Reprinted with permission from National Braille Press Website To achieve full participation in the work place, family activities, and civic affairs, blind people need access to the printed word. For persons with total or profound loss of sight, braille is the only medium for true literacy. They cannot see large print, and although tape recorders and synthesized speech have tremendous benefits, they are no substitute for real reading. The tape recorder did not cause sighted people to abandon print, nor did the radio displace newspapers.
Braille also gives blind people more options in life.
Recent studies have demonstrated the close correlation between early braille literacy and higher employment rates and income, and more time spent on reading in adulthood. As the benefits of braille literacy have become better understood, blind people, parents, and others have led a national movement to ensure that blind children have the opportunity to learn braille in public schools. Currently, twenty-nine states have passed braille literacy bills. This new legislation, advances in technology, and the spirit of accommodation inspired by the Americans with Disabilities Act have escalated the demand for braille. National Braille Press was founded in 1927 to provide blind people with practical information to be responsible and productive citizens.