

Braille Still Vital to the Blind

One may wonder if these advances have rendered the learning and usage of Braille as unimportant. Just the opposite is in fact the case. Both the machines and the media used to use these technologies commonly use Braille to provide instructions for usage and customization. Braille is also still considered a superior technology for reading books, especially for the reader looking for a greater catalog of material to read from. Users of Braille can be confident that it will be a vital part of the landscape for years to come.

Image via Wikipedia

Exciting New Developments in Braille Technology

For blind readers and writers of Braille, these are very exciting times. Improvements in modern technology are making unprecedented advances and opening new doors to the blind that have long been closed. This is true both with computer hardware as well as with new software. In the past, blind Braille users had to rely on a limited number of printing houses determining what was and what wasn’t worthy of being converted to braille. But with the explosion in computer technology, especially as it relates to braille, users are now blessed with a wide variety of options. It is true that some personal printers and Braille print programs are still expensive, there are now several low-cost options as well. If a blind user has a personal computer, a Braille printer, and conversion software, they are well-positioned to control the type of content they want to consume.

Printing Technology Making Braille Books More Affordable

For example, there are now several personal Braille printers that are narrower than previous versions, which leads to lower paper and printing costs. Another development is something called “paperless” Braille. This fascinating technology involves the use of a handheld device attached to a computer. This unit has a board with small pins on its face, and allows the blind person using it to feel Braille dots as the pins raise while they’re reading a text. There is also a process that prints Braille using a glue-like substance onto a glossy paper surface. These and other advances are all part of the new wave of improvements making life ever better for the blind.

New Advances in Braille Publishing

These improvements are not limited to the tools used to read and to write Braille. Even the language itself is being improved. For example, a blind physicist by the name of John Gardner has been working on a Braille system for writing math equations. It’s called Dots Plus, and uses existing Braille for numbers and letters but also employs math symbols in the same way that the sighted see them, but raised and magnified.

For most people who don’t struggle with the everyday challenges associated with being either blind or sight-impaired, it is difficult if not impossible to fully empathize with those that are blind. As hard as one might attempt to imagine the challenges of living in a world of darkness, it is really not possible to fully imagine the struggles the blind face unless one is in fact blind himself. It is likely that if one were to ask the blind what they most want from people who can see, they would simply answer that they wish to be treated as people with the same goals, dreams and desires as anyone else. Rather than spending time feeling sorry for someone who can’t see, it is far better to discover how to become an advocate for them to achieve their full potential.

Supporting the Blind Starts Simply

There are a wide variety of ways to provide this support; they range from doing something as simple as getting educated about the challenges the blind face to petitioning government and business leaders to become more blind-aware and blind-friendly. One could also set aside concerns or anxieties about making connections with the blind and become friends with someone who deals with the challenges of being sight-impaired. Both parties would be better as a result of this kind of engagement. Blind people want most of all to be treated as equals to those who can see. They deserve the same treatment and respect that should be afforded to anyone, regardless of how they might be “different.” More particularly, the blind today need someone who believes in their causes, whether those causes involve learning and promoting the use of Braille, increasing access to employment and education, or advocating for changes in legislation. The best way to support the blind is do something. Getting started is often the best way to overcome fears or concerns about offending. It’s like learning Braille. You learn it one dot at a time. Eventually you’ll get it right. Everyone can begin somewhere to make a positive difference.

Braille Books Require Unique Process to Create

Once a book has been translated into Braille, whether that has been done by a transcriber or through computer technology, the next step is proofreading. If the book was transcribed, no additional steps are required before proofing is done. However, if the translation was done with a computer, then the text must first be printed out. This printout is then reviewed by someone trained in the editing and proofing process. They are looking for grammatical and other errors in order to correct them before the final printing process begins. Interestingly, both a blind and a sighted reader work together as proofreaders, allowing them to compare the original text with the version printed in Braille.

Next Step is to Create a Print Master

After the proofing process is completed, a master version is then produced. This is the version that will be used to cast the print version onto a zinc metal plate. A separate machine is employed in the stamping of the text onto the zinc plates. Each page of the text has a separate master plate, which is bowed in the center in order to fit onto the printing press’s rotating barrel.

Braille Book Printing Process

The zinc plates are then fitted onto the printing press and the press worker then runs the special paper used for Braille books into the press. Unlike a traditional printing press, there is no ink used on a Braille printing press. The letters are also embossed, allowing the impressions of each raised dot to transfer onto the special Braille paper. Once this is completed, the paper is removed from the press and moved to the finishing station before being bound into binders. This is another unique aspect of books printed for the blind. Traditional books are bound in some form of book cover, either hard or soft-back. But because books in Braille are on heavier paper and are often larger than traditional books, the pages must instead be placed in a binder of some kind. Books for the blind are truly unique in many ways.

Image via Wikipedia

How Braille Books Are Made

The process of creating a book printed in Braille is a fascinating one. Because each Braille character is slightly different, great care must be taken in the printing process to achieve accuracy and precision so that words and phrases are printed properly. The sizes of a Braille books can vary, but the standard version is generally around 11 x11.5″. The paper used is also different than standard books. It must be thicker and heavier than standard paper is, since the blind user will be touching each page as they read. One paper often used is something called “swell paper.” This is a heat-sensitive paper that actually swells when it is printed on. Zinc is also an important component for printing books in Braille, since the text is first printed onto a plate made of zinc before being embossed onto the paper. Braille books are also bound differently than is a traditional book. Instead of a hard or soft-cover, they are instead bound in plastic three-ring binders.

Translation Process for Braille Books

With the exception of books written in Braille, the first step in publishing a book is to have it translated into Braille. There are typically one of three possible ways for this to be done. First, a typist may use a special six-key typing machine to convert a manuscript into Braille. Although more laborious and time-consuming than other options, Braille typists bring a high degree of professionalism and training to the translation process, leading in most cases to more accurate outcome. The other methods for translation both involve some form of technology. One is to feed English text into a computer scanner, which then translates it into Braille and outputs it accordingly. The other is to have the text which was originally stored or created on a computer in English then printed out in both Braille and other languages. The most significant and obvious advantage of these two methods is speed. Entire books can literally be converted into Braille in mere seconds. These are exciting times for readers of Braille.

One of the important considerations that should be made when deciding whether or not to learn Braille is to determine if you only need to read and write basic information like grocery lists, telephone numbers, and other simple lists. If this is the case, then alphabetic Braille or as it used to be called, Grade One Braille, will be adequate for your needs. This is the version of Braille that requires you to write out an entire word, letter by letter. For example, the word “dog” would need to have the separate letters “D-O-G” written out.

However, if you desire to read books, magazines, or newspapers in Braille, you’ll need to learn what is termed Literary or Grade Two Braille, also known as “contracted” braille. This is a form of braille that is condensed in order to allow more characters to be printed in less space. It uses only one cell to represent an entire word, unlike Alphabetic braille.

Many Benefits to the Blind From Learning Literary Braille

Most Braille users would opt for learning the alphabetic and literary versions of braille, for obvious reasons. Knowing only Alphabetic Braille would place a significant limit on a blind person’s ability to discover the world and to make their way through life. It’s important to remember, though, that learning the literary version will take significant time to study before one has achieved mastery. In many instances it may be a year or more before this is accomplished. It is also essential that the blind Braille reader have good sensitivity in their fingers, as the placement of dots on a page in a book, magazine, or newspaper will be much more condensed.

Decision to Learn Braille An Important One

Once you have determined which version of Braille you want to learn, the next step is to decide how you’ll go about learning it. It is recommended that a blind person first have an assessment done of their finger sensitivity to determine whether or not they’ll be able to discern the dot placement of the literary version.

Image via Wikipedia

Literary Braille and Reading for Pleasure

One of the important considerations that should be made when deciding whether or not to learn Braille is to determine if you only need to read and write basic information like grocery lists, telephone numbers, and other simple lists. If this is the case, then alphabetic Braille or as it used to be called, Grade One Braille, will be adequate for your needs. This is the version of Braille that requires you to write out an entire word, letter by letter. For example, the word “dog” would need to have the separate letters “D-O-G” written out.

However, if you desire to read books, magazines, or newspapers in Braille, you’ll need to learn what is termed Literary or Grade Two Braille, also known as “contracted” braille. This is a form of braille that is condensed in order to allow more characters to be printed in less space. It uses only one cell to represent an entire word, unlike Alphabetic braille.

Many Benefits to the Blind From Learning Literary Braille

Most Braille users would opt for learning the alphabetic and literary versions of braille, for obvious reasons. Knowing only Alphabetic Braille would place a significant limit on a blind person’s ability to discover the world and to make their way through life. It’s important to remember, though, that learning the literary version will take significant time to study before one has achieved mastery. In many instances it may be a year or more before this is accomplished. It is also essential that the blind Braille reader have good sensitivity in their fingers, as the placement of dots on a page in a book, magazine, or newspaper will be much more condensed.

Decision to Learn Braille An Important One

Once you have determined which version of Braille you want to learn, the next step is to decide how you’ll go about learning it. It is recommended that a blind person first have an assessment done of their finger sensitivity to determine whether or not they’ll be able to discern the dot placement of the literary version.

Image via Wikipedia

The Blind Need Our Support First

For most people who don’t struggle with the everyday challenges associated with being either blind or sight-impaired, it is difficult if not impossible to fully empathize with those that are blind. As hard as one might attempt to imagine the challenges of living in a world of darkness, it is really not possible to fully imagine the struggles the blind face unless one is in fact blind himself. It is likely that if one were to ask the blind what they most want from people who can see, they would simply answer that they wish to be treated as people with the same goals, dreams and desires as anyone else. Rather than spending time feeling sorry for someone who can’t see, it is far better to discover how to become an advocate for them to achieve their full potential.

Supporting the Blind Starts Simply

There are a wide variety of ways to provide this support; they range from doing something as simple as getting educated about the challenges the blind face to petitioning government and business leaders to become more blind-aware and blind-friendly. One could also set aside concerns or anxieties about making connections with the blind and become friends with someone who deals with the challenges of being sight-impaired. Both parties would be better as a result of this kind of engagement. Blind people want most of all to be treated as equals to those who can see. They deserve the same treatment and respect that should be afforded to anyone, regardless of how they might be “different.” More particularly, the blind today need someone who believes in their causes, whether those causes involve learning and promoting the use of Braille, increasing access to employment and education, or advocating for changes in legislation. The best way to support the blind is do something. Getting started is often the best way to overcome fears or concerns about offending. It’s like learning Braille. You learn it one dot at a time. Eventually you’ll get it right. Everyone can begin somewhere to make a positive difference.

The process of creating a book printed in Braille is a fascinating one. Because each Braille character is slightly different, great care must be taken in the printing process to achieve accuracy and precision so that words and phrases are printed properly. The sizes of a Braille books can vary, but the standard version is generally around 11 x11.5″. The paper used is also different than standard books. It must be thicker and heavier than standard paper is, since the blind user will be touching each page as they read. One paper often used is something called “swell paper.” This is a heat-sensitive paper that actually swells when it is printed on. Zinc is also an important component for printing books in Braille, since the text is first printed onto a plate made of zinc before being embossed onto the paper. Braille books are also bound differently than is a traditional book. Instead of a hard or soft-cover, they are instead bound in plastic three-ring binders.

Translation Process for Braille Books

With the exception of books written in Braille, the first step in publishing a book is to have it translated into Braille. There are typically one of three possible ways for this to be done. First, a typist may use a special six-key typing machine to convert a manuscript into Braille. Although more laborious and time-consuming than other options, Braille typists bring a high degree of professionalism and training to the translation process, leading in most cases to more accurate outcome. The other methods for translation both involve some form of technology. One is to feed English text into a computer scanner, which then translates it into Braille and outputs it accordingly. The other is to have the text which was originally stored or created on a computer in English then printed out in both Braille and other languages. The most significant and obvious advantage of these two methods is speed. Entire books can literally be converted into Braille in mere seconds. These are exciting times for readers of Braille.

Image via Wikipedia

Braille Essential for Both Employment and Enjoyment

Recent data suggests that 90% or more of the blind presently employed at least part-time in the United States are Braille readers. This important statistic hints at an even more important idea: Braille is an essential tool in the pursuit of independence and achievement for the blind and sight-impaired. Without it they are certainly faced with a more daunting climb toward equality. Knowing Braille gives the blind their best chance at reaching goals and objectives that might otherwise be unachievable. This is true both for their hopes of success in employment as well as in finding enjoyment in entertainment. Rather than being dependent on what someone else has determined is worthy of being recorded to audio, the blind have access to a much wider range of texts that have been printed in Braille versus those only recorded to CD.

The Value of Braille Relates to Perceptions of the Blind

Unfortunately, there are some who believe that the fact that it takes effort to learn Braille and that there is now technology available to replace it are sufficient reasons to discourage continued efforts to teach Braille to children. This angers many in the blind community, and for good reason. They argue that this viewpoint reveals a prejudice against the blind, specifically as it relates to their expectations of the blind’s potential for advancement and full equality. Every effort that can be made to revive the learning of Braille among children should be heartily pursued. This will insure that they control their own futures, rather than having those futures limited or controlled by others.

Changes Come Incrementally

Rather than applying a broad brush to this problem, it is best to approach it in as local a way as possible. This means that change will start at the individual level. As advocates for the blind, whether these are parents, educators, or government and business leaders, decide to emphasize the learning of Braille to blind children, the tide can be reversed. It’s not too late to start.

Once a book has been translated into Braille, whether that has been done by a transcriber or through computer technology, the next step is proofreading. If the book was transcribed, no additional steps are required before proofing is done. However, if the translation was done with a computer, then the text must first be printed out. This printout is then reviewed by someone trained in the editing and proofing process. They are looking for grammatical and other errors in order to correct them before the final printing process begins. Interestingly, both a blind and a sighted reader work together as proofreaders, allowing them to compare the original text with the version printed in Braille.

Next Step is to Create a Print Master

After the proofing process is completed, a master version is then produced. This is the version that will be used to cast the print version onto a zinc metal plate. A separate machine is employed in the stamping of the text onto the zinc plates. Each page of the text has a separate master plate, which is bowed in the center in order to fit onto the printing press’s rotating barrel.

Braille Book Printing Process

The zinc plates are then fitted onto the printing press and the press worker then runs the special paper used for Braille books into the press. Unlike a traditional printing press, there is no ink used on a Braille printing press. The letters are also embossed, allowing the impressions of each raised dot to transfer onto the special Braille paper. Once this is completed, the paper is removed from the press and moved to the finishing station before being bound into binders. This is another unique aspect of books printed for the blind. Traditional books are bound in some form of book cover, either hard or soft-back. But because books in Braille are on heavier paper and are often larger than traditional books, the pages must instead be placed in a binder of some kind. Books for the blind are truly unique in many ways.

Image via Wikipedia

Traditional Braille Use in Decline

There is a real but subtle threat to the future freedoms and opportunities available to the blind and sight-impaired. This threat is not readily apparent, and is even dismissed by many as non-existent. What is the threat? It is the steady decline in the percentage of blind children who are learning and subsequently using braille as a means of reading and writing. Although there are valid arguments as to why this may not be a significant shift, most in the blind community are quite concerned about it. In fact, over thirty states have passed so-called Braille literacy laws. These laws require that every blind student, even if they have only a small amount of residual vision, are to be given an assessment to determine if Braille will help them. If it is determined that it will be helpful, the children then have Braille taught to them. In essence, these laws create policies in favor of Braille and Braille usage.

The Dangers of the Decrease in Braille Usage

The primary reason that many who suggest this decline is insignificant use to defend their position is that newer and better tools are available for the blind. Are there new and exciting means of reading and writing available today? Absolutely. This is a good thing. However, the ability of the blind to fully engage in the world is, at least in part, dependent upon their abilities relating to Braille. Even if technology has opened new pathways to communication for the blind, understanding and usage of Braille provides a vital foundation for the use of these and any other present or future technology that may be developed. In other words, knowing Braille is a win-win skill. The dangers of not knowing how to use this tool include being limited in comprehension of what is being read or spoken by someone, being dependent on memorization to acquire knowledge, and most significantly, becoming less-literate than they might otherwise be. Every worthy means must be employed to reverse this trend. The future freedoms of the blind depend on just such a reversal.

Image via Wikipedia

Technology Opening New Doors to the Blind

For those who are blind or who suffer from low vision, this is an exciting time to be alive. Advances in technology are rapidly and permanently opening new doors that have long been closed to these individuals. In some ways this can be overwhelming to someone who has had to live with some degree of imposed limitation for at least some portion of their life. Now that these limitations are disappearing, a blind person must begin to view the world in a new and at first unfamiliar way. People that haven’t had to face the everyday struggle of living in a sightless world may sometimes lack empathy for these individuals, which is understandable. It is ultimately up to each blind or sight-impaired person to determine how they will employ technology in their lives.

Assistive or Adaptive Technology: What is it?

One of the more exciting developments in recent years has been the emergence and incremental improvement of assistive or adaptive technology. There are many different types and categories of tools available, including such things as electronic braille readers, digital book players, computer software and computer scanners, large print calculators, and others. These items can range in cost from a few dollars to a thousand dollars and up. The most basic definition as to what one of these devices are is this: Any tool or device that provides greater ability and freedom to someone who otherwise would lack these things. it is important to note that with many of these tools, first having a basic understanding of braille makes them much more effective and helpful.

Is Braille Still Important?

For this and many other reasons, being “conversant” in braille is as vital a skill for the blind in today’s world as it has ever been. Although there are some both within and outside the blind community that have advocated for a decrease in the value placed upon learning and using braille, the evidence is clear that this is still a critical capability to have in the world today.

Image via Wikipedia

The Blind Must Advocate for the Blind

Among the many who would be considered heroes to the blind and low-vision community, perhaps none is more universally revered than Helen Keller. Her story is well-known and has been revisited in movies, on stage, and in the pages of countless books, in addition to many other places. One of the many reasons why Mrs. Keller’s story has value today has to do with the idea of having an advocate. As you will recall, Helen’s parents hired a woman by the name of Anne or Annie Sullivan to help care for their deaf and blind daughter. Anne was herself almost totally without sight. Through heroic perseverance, Sullivan opened the world to Keller by teaching her sign language. Helen Keller went on to become a world-renowned advocate for the deaf and the blind, and is still widely admired today by both the blind and the deaf communities as a remarkable role-model.

Learning Braille a Key to Self-Discovery

This story provides a relevant guide for how the blind should function even today. First of all, it is important that there be someone in place in their lives, especially if the blind person is a dependent child. One of the first and most important things an advocate can do for a blind child is to help them along the pathway to reading. In most instances this will, at the very least, include the learning of braille. As a blind person enters the world of ideas through books and other resources printed in braille, they then can begin to focus on becoming self-advocates. This is the ultimate objective. To be able to stand up for and to seek for one’s own interests is one of the great and fundamental human rights. Helen Keller needed an Anne Sullivan to show her the way. But if she hadn’t chosen at some point to become her own advocate, the tremendous exertions made by her teacher would have had only limited impact. This combination was then, and is still today, the key to full self-discovery for the blind.

Image via Wikipedia

Braille in the 21st Century

The world is an exciting place to live in at the dawn of the 21st century. Technology is making life more favorable but also more complex. This is also true for people in the blind community. Technology allows the sight-impaired to do things that they’ve never been able to do before, but at the same time it has also created new challenges and anxieties unknown in earlier, simpler times. In order to thrive in such an environment, it is essential that a person have on hand a map and instructions on how to use it to find one’s way to freedom and joy.

Reading the Key to Success

Many life skills are important in a person’s journey to personal fulfillment and meaning. But of these, perhaps none is of greater value than that of being able to read and comprehend what one has read. This is equally true both for those who are blind and those who can see. Just as a person who can read is considered to be literate, so someone who is blind but that can use braille or other means to read should also be considered intelligent and capable of thought. This is true whether one is reading books for employment, education or merely entertainment. In each case, being able to read gives the blind person a window to the world that would otherwise be shut. Everyone is benefited when someone has access to enlightenment.

Books and Braille Are Keys

Every effort should therefore be made to ensure that the blind have unfettered access to the full range of books available to anyone else. Technology is increasingly making this possible, but as of today there are still countless volumes that are sealed shut to the sight-impaired. For the benefit of all, tireless effort should be exerted to achieve this important objective. Books in braille are the most powerful way for the blind to have access to an exciting new world.

Image via Wikipedia

Braille’s Most Important Freedom: The Freedom of Thought

It is commonly accepted in today’s world that the blind are equal in every way to those that can see. Although limited in sight, they have vital contributions to make toward improving life for themselves and for others. In particular, their ability to read using braille and other reading technologies provides the blind with one of the most precious freedoms available: The freedom to think for themselves, and the subsequent ability to express those thoughts to others.

The Blind and the Right of Independence

Another essential right that braille provides to the blind is the right of independence. No one enjoys the feeling of being dependent on another for providing the necessities or niceties of life. There is something inherent in the human spirit that demands that we be free and unfettered. Braille is an essential means of providing this independence to the blind, especially as it relates to understanding and living in the world of today. Through braille the blind have access to education, employment, entertainment and countless other avenues.

To Read is to See

Some have argued that as long as someone can use a machine to help them “read,” braille is an archaic, unnecessary tool. There is, however, a profound and important difference between being able to listen to a book being read on tape or CD and the ability to actually read that book. Reading is a much more immersive experience and is far more likely to lead to profound thought, as well as the expression of that thought, than is merely listening to someone else reading. Being unable to read also limits the freedom of a person in advocating for their own rights, since one must be able to internalize and understand changes to laws that relate to their civil and human rights. Without question there are exciting new alternative technologies that are emerging or becoming mainstream in the world of the blind. That being said, braille is every bit as vital a tool as it was the day the Louis Braille developed it long years ago.

For blind readers and writers of Braille, these are very exciting times. Improvements in modern technology are making unprecedented advances and opening new doors to the blind that have long been closed. This is true both with computer hardware as well as with new software. In the past, blind Braille users had to rely on a limited number of printing houses determining what was and what wasn’t worthy of being converted to braille. But with the explosion in computer technology, especially as it relates to braille, users are now blessed with a wide variety of options. It is true that some personal printers and Braille print programs are still expensive, there are now several low-cost options as well. If a blind user has a personal computer, a Braille printer, and conversion software, they are well-positioned to control the type of content they want to consume.

Printing Technology Making Braille Books More Affordable

For example, there are now several personal Braille printers that are narrower than previous versions, which leads to lower paper and printing costs. Another development is something called “paperless” Braille. This fascinating technology involves the use of a handheld device attached to a computer. This unit has a board with small pins on its face, and allows the blind person using it to feel Braille dots as the pins raise while they’re reading a text. There is also a process that prints Braille using a glue-like substance onto a glossy paper surface. These and other advances are all part of the new wave of improvements making life ever better for the blind.

New Advances in Braille Publishing

These improvements are not limited to the tools used to read and to write Braille. Even the language itself is being improved. For example, a blind physicist by the name of John Gardner has been working on a Braille system for writing math equations. It’s called Dots Plus, and uses existing Braille for numbers and letters but also employs math symbols in the same way that the sighted see them, but raised and magnified.

In today’s fast-moving world, it is a given that someone who can’t read is considered to be illiterate. Without even thinking about it, we would rightly assume that such a person is at an enormous disadvantage in virtually every aspect of life. Whether in their employment (assuming they could even find work with such a significant liability,) their education, or even in enjoying the myriad benefits of reading for pleasure or learning, everyone knows that not being able to read is a undesirable state. It should then be easy to also understand why the blind should be given every possible encouragement and resource in order to allow them to also benefit from the many doors that open to readers. Braille is therefore a vital pathway to this objective.

Reasons to Continue Encouragement of Braille Usage

There are perhaps innumerable reasons that could be listed in support of why braille is still an essential skill for the blind to acquire. Below are just a few of the many that might be mentioned. In all instances, it’s important to remember that the blind are “handicapped” more often by others than by themselves. The sight-impaired have made and will continue to make important contributions to the world. Whether one can see or not should make no difference in how their efforts are received, valued, or applied.

Braille Allows the Blind to Discover the World

Specifically, braille gives the blind the ability to speak for themselves and to both define and defend their rights. It also is a critical tool in education, allowing the blind to determine what they will learn and how they will do so. In this regard it also allows for the blind to live freely in the world of ideas. For hundreds of years they were sadly shut out from doing so, simply because it was wrongly assumed they had nothing to say or to contribute. For these and many other reasons, braille is still a vital lifeline for the blind, and should therefore be regarded as such by everyone.

Appliances for the Blind

There are many exciting new developments in the world of home appliances for those who are blind or who suffer from low vision. Whether one is looking for a new range top, a microwave, the latest dishwasher, or even a new washer and dryer combo, most appliance manufacturers are becoming more innovative in their inclusion of blind-friendly tools and technology in their products. These include specially-designed displays, raised fonts and braille on appliances, and even voice-activated controls. The blind and those with low vision have never had as many exciting options to choose from as they do today.

Choosing the Right Appliance

All this being said, these features are of little or nor value unless the user first knows how to use them and is comfortable doing so. It is therefore important to spend some time in research before making such a significant and expensive investment. One of the first questions to ask is this: “What are the most important features I need in this appliance?” It is also helpful to determine one’s comfort level with technology. A refrigerator might have all of the bells and whistles (and the price tag to match), but unless you know how to take advantage of those features, they will be of little or no benefit to you.

Braille Still a Central Feature on Appliances

It is also important to determine how critical it is for braille to be included on your new appliance. Manufacturers are including braille characters with some devices, and of course they can also be added using a braille stamp machine or labeler. For those with low vision, several of the major brands are including such things as large LED-displays or raised-print fonts to allow you to easily use their products. In all cases, remember to do your research before you arrive in the showroom. It is easier to succumb to the pressure of a salesperson if you haven’t first decided what you actually need beforehand. Happy shopping!

For many years, the only format of talking books available to the blind were those recorded onto cassette tapes. This analog recording process has been a proven and affordable technology, but also one with limitations. These include degradation of audio quality over time, a time-consuming process for recording and transferring the data, and limited length of recording time. The great news is that in recent years, digital recording onto media cards, CDs, DVDs, and the Internet have eliminated most if not all of these analog tape obstacles. Digital offers a wide variety of improvements versus analog, including the ability to use a recording in a wide variety of mediums, greatly improved audio quality, and the flexibility of rapidly sharing the information recorded to many more blind users.

New Machines and Tools Created to Help Blind Readers

With the rise of digital as the predominant medium for blind readers, there has also been improvements in the machines used by the blind to read these new and improved books. For many years, there was only one device available for users to choose from for reading books. There are now many exciting features for blind users to choose from, including such things as being able to jump back and forth in a book, bookmarking, being able to vary the speed of the playback, and even keyword searches within the text. These and other advances are making for exciting and untapped worlds to be opened to the blind.

Braille Still Vital to the Blind

One may wonder if these advances have rendered the learning and usage of Braille as unimportant. Just the opposite is in fact the case. Both the machines and the media used to use these technologies commonly use Braille to provide instructions for usage and customization. Braille is also still considered a superior technology for reading books, especially for the reader looking for a greater catalog of material to read from. Users of Braille can be confident that it will be a vital part of the landscape for years to come.

Advances in Braille technology are making it possible for many in the blind community to more easily read and write using braille. Some of these devices are designed to produce Braille books, while others give people the ability to read books and information using a computer or the Internet. As you would expect, some of these are both easy to use and inexpensive, while others are more complex and come with a higher price tag. Listed below are a few of the many tools now available for braille users to employ in schooling, work or home.

Slate and Stylus

In the inexpensive column, perhaps the most basic and easy tools to use are the slate and stylus. In many ways similar to using pencil and paper, slates are created by placing two thin sheets of plastic or metal together with a hinge to attach them in place. The slate is then opened in order to hold a piece of paper. At the top there are several rows of openings that match the shapes and sizes of Braille cells. The user then takes a stylus, which is a pencil-like object with a handle, to emboss or indent dots onto the paper being held by the slate. The indentations on the slate are designed to keep the stylus from tearing the paper below. Both slates and styluses are available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.

Braille Displays

On the more advanced and expensive side, braille displays are machines built with a row of cells or characters made of metal or plastic pins. These pins are then controlled by use of computer, moving up and down while displaying, in braille, the various characters are they appear on the display. One of the exciting aspects of this technology is its flexibility, given that it changes according to the user’s movements on the computer monitor. Generally these displays sit beneath a computer keyboard.

Image via Wikipedia

The First Books in Braille

The story of the how Braille books began is a humble one. While enrolled in a dank and decrepit school for the blind in Paris, young Louis Braille, along with many other students, was required to work many long hours each day to produce a variety of products such as brooms, toys and even bedsheets that would then sold by the school’s headmaster, Sébastien Guillié. Guillié also required that students labor to put together books with embossed letters in raised form. This was done by applying water-soaked paper to raised letters in order for the tactile shape to dry, allowing the blind students to trace their hands over the shapes. These pages were then glued back-to-back, producing a sheet that was two-sided. So difficult were these to produce that when Braile enrolled in the school, over thirty years after it had been founded, a total of only fourteen books had been produce.

Books Become Doors to the Blind

After Guillié was removed from his position due to a personal scandal, a man named André Pignier replaced him and immediately set about to improve conditions in the school. Among the many changes he implemented, perhaps the most significant was to appoint young Louis Braille as the first-ever blind apprentice teacher at the school. For several years Braille had been experimenting with different forms and materials to try and develop a means of communication and reading. He’d recently been introduced to a system of raised dots that had once been considered for military use, which he quickly adapted for his purposes.

Louis Braille Publishes His First Book

Braille quickly began to put his work to use in the development of the language that would one day be named after him. At only age twenty, he published the first of several books about this subject. Titled Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them, Louis Braille had discovered his life’s work, which would lead to the lives of untold millions being forever benefited.

Although it may be only a myth, the story of how a blind teenager in France was able to identify the type of coin he was given while begging has relevance even today. In the story, which took place in medieval France, seventeen-year-old François Lesueur was one day sitting outside of Saint Germain des Prés church with others who were also sight-impaired, begging for coins. As a man named Valentin Haüy exited the church, he placed a coin in Lesueur’s hand. The teenager immediately identified the denomination that Haüy had given to him, believing it to be more than he normally received. Haüy was immediately struck with the realization that the blind were capable of learning. Although this is universally understood today, in 17th-century France it was assumed that the blind were also mentally impaired and incapable of mental advancement.

The Beginnings of Braille

Haüy’s specific insight had to do with the possibility of the blind being able to read. He invited young Lesueur to join him as a student. Within a few months the teenager had shown he was a quick and ready learner. For example, on one occasion François was using his hands to search for something on his mentor’s desk and happened on a printed item that had an “o” printed firmly. This allowed the boy to decipher the letter. This was the beginnings of Braille. Haüy was soon showing off his young protege before government leaders, scientists and scholars at the French Royal Academy.

Braille Changed the World

For many centuries the blind had been considered incapable of learning. But thanks to Haüy and others, they would have doors opened to them that had long been shut tight. In particular, having the ability to read would shed light onto a world that had been in total darkness. It is not overstating the point to say that Haüy was given a vision on that day outside the Saint Germain des Prés church long ago. What he “saw” has made the world a much better place for those who could not otherwise “see.”

Traditional Braille in Decline

The numbers are striking. Based on recent surveys, there are close to 60,000 children in the United States that are legally blind. Of these, it is estimated that only ten percent or less of these children are using Braille as their main means of reading. In comparison, it is estimated that close to 50% of legally-blind children were using Braille in 1960. Although there are several reasons for this decline, including decreases in school budgets and changing philosophies regarding how blind children should be educated, the biggest impact has likely come from technological advancements.

Technology Opening New Doors to the Blind

Particularly among young people, the development of technological tools such as speech readers, audio books and Braille writers have led to a decrease in this age group’s use of traditional Braille. Although some in the blind community have concern over this, it is generally considered to be a positive development. If the goal is to increase the range and depth of learning for the sight-impaired, then the means employed to obtain this should be of secondary importance. Using advanced technology also has positive social ramifications for legally-blind children, since use of the Internet and more particularly social networks such as Facebook, give these children ample opportunity to develop new connections.

Braille Still a Doorway to the World

Without question, the learning of Braille should still be encouraged among all age groups and social classes. Just as learning the piano is considered an important gateway to learning how to play any other musical instrument, learning Braille prepares children that are blind to more easily learn and use all of the more cutting-edge tools available for learning now available in the 21st century. Although those without vision certainly still face hurdles as they make their way through a sightless world, technology is increasingly knocking those hurdles down, or at the least making them easier to clear. Everyone with an interest in seeing the blind successfully make their way toward a meaningful life should be engaged in promoting any and all tools that will lead to this objective.

Web-Braille is an innovative web-based resource that gives the blind vital access to many thousands of magazines, books and even musical scores as produced by the NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped) division of the Library of Congress. It also includes an ever-expanding collection of locally transcribed titles produced by cooperating partner libraries. One must have a password in order to access the Web-Braille website, and the files offered are in an electronic form of contracted braille that requires that the user have special equipment in order to make it functional.

Web-Braille Content Provides Blind With New Vistas

Since 1992, close to 10,000 titles have been produced by the NLS for downloading from their website. These can also be read online at the Web-Braille library. These titles are added to the collection at the same time that printed braille-books are shipped to libraries serving the blind. Magazines are also available in the Web-Braille format. Generally they can found on the website within a week or less of when the printed-braille version is made available. For the blind who are musicians or composers, there’s also great news. Several thousand braille scores are currently found on the Web-Braille website, with new ones being added each month by the NLS. These scores cover the gamut of musical instruments and styles. Both instrumental and voice compositions are included. This is one of the most popular features on the NLS website. Piano compositions in particular are one of the more prevalent resources.

Access to Web-Braille Website Secure and Blind-friendly

In order to use the website, a user must work with their local coordinating library to set up their account. This includes an email address and user-created password. The library then finalizes the process of activating the blind person’s account. An email is sent once this process is completed. Upon admission to the website, the user will discover that the site is designed with their unique needs in mind. With access, the user can now request items to either be mailed or downloaded at no charge.

It is commonly accepted in today’s world that the blind are equal in every way to those that can see. Although limited in sight, they have vital contributions to make toward improving life for themselves and for others. In particular, their ability to read using braille and other reading technologies provides the blind with one of the most precious freedoms available: The freedom to think for themselves, and the subsequent ability to express those thoughts to others.

The Blind and the Right of Independence

Another essential right that braille provides to the blind is the right of independence. No one enjoys the feeling of being dependent on another for providing the necessities or niceties of life. There is something inherent in the human spirit that demands that we be free and unfettered. Braille is an essential means of providing this independence to the blind, especially as it relates to understanding and living in the world of today. Through braille the blind have access to education, employment, entertainment and countless other avenues.

To Read is to See

Some have argued that as long as someone can use a machine to help them “read,” braille is an archaic, unnecessary tool. There is, however, a profound and important difference between being able to listen to a book being read on tape or CD and the ability to actually read that book. Reading is a much more immersive experience and is far more likely to lead to profound thought, as well as the expression of that thought, than is merely listening to someone else reading. Being unable to read also limits the freedom of a person in advocating for their own rights, since one must be able to internalize and understand changes to laws that relate to their civil and human rights. Without question there are exciting new alternative technologies that are emerging or becoming mainstream in the world of the blind. That being said, braille is every bit as vital a tool as it was the day the Louis Braille developed it long years ago.

In today’s fast-moving world, it is a given that someone who can’t read is considered to be illiterate. Without even thinking about it, we would rightly assume that such a person is at an enormous disadvantage in virtually every aspect of life. Whether in their employment (assuming they could even find work with such a significant liability,) their education, or even in enjoying the myriad benefits of reading for pleasure or learning, everyone knows that not being able to read is a undesirable state. It should then be easy to also understand why the blind should be given every possible encouragement and resource in order to allow them to also benefit from the many doors that open to readers. Braille is therefore a vital pathway to this objective.

Reasons to Continue Encouragement of Braille Usage

There are perhaps innumerable reasons that could be listed in support of why braille is still an essential skill for the blind to acquire. Below are just a few of the many that might be mentioned. In all instances, it’s important to remember that the blind are “handicapped” more often by others than by themselves. The sight-impaired have made and will continue to make important contributions to the world. Whether one can see or not should make no difference in how their efforts are received, valued, or applied.

Braille Allows the Blind to Discover the World

Specifically, braille gives the blind the ability to speak for themselves and to both define and defend their rights. It also is a critical tool in education, allowing the blind to determine what they will learn and how they will do so. In this regard it also allows for the blind to live freely in the world of ideas. For hundreds of years they were sadly shut out from doing so, simply because it was wrongly assumed they had nothing to say or to contribute. For these and many other reasons, braille is still a vital lifeline for the blind, and should therefore be regarded as such by everyone.

For those who are blind or who suffer from low vision, this is an exciting time to be alive. Advances in technology are rapidly and permanently opening new doors that have long been closed to these individuals. In some ways this can be overwhelming to someone who has had to live with some degree of imposed limitation for at least some portion of their life. Now that these limitations are disappearing, a blind person must begin to view the world in a new and at first unfamiliar way. People that haven’t had to face the everyday struggle of living in a sightless world may sometimes lack empathy for these individuals, which is understandable. It is ultimately up to each blind or sight-impaired person to determine how they will employ technology in their lives.

Assistive or Adaptive Technology: What is it?

One of the more exciting developments in recent years has been the emergence and incremental improvement of assistive or adaptive technology. There are many different types and categories of tools available, including such things as electronic braille readers, digital book players, computer software and computer scanners, large print calculators, and others. These items can range in cost from a few dollars to a thousand dollars and up. The most basic definition as to what one of these devices are is this: Any tool or device that provides greater ability and freedom to someone who otherwise would lack these things. it is important to note that with many of these tools, first having a basic understanding of braille makes them much more effective and helpful.

Is Braille Still Important?

For this and many other reasons, being “conversant” in braille is as vital a skill for the blind in today’s world as it has ever been. Although there are some both within and outside the blind community that have advocated for a decrease in the value placed upon learning and using braille, the evidence is clear that this is still a critical capability to have in the world today.

Books Become Doors to the Blind

After Guillié was removed from his position due to a personal scandal, a man named André Pignier replaced him and immediately set about to improve conditions in the school. Among the many changes he implemented, perhaps the most significant was to appoint young Louis Braille as the first-ever blind apprentice teacher at the school. For several years Braille had been experimenting with different forms and materials to try and develop a means of communication and reading. He’d recently been introduced to a system of raised dots that had once been considered for military use, which he quickly adapted for his purposes.

Louis Braille Publishes His First Book

Braille quickly began to put his work to use in the development of the language that would one day be named after him. At only age twenty, he published the first of several books about this subject. Titled Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them, Louis Braille had discovered his life’s work, which would lead to the lives of untold millions being forever benefited.

There is a real but subtle threat to the future freedoms and opportunities available to the blind and sight-impaired. This threat is not readily apparent, and is even dismissed by many as non-existent. What is the threat? It is the steady decline in the percentage of blind children who are learning and subsequently using braille as a means of reading and writing. Although there are valid arguments as to why this may not be a significant shift, most in the blind community are quite concerned about it. In fact, over thirty states have passed so-called Braille literacy laws. These laws require that every blind student, even if they have only a small amount of residual vision, are to be given an assessment to determine if Braille will help them. If it is determined that it will be helpful, the children then have Braille taught to them. In essence, these laws create policies in favor of Braille and Braille usage.

The Dangers of the Decrease in Braille Usage

The primary reason that many who suggest this decline is insignificant use to defend their position is that newer and better tools are available for the blind. Are there new and exciting means of reading and writing available today? Absolutely. This is a good thing. However, the ability of the blind to fully engage in the world is, at least in part, dependent upon their abilities relating to Braille. Even if technology has opened new pathways to communication for the blind, understanding and usage of Braille provides a vital foundation for the use of these and any other present or future technology that may be developed. In other words, knowing Braille is a win-win skill. The dangers of not knowing how to use this tool include being limited in comprehension of what is being read or spoken by someone, being dependent on memorization to acquire knowledge, and most significantly, becoming less-literate than they might otherwise be. Every worthy means must be employed to reverse this trend. The future freedoms of the blind depend on just such a reversal.

Technology Opening New Doors to the Blind

Particularly among young people, the development of technological tools such as speech readers, audio books and Braille writers have led to a decrease in this age group’s use of traditional Braille. Although some in the blind community have concern over this, it is generally considered to be a positive development. If the goal is to increase the range and depth of learning for the sight-impaired, then the means employed to obtain this should be of secondary importance. Using advanced technology also has positive social ramifications for legally-blind children, since use of the Internet and more particularly social networks such as Facebook, give these children ample opportunity to develop new connections.

Braille Still a Doorway to the World

Without question, the learning of Braille should still be encouraged among all age groups and social classes. Just as learning the piano is considered an important gateway to learning how to play any other musical instrument, learning Braille prepares children that are blind to more easily learn and use all of the more cutting-edge tools available for learning now available in the 21st century. Although those without vision certainly still face hurdles as they make their way through a sightless world, technology is increasingly knocking those hurdles down, or at the least making them easier to clear. Everyone with an interest in seeing the blind successfully make their way toward a meaningful life should be engaged in promoting any and all tools that will lead to this objective.

Braille Essential for Both Employment and Enjoyment

Recent data suggests that 90% or more of the blind presently employed at least part-time in the United States are Braille readers. This important statistic hints at an even more important idea: Braille is an essential tool in the pursuit of independence and achievement for the blind and sight-impaired. Without it they are certainly faced with a more daunting climb toward equality. Knowing Braille gives the blind their best chance at reaching goals and objectives that might otherwise be unachievable. This is true both for their hopes of success in employment as well as in finding enjoyment in entertainment. Rather than being dependent on what someone else has determined is worthy of being recorded to audio, the blind have access to a much wider range of texts that have been printed in Braille versus those only recorded to CD.

The Value of Braille Relates to Perceptions of the Blind

Unfortunately, there are some who believe that the fact that it takes effort to learn Braille and that there is now technology available to replace it are sufficient reasons to discourage continued efforts to teach Braille to children. This angers many in the blind community, and for good reason. They argue that this viewpoint reveals a prejudice against the blind, specifically as it relates to their expectations of the blind’s potential for advancement and full equality. Every effort that can be made to revive the learning of Braille among children should be heartily pursued. This will insure that they control their own futures, rather than having those futures limited or controlled by others.

Changes Come Incrementally

Rather than applying a broad brush to this problem, it is best to approach it in as local a way as possible. This means that change will start at the individual level. As advocates for the blind, whether these are parents, educators, or government and business leaders, decide to emphasize the learning of Braille to blind children, the tide can be reversed. It’s not too late to start.

Slate and Stylus

In the inexpensive column, perhaps the most basic and easy tools to use are the slate and stylus. In many ways similar to using pencil and paper, slates are created by placing two thin sheets of plastic or metal together with a hinge to attach them in place. The slate is then opened in order to hold a piece of paper. At the top there are several rows of openings that match the shapes and sizes of Braille cells. The user then takes a stylus, which is a pencil-like object with a handle, to emboss or indent dots onto the paper being held by the slate. The indentations on the slate are designed to keep the stylus from tearing the paper below. Both slates and styluses are available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.

Braille Displays

On the more advanced and expensive side, braille displays are machines built with a row of cells or characters made of metal or plastic pins. These pins are then controlled by use of computer, moving up and down while displaying, in braille, the various characters are they appear on the display. One of the exciting aspects of this technology is its flexibility, given that it changes according to the user’s movements on the computer monitor. Generally these displays sit beneath a computer keyboard.

Image via Wikipedia

. . . a cane does for a blind person. It may sound like a harsh statement, but it’s quite true, and very innocent. There are 161 million blind people in the world. A blind person’s cane is an excellent tool. It can be helpful in maintaining balance, or to ensure that a blind person’s path is clear.

A pulse oximeter is a device that fits on a person’s finger and measures the oxygen level in a person’s blood. A specific oxygen level reading can be taken from a blood sample, but only this device allows a continuous monitoring of the blood. A blind person’s cane does much the same thing, constantly monitoring the area around them.

Blindness appears all throughout history. It was a disease that was untreatable by medical science until the last hundred years or so. Steps were taken to aid them, specifically the development of the Braille alphabet by Louis Braille in 1821; specially designed canes; ideas such as the ridges on coins that are designed to help blind people identify each denomination; or Braille watches, calculators, iPods, GPS devices, and so forth.  Within the last few decades, laser technology has paved the way for surgeries that can make a world of difference. While some stages of blindness are still beyond healing, many of the less-advanced onsets can be staved off or completed cured.

Blindness was once misunderstood. Blind people were looked down on, maltreated, and ostracized. Now, however, others are gaining understanding, looking for and finding cures for this disease, and finding ways for blind people to live normal, unhampered lives. While certain aspects of a blind life and a seeing life will continue to be different, those differences are nominal compared to what they once were.

Learning Braille a Key to Self-Discovery

This story provides a relevant guide for how the blind should function even today. First of all, it is important that there be someone in place in their lives, especially if the blind person is a dependent child. One of the first and most important things an advocate can do for a blind child is to help them along the pathway to reading. In most instances this will, at the very least, include the learning of braille. As a blind person enters the world of ideas through books and other resources printed in braille, they then can begin to focus on becoming self-advocates. This is the ultimate objective. To be able to stand up for and to seek for one’s own interests is one of the great and fundamental human rights. Helen Keller needed an Anne Sullivan to show her the way. But if she hadn’t chosen at some point to become her own advocate, the tremendous exertions made by her teacher would have had only limited impact. This combination was then, and is still today, the key to full self-discovery for the blind.

The Beginnings of Braille

Haüy’s specific insight had to do with the possibility of the blind being able to read. He invited young Lesueur to join him as a student. Within a few months the teenager had shown he was a quick and ready learner. For example, on one occasion François was using his hands to search for something on his mentor’s desk and happened on a printed item that had an “o” printed firmly. This allowed the boy to decipher the letter. This was the beginnings of Braille. Haüy was soon showing off his young protege before government leaders, scientists and scholars at the French Royal Academy.

Braille Changed the World

For many centuries the blind had been considered incapable of learning. But thanks to Haüy and others, they would have doors opened to them that had long been shut tight. In particular, having the ability to read would shed light onto a world that had been in total darkness. It is not overstating the point to say that Haüy was given a vision on that day outside the Saint Germain des Prés church long ago. What he “saw” has made the world a much better place for those who could not otherwise “see.”

Image via Wikipedia

There is an old saying that is attributed to a wise Ferengi; “Even a blind man can see the glow of profit.” And while appreciating the benefits of a new bank account or a prepaid credit card may not be as easy as translating “Men’s Restroom” into braille, all three of these uses of your time may be equally effective over the long term. After all, braille is the one equalizing tool which took blind people out of being a destitute, marginalized part of society and allowed them to work and live among the rest of us as financial and professional equals.

For any group in a society to function as the equals of everyone else, they must be able to read and write. Without these abilities, education and its income advantages essentially disappear. And without the ability to correspond in writing with other people, any group’s political power essentially zeroes out; there is no illiterate political party, in this day and age. Braille is an essential tool of social capital at every level – which is a beautiful thing, considering how much Louis Braille worked with sighted people during this written language’s early formative years. And since that time, braille writing has undergone a transformation…and a decline.

Nowadays, computers can simply translate written words into speech, and often vice versa. This has caused a diminishing of the need for blind people to learn braille. But among those who are braille literate, the entire structure of its writing style has changed. There are now two grades of braille: grade 1 and grade 2. Grade 1 is just a raw translation of one letter for one set of dots. Grade 2, on the other hand, involves transcribing the language with a complex set of different contractions. The handbook on transcribing braille is actually 200 pages long, and to sell transcription services requires a professional certification.