National Braille Literacy Month

January is Braille Literacy Month, in honor of the birthday of Louis Braille, who was born on January 4th, 1809.

Over the years as audio technology has caused the usage of Braille in the classroom to dwindle, it is increasingly vital to highlight the importance of Braille literacy in the workplace and the classroom.

While many schools have replaced Braille with audio, blind, visually impaired, and low-vision students are not benefiting from knowing how to read in Braille. Experts state that these students should be taught Braille as early and as often as possible.

Why is Braille Important?

According to the National Federation for the Blind (NFB), only 10 percent of blind students are learning to read through Braille.

Being proficient in Braille is an important part of being literate, but more so in future independence and employment as an adult.

It is also important that partially sighted children be taught to read and comprehend Braille because they are at the highest risk of being illiterate in both printed text and Braille. This is the main intent of National Braille Literacy Month.