For Elijah Hedgemond, his Braille books are a lifeline.
“It’s helpful to learn Braille. For me, I can’t read print," the
15-year-old said from his desk at the New York Institute for Special
Education.
"If I didn’t learn to read or write Braille I wouldn’t exactly be good in school.”
He’s one of a number of students who are part of a push to bolster
Braille literacy in the United States. Understanding of the embossed
language, which consists of raised dots and patterns, has been
challenged thanks to computers, tablets and audio books.
However, efforts to keep Braille literacy alive have proven effective.
At the New York Institute for Special Education in The Bronx, Braille
has a prominent place. Posters decorate the hallways with slogans such
as, “Braille is Literacy” and “Braille is Fun.”
“Braille literacy sharpens their spelling, keeps their comprehension
up, gives them a sense of self-accomplishment that they can read
Braille, which is not an easy thing to learn for a sighted person
certainly, for an older person who might lose their vision," said
principal Joe Catavero. "It’s hard work. It’s something people
appreciate when they’ve mastered.”
Unfortunately, Braille textbooks are large and expensive to produce --
a labor-intensive process where transcribing a single textbook
sometimes takes six months.
But a unique program is helping to ease the cost burden, and its location may surprise you.
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