Tech Increases Braille Availability
This article about the recent anniversary of the National Braille Press highlights both the decline in braille literacy and the increasing importance and access to braille in the digital age. At some point in the video, Kim Charlson of Perkins Library is demonstrating the Orbit Reader 20, now part of a pilot program with the National Library Service, in which patrons download electronic braille bools from the Library of Congress, or from a computer, and read from the refreshable braille display. In addition to the Orbit Reader 20, other companies are hard at work to create a tablet size device, with a full page braille display. Ironically, the technology thought for many years to be the demise of braile is reinvigorating it by making it more available in digital format, and this is critical for literacy skills among students with a vision impairment.
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Day 17: 31 Days of Braille