Freedom Scientific Blog - Saturday, January 4, 2020 at 2:42 PM
The World at Your Fingertips – Braille Literacy and the Digital Age
Should an individual who is blind use speech or braille as a means of access to
the printed word? This is a complex question with answers that will vary from
one user to another, but there’s no denying the power of having so much
information available at our fingertips. In honor of Louis Braille’s birthday,
we will explore the benefits of the system that made literacy possible for
people who are blind and which continues evolving in today’s digital age.
Where Braille Began
Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809 in Coupvray, France. During his early
childhood, he sustained an injury to one eye while playing in his father’s
workshop. Infection set in and spread to the other eye, leaving him completely
blind.
While a student at the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, Braille
worked diligently to come up with a viable means of reading and writing for the
blind. At the time, students read by tracing raised print letters with their
fingers. This was a slow process that was difficult to master.
Braille’s inspiration to develop a code using embossed dots to represent
letters derived from a note-taking system invented by retired artillery officer
Charles Barbier. It used raised dots to represent sounds and was created so
soldiers could pass notes among the ranks in the dark so as not to alert the
enemy.
When the army did not adopt Barbier’s system, he brought it to the institute
where Braille was a student. Braille subsequently improved on Barbier’s idea,
and by 1824, had developed the braille code that is still widely used today.
Why Braille Matters
Braille is an essential tool that cannot be substituted by any other means of
access for promoting literacy among persons who are blind. Since its inception,
braille has provided a means of reading and writing at home, in the classroom,
and in the workplace. Braille literacy increases opportunities by providing a
means of mastering grammar, spelling, math, and other subjects.
Braille in the Digital Age
Though braille is still widely produced on paper, it has also evolved to meet
the demands of the fast-paced world of technology. Refreshable braille displays
were developed to provide braille access to text shown on a computer screen.
These devices can contain up to 80 braille cells on a single line
Each braille cell incorporates pins that are raised or lowered to form
different combinations of dots that make up braille characters. As you navigate
text using keyboard commands, the characters displayed reflect the position of
the active cursor,
A braille display benefits users by:
Providing direct access to information
· Permitting verification of spelling, formatting, and spacing
for reading and writing
Braille displays can be connected to a computer via USB or Bluetooth, and pair
to a smart phone to provide access to text messaging, social media, and other
widely used features.
The Takeaway
Louis Braille once said, “Access to communication in the widest sense is access
to knowledge.” The combination of speech and braille gives you the ability to
communicate with others from all over the globe, placing a wealth of
information at your fingertips. Whether you’re accessing news, conducting
scholastic research, or collaborating with co-workers, the opportunities for
acquiring and sharing knowledge are endless.
Want to learn more about how using braille can help level the playing field?
Visit our Focus Family page for information about our line of refreshable
braille displays, and join us on Thursday, January 16 at noon Eastern for our
live webinar, Access at Your Fingertips, the Focus Blue Braille Display.
https://blog.freedomscientific.com/the-world-at-your-fingertips-braille-literacy-and-the-digital-age/
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info
