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Literacy—the ability to read and write effectively —is vital to a successful education, career and quality of life, whether a person is writing a school report, jotting down a business contact’s phone number or emailing a friend. For those who are blind, learning to read and write in braille can provide access to the same opportunities.
To increase public awareness about the importance of braille, Governor Brad Henry has declared January "Braille Literacy Month" in Oklahoma, recognizing the value of braille training programs offered by the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services’ (DRS’) Division of Visual Services, Oklahoma School for the Blind and Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
In Oklahoma, 28,188 individuals are blind, while 95,136 have visual impairments, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
“Braille is not a language,” Division of Visual Services Administrator Jane Nelson said. “It's just another way to read and write English – a kind of code based on a logical communication system.“
“Braille is composed of raised dots designed to be read with the fingertips,” Oklahoma School for the Blind Superintendent Karen Kizzia explained. “The basic unit is an arrangement of six dots, two across and three down. It looks like the number six domino. Each dot or combination of dots represent letters of the print alphabet.”
“Once students understand the system, almost everyone can learn to read and write braille,” Jane Nelson said.
The braille equivalent of paper and pencil is the slate and stylus. A braille user inserts paper in the slate and makes tactile dots by pushing the pointed end of the stylus into the paper over evenly spaced depressions in the slate. The paper bulges on the reverse side forming braille cells.
Over the years, the addition of braille contractions has increased reading speed and reduced the size of braille books. Computer-based equipment now reads text aloud. Individuals can use portable electronic note takers to save and edit text, while special printers rapidly stamp braille patterns on the page for mass distribution.
The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) assists Oklahomans with disabilities through vocational rehabilitation, employment, independent living and education programs and the determination of medical eligibility for disability benefits. As part of their services to individuals who are blind and those with visual impairments, DRS’s Division of Visual Services Division offers a number of programs that promote braille use.
For example, Visual Services’ rehabilitation teachers help individuals adjust to decreasing vision in their homes, through communication training, including reading and writing braille, along with independent living services, mobility instruction and information on available adaptive devices. To reach the nearest Visual Services office, phone 1-877-739-4319 toll free. The number is accessible by those who use telecommunications equipment for the deaf, known as TTYs or TDDs.
Oklahomans who are 55 years of age or older and legally blind may be able to learn braille and receive other services through the Older Blind Program. The Tulsa-based office operates a popular toll-free hotline with recorded information about features and ads from major newspapers. For more information, phone or TTY/TDD (918) 742-8989 in Tulsa or leave a message on the toll free hotline at (800) 829-3255.
The Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (OLBPH) circulates thousands of books and magazines in braille and recorded formats free of charge each year to people who are blind and others whose disabilities prevent them from using standard print materials. The library’s Accessible Instructional Materials Center (AIM) loans free braille and large print textbooks and other instructional materials to public school students for as long as needed during the school year. For more information, phone (405) 521-3514 in Oklahoma City or (800) 523-0288 toll free statewide.
The Oklahoma School for the Blind in Muskogee provides braille instruction as part of the accredited alternative education program for students living on campus during the school week, commuting from home or attending summer school programs. The school also offers critical outreach services for students attending local public schools. For more information about residential, commuter and outreach programs, call (877) 229-7136 toll free or (918) 781-8200 in Muskogee.
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