[Colorado-talk] Blind Coloradan: Braille is the Rails to Literacy and Success

[Dan Burke]

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Sunday, June 11, 2017
Braille is the Rails for Literacy and Success!
eight staff members seated around a table, most reading or writing in Braille
by Dan Burke

Has technology rendered Braille obsolete ... yet?

This is a question that has been coming up for ... well, since the
invention of recorded books, blowing things up on the copy machine,
and the development of speech and magnification on personal computers.

The answer is "No!"

It was mentioned by a VR counselor from out-of-state recently - why
should his client at the CCB spend time on Braille? Hasn't technology
made Braille unnecessary now. That counselor was blind, by the way.

Our final Answer: Still "NO!" An emphatic "No!" because Braille is
still about literacy, and none of the above-mentioned suggested
options can deliver literacy as effectively or as completely as
Braille. They're just bailing twine and duct tape when good welding
and good steel are called for.

The photo above is a Tech Department meeting last month at the
Colorado Center for the Blind, and one trigger for writing this. I'm
shown in it, as are our three full-time Tech Instructors and part-time
instructor and in-house desktop support guru. Also shown are Director
Juie Deden, Assistant Director Brent Batron and Administrative Support
Specialist Carol Sprague. Carol is the only sighted person in the
room, and she can be seen using some old sighted technology - paper
and a ballpoint pen.

Each blind person in the room has a hand-out embossed in Braille
beside them. Of these seven, one is using a laptop, one a bluetooth
keyboard paired to a phone, and the other five are using Braille note
taking devices. This is our tech team - overwhelmingly literate and
proficient in Braille. Chip, Showe, Chris and Yolanda were taught
Braille as children, and Braille is the Raills upon which runs their
literacy and professional success!

Yes, these things all go together!

Want to help today's blind kids find literacy and pofessional success
in their lives? The NFB of Colorado is holding two BELL camps this
summer. The first is just a week away in Grand Junction.

The NFB Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) Academy
prepares blind and low vision children, ages four through twelve, to
grow into confident and independent blind people who will live the
lives they want. The program provides Braille and non-visual skills
instruction through fun, hands-on learning in a day program or
residential setting. In addition to Braille crafts, games, and other
engaging projects, children learn vital independent living skills,
interact with blind adults who serve as mentors, and enjoy field trips
to sites related to the NFB BELL Academy curriculum. Through these
activities and interactions, the children learn that blindness or low
vision does not define them or their future.

To support our 2017 NFBCO BELL camps, go to
https://www.gofundme.com/BELL4BlindCOKids .

Braille is the rails, and this train is bound for literacy!

-- 
Dan Burke
My Cell:  406.546.8546
Twitter:  @DallDonal