Braille Department
Blindness Support Services Inc. offers one-on-one hands on Braille instruction. Our highly experienced Braille instructors can show you how to read and write grade one (uncontracted) and grade two (contracted) Braille in standard or jumbo Braille formats. Additional training consists of how to operate the Slate and Stylus, Braille labeler and Perkins Brailler to write Braille. There are electronic Braille displays that can be used to read documents, articles and books in Braille and we can also train you on how to use them! We also teach spanish Braille and we have bilingual Braille instructors.
Why learn Braille?
Braille is important for everyday communication and to improve your independence. Often, people think Braille is no longer needed because of the technology that is available today to read books, papers and other documents; but there are settings where technology cannot replace Braille. Early Braille education is crucial to literacy for a visually impaired child. A study conducted in the state of Washington found that people who learned Braille at an early age did just as well as, if not better than, their sighted peers in several areas, including vocabulary and comprehension. In the preliminary adult study, while evaluating the correlation between adult literacy skills and employment, it was found that 44 percent of the participants who had learned to read in Braille were unemployed, compared to the 77 percent unemployment rate of those who had learned to read using print.
Currently, among the estimated 85,000 blind adults in the United States, 90 percent of those who are Braille literate are employed. Among adults who do not know Braille, only 1 in 3 is employed. Statistically, history has proven that Braille reading proficiency provides an essential skill set that allows visually impaired children not only to compete with their sighted peers in a school environment, but also later in life as they enter the workforce.
You may also want to read
- Braille: What is it? What does it mean to the blind?
- How Braille began.
- Learn about Unified English Braille
Braille Transcribing Services
Blindness Support Services Inc. can transcribe your print material into Braille whether it’s for personal or commercial purposes. Feel free to contact us to get a quote at: (951) 341-9244.
Braille Club
Our Braille club meets the last Friday of the month. Join us and have fun reading Braille material in grade one (uncontracted) and grade two (contracted) Braille in standard and jumbo formats. Come and be a part of this club to maintain and increase the fluency of your Braille reading skills.