[nfbwatlk] the rise and fall of Braille?

[Nightingale, Noel]

Carl, Mike, and anyone else who is on the State Rehabilitation Council
for the Blind.  I urge that you use your soap box and any authority you
have as SRC members to raise your concern about the apparent lack of
Braille instruction given to DSB clients at your next meeting, or
perhaps even in between meetings.

Noel
 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 4:13 PM
To: wcb
Cc: nfbw
Subject: [nfbwatlk] the rise and fall of Braille?

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