Is braille being pushed away by technology?
Is braille on its death bed? Some experts say the number of individuals with poor eyesight who are learning to read braille in North America is on the decline. One of the reasons invoked is the increasing popularity of voice technology.
Braille 101
According to the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), braille is “a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision”.
People who are not visually impaired typically read braille with their eyes. Contrary to popular belief, braille is not a language. It is a code by which many languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and dozens of others) may be written and read. Braille is used by thousands of people all over the world in their native languages, and enables wider access to literacy.
