Acceptance And Criticism In The United States

America has been going through a literary crisis for very long, specifically a Braille literary crisis because 90% of the blind children are not educated in Braille. Every individual, whether disabled or not, deserves to be educated and literate as the right to equality dictates everyone to be treated the same and get equal opportunities as well. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is trying hard to work on the crisis and bring about some change for the visually impaired in the U.S.

Every year as many as 75,000 people lose a part or the whole of their vision. And due to lowered Braille learning, around 70% of blind people remain unemployed and over 50% of blind students drop out of high school due to lack of proper education for them. This is because of lack of teachers, over-dependence on technology, misconceptions related to Braille, and lack of attention given to Braille instruction by the instructors or educational institutions.

There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that Braille learning is the key to literacy, successful career and opportunities for the same, and access to novels or books. Every book can be converted into Braille with the help of a Braille translator. The NFB is working hard towards education and employment for the visually impaired.

The federation has also listed down certain corrective measures to improve the situation and therefore acceptance with reference to Braille. One of them is advancing the use of the same in current and emerging technology which is certainly the future of Braille education.

A major conflict that parents face in America for the best course of action is about the print vs Braille confusion which the researchers are debating about. The children get caught up in this dilemma and suffer from lack of good Braille education. However, it is necessary to understand that the future repercussions should be kept in mind instead of just the immediate needs because by giving Braille education early in life not just helps them accept and adapt it but also helps them shape the career they wish.

Another misconception that has majorly been decoded now in the U.S. is about the isolation and stigmatization from the peers who read normally because Braille is completely different. There is no research to prove this, but it is true that not the peers, but the instructors do not give preference to teaching Braille and there has been a considerable lack of teachers or volunteers in all countries alike.

Another proven theory is that the only way to have high self-esteem and lead productive lives is to be literate, which cannot be achieved simply through gadgets because such kind of a dependence can be risky. To be independent and self-made is very important and this has been realized by the researchers of the Braille crisis in America.

These criticisms and resolutions are aiming to bring about significant changes in the usage of Braille. It is time to ensure that no blind child goes without Braille instruction if that is what they wish for. Learn more about the history and the current use of Braille in the society.

The Inclusion On Tablet PC

There have been several instances over the years where Braille has been incorporated into the technology and gadgets to improve the experience of learning and making the lives of the visually impaired a lot easier. These efforts have been taken to implement affordable and technologically developed assistance without having to depend on other people for learning or guidance.

For instance, ‘Kindle’ is going to introduce Braille kindle which is a tactile device that lets one feel the written words and images with their fingers. The display will be like raised bumps which can be felt by touch. The pneumatic system creates certain bubbled surfaces to create such graphics or words. These researchers belong to the University of Michigan and aim to reduce the difficulties of millions of blind citizens.

Since the current Kindle is expensive, the researchers aimed to make a more pocket-friendly Kindle because this device is created for helping the disabled and should be affordable to them or else it might not be worth it.

BLITAB

BLITAB is another Braille device that is an award-winning visually impaired tablet which aims at achieving an inclusive future and universal literacy. Its motto is study, work, play, and connect. It can convert any text into Braille, minor dots emerge on the screen as tixels and then fall down when words change on the screen. A new experience is developed for Braille as well as non-Braille readers via the text-to-speech output, touch navigation, and Perkins-style keyboard application.

InsideONE is a Braille Tactile Tablet for Windows 10 with 32 celled refreshable display of Braille that is fully integrated and has superior quality. It unites print and Braille in a wonderfully unique way.

Amazon Fire Tablet

The Amazon Fire tablet Braille support might not be the perfect package yet, but it is certainly a very helpful device, especially for people who prefer reading devices. Amazon basically changed how it integrated Braille, and instead, it was incorporated directly into Fire Tablet’s ‘VoiceView’. Since then several updates have been made from the primarily released read-only tablet. The process of pairing the Braille display is firstly going to Accessibility> VoiceView > Braille > search for devices and then finally select the display from the given list.

Therefore, it is evident that efforts have been made constantly by researchers to develop new technologies for visually impaired people however the question still remains whether reading and writing tangibly can ever be replaced by digital means. Even though these gadgets are amazing, most of the visually impaired people might not be comfortable using them and will continue to prefer books or paper for the feel and smell of a page turning. While the younger generation might relate more to tablets, the older generation might prefer tangible Braille learning.

Learn more about the usefulness of braille to those with vision impairment and advantages & disadvantages of Braille technology right here.

Incorporation In Voting Ballots To Aid The Participation Of The Blind In Electoral Process

If you are suffering from some visual disability, it might be difficult for you to vote during the electoral process. However, with time the government too realized that every individual must have the right to vote, and right to equality dictates that every citizen is equal and can decide their future leaders. Here are some examples of electoral aids for visually impaired citizens-

Braille Ballot Guides

A ballot box guide enables a visually impaired individual to vote through determining each voting box. A ballot can be pulled out or in by the voter because it is hinged. These boxes are arranged and labeled in braille for each candidate or party. In the years 2015 and 2017, from Mexico, the Electoral Commission of Mexico City offered blind citizens an opportunity to vote through this method.

Voter’s Signature

A guide is also used in several places to facilitate voter’s signatures by keeping their hand steady so that they can easily find a grip and with the help of someone else they can sign their vote. The box for sign becomes easy to identify for the visually impaired citizens. This format is used in Costa Rica.

The Tactile Ballot Guide

The Supreme Tribunal of Electoral Justice produced the Spanish and Braille instructions for visually impaired voters. It explains how to use, why to use, and the proper way to line up the templates to the poll workers and voters.

Magnifying Glass

The Supreme Tribunal for Electoral Justice of Paraguay since 2015 provides upon request a magnifying glass for visually impaired people. In Mexico also magnifying sheets are an option.

Pencil Grip

Paraguay also has pencil grip on special request which makes it easier for impaired people to vote properly on the ballot.

Stamp

Mexico’s election commission provides an assistive stamp device which has an ‘x’ in the bottom that makes it easier to locate the point of the stamp and an elastic grip for easier holding.

What It Takes To Master The Use Of Braille?

Mastering braille depends upon certain factors associated with the learner. Either it can be harder or easier for one to grasp the concept depending on they fit or don’t in the following characteristics-

age

Age

The younger one is, the easier it is to grasp Braille since you can process information quicker or a young brain essentially works faster. If one becomes visually impaired sooner in life, one can master braille earlier or else it can become tedious to break out of learning through spatial learning rather than auditory methods.

tap

Sense

One can master Braille if you are finger sensitive. Some people can essentially be more touch sensitive than others. For people who have callously fingers or have worked in fields that might be harmful to the skin, braille might not be as easy.

motivation

Motivation Level

Some people who have just recently lost their eyesight might find it easier to master the skill of braille because they are highly motivated at the time. Others who are not visually impaired or not completely blind might not be able to master it because of their inclination towards visual learning rather than learning through touch because they have a Choice!

memory

Memory

People who have a good memory can master braille because it requires some excellent degree of memorization. If you can’t memorize well then it takes much longer to be thorough.

head

Processor

Depending on your preferred processor, you can be better at braille. If you prefer spatial codes, then Braille can come more naturally to you but if you are an auditory learner then your processing speed can be much slower and difficult to grasp.

Braille is essentially a spatial code of language which takes some brainpower to master. It is a language displayed in an unknown manner.

How Alphabets And Numbers Are Written In The Script?

Braille alphabet letters. Alphabet for the blind. Tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired.

Braille is a writing and learning system that helps the blind or visually impaired to read and write though tangible means or by touch. It consists of raised or mounted dots arranged into ‘cells’. the bigger dots are used to represent the raised dots while the smaller ones facilitate in identifying the position of these dots inside a cell. The smaller dots do not show or are not exactly outrightly visible in the embossed Braille. Louis Braille devised this system in the year 1821.

There are six dots constructed from the basic Braille numbers, alphabets, punctuation, symbols, and characters. Now, these dots are positioned in two parallel lines with three dots in each line making the figure six, like on the dice. From these six dots making the grid, around sixty-four alternative configurations can be formed which are also visible in the Unicode Braille Code chart. This Unicode block code for the six dot braille is U+2800 – U+283F:.

The primary ten letters of the alphabet are created by utilizing the four top dots- 1,2,4, and 5. By adding the 3 dots, the next ten letters are formed and adding the 6 dot makes the last six letters. However, one exception of ‘w’ does exist. It was not utilized very often in the French language when Louis Braille had created this system. Punctuation is presented through its own different set of dots which are usually found in the bottom or lower part of a ‘cell’.

Contractions are also a part of the Braille code apart from the alphabets. They are basically braille cells which can stand for a combination of full words or letters. The numbers in Braille are created by placing the number sign using dots 3, 4, 5, and 6 prior to the letters ‘a’ through ‘j’. There is also a special code used for science and math notations known as the ‘Nemeth’.

From country to country the language can be different, but the letters a to z are mostly represented in a similar manner. The numbers also are identical to the Braille alphabet characters. The only exception is France. There are certain common codes categorized as the Unified English Braille (EBU) Code and the EBU European Braille Code among the countries.

Many computers or laptops actually have the braille font installed in them. If you have them then the braille number sign can be typed on the keyboard using the symbol #. This particular # symbol can be found over the 3-number key on one’s keyboard. For instance, you can type the number 375 by typing #cge on your keyboard. Learn more about Braille by knowing about our previous design of software ‘Libbraille’ which is used to display Braille.