Why Is Braille Dying?

 

Back in 1965, as a newly blind man, my VR counselor told me not to worry about Braille.  "The tape recorder will make Braille unnecessary", he said.  He was also totally blind and a Braille user. 

I was born with cataracts and at 4 years of age they cut holes through the lens' and put bifocals on my nose. 

I never thought of myself as visually limited.  I tried to do all the things other children did, play baseball, tennis, hand ball, etc.  I grew up believing that I was just a clumsy kid. 

When I lost the sight in my left eye at 17 years of age, a blind man came from the White Cane Club in Seattle and offered to teach me typing while I was recovering.  He read to me from a book filled with Braille words.  The story of George Bailey is a whole separate story.  But one thing he mentioned to me was the fact that I could probably attend the school for the blind.  I was mortified.  Me?  go to a blind school?  Just the word Blind scared me.  And then George told me that I could probably receive a full college education, free.  I remember telling him in no uncertain terms that my family did not accept charity.  We worked for what we got. 

At that place in my life I would never have allowed myself to learn Braille.  Even though I had to get very close to the black boards and reading standard print was extremely fatiguing. 

It is a real challenge to overcome the social stigma surrounding blindness.  Not only the children, but parents will do anything to keep from accepting the fact that they're blind.  Teach them Braille?  Not on your life.  far too often people turn to the new-age technology believing that it is the answer, without considering the impact on our written language.  I suspect that Braille is in a fight for its life. 

 

Curious Carl