In 1998, just nine percent of all legally blind people enrolled in an educational program below college level were learning Braille, according to the American Printing House for the Blind. In 1985, it was about 15 percent. Overall, the American Foundation for the Blind estimates that only 85,000 out of 1 million legally blind people in the country use Braille. Figures like that concern advocates for the blind. While conceding that many find a way to work with their disability, advocates say they may be hampered by not knowing Braille.
Braille is just as important to a blind child as print is to a sighted child.
Kim Charlson, past president of the Braille Revival League, adds that not knowing Braille can cut away at blind people's independence. Charlson asks, citing the examples that a blind person would not be able to take a message or label their computer disks without knowing the system. Changes in Schools, Technology Charlson attributes the decline in the number of people learning Braille to the fact that most blind children now attend mainstream public schools instead of private specialty schools, and recent advances in technology. It's still just an incredibly important skill. Frances Mary D'Andrea, director of the American Foundation for the Blind's literacy program, explains that the numbers may also reflect that many children who are born blind may also have other disabilities that don't allow them to use Braille, and that the number of visually impaired people is increasing as people live longer.