When we open our eyes each morning, it is upon a world we have spent a lifetime learning to see. But usually it doesn't work. A picture of Tweety Bird can feel like a melted snowman. Even a raised line drawing of a simple smiley face can be misinterpreted as a sun or a pumpkin. Blind people know about shapes and images, but usually because someone has described it to them verbally.
Blind people know what a football looks like, feels like, throws like, is shaped like.
The book doesn't help them understand a football. It helps them understand what an image is. She said the response to the book was partly triggered by the fact that braille readers take in information through their fingers, so they appreciate tactile images. The estimated number of Braille readers in the United States is between 15,000 and 20,000, Ms. Croft said. Her own data base includes 12,000 names.