Day 21: 31 Days of Braille

Braille: Improving Career Options

Kenra Farrow, Research and Training Associate at The National Research & Training Center on Blindness & Low Vision, sent the following link and reported this was one of her favorite articles on learning braille at a later age. After reading “Learning Braille as a Mature Adult,” by Mike Jolls, it’s easy to see why. Mike Jolls, another low vision braille reader, started learning braille at age 46, after struggling through school, college and ultimately career, reading print visually and ever more slowly.

One of the things I find so interesting about Jolls’ story is the repeated theme of braille as something that identifies a person as “blind,” regardless of their functional vision, and that “blindness” is a label to avoid. I suspect this is true of travelers making the decision to use a white cane or not.

Jolls’ story clearly points out that the insistence on using print, while it may have prevented the “blindness” label, interfered with his independence in reading, school, and later career. This is a great article for anyone on the fence about whether or not to teach a young student with low vision braille.

#31DaysofBraille. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions about #31DaysofBraille? Send an email to skelley4195 at yahoo.cm, tweet to @lowvisiontech, or leave a comment on theLowVisionTech Facebook Page.

Day 20: 31 Days of Braille

Day 22: 31 Days of Braille

 

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