[nfbwatlk] the rise and fall of Braille?

[Carl Jarvis]

Between March 31 and June 30, 2007, clients at the Department of Services for the Blind reported that they had received training in the following areas: 

       I was provided with the instruction necessary to develop the alternative                          skills I needed for daily living and job readiness in the following:



            Home Management                      
   Yes  82.1%   23

   No         0%     0  

   N/A   17.9%    5 


        

            Mobility

  Yes  60.7%    17

   No        0%     0

   N/A  39.3%   11 



            Braille/Communications       
  Yes    3.6%      1

  No        0%      0  

             N/A  96.4%   27 



            Computer Skills
  Yes   85.7%    24

  No         0%      0

  N/A   14.3%      4 



Notice that 96 percent of these clients felt that Braille was not applicable to their vocational rehabilitation training.  

Remember, this is the Department of Services for the Blind.  

this raises several interesting questions.  



Is the Department now accepting a majority of clients with such good sight-reading skills that Braille is no longer of value?  



Is the Department no longer promoting the importance of Braille as a communications tool for clients?  



Is Braille instruction readily available to adult clients outside the Orientation and Training Center?  



Do VR Counselors encourage clients to enroll in the Orientation and Training Center for Braille  instruction, as they do for Computer training?  



Do blind people really need to be literate?  After all, lots of sighted people today can't read or write, or even speak clearly.  



Carl Jarvis
-------------- next part --------------
Between March 31 and June 30, 2007, clients at the Department of Services for the Blind reported that they had received training in the following areas:
 
      
I was provided with the instruction necessary to develop the alternative
                         
skills I needed for daily living and job readiness in the following:
 
           
 
Home Management
                     
  
Yes
 
82.1%
  
23
  
No
   
     
0%
  
  
 
  
N/A
  
17.9%
   
5
        
           
Mobility
 
Yes
 
60.7%
 
 
 
17
  
No
     
 
 
0%
    
  
N/A
 
39.3%
  
11
 
           
Braille/Communications
      
 
Yes
   
3.6%
     
1
 
No
       
0%
     
 
            
N/A
 
96.4%
  
27
 
           
Computer Skills
 
Yes
  
85.7%
 
  
24
 
No
        
0%
     
 
N/A
  
14.3%
  
 
  
4
 
Notice that 96 percent of these clients felt that Braille was not applicable to their vocational rehabilitation training. 
Remember, this is the Department of Services for the Blind. 
this raises several interesting questions. 
 
Is the Department now accepting a majority of clients with such good sight-reading skills that Braille is no longer of value? 
 
Is the Department no longer promoting the importance of Braille as a communications tool for clients? 
 
Is Braille instruction readily available to adult clients outside the Orientation and Training Center? 
 
Do VR Counselors encourage clients to enroll in the Orientation and Training Center for Braille  instruction, as they do for Computer training? 
 
Do blind people really need to be literate?  After all, lots of sighted people today can't read or write, or even speak clearly. 
 
Carl Jarvis