I found this article in the October/November, 1990 issue of The Braille 
Monitor, published by the National Federation of the Blind. You can 
view the entire issue by going to http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm90/brlm9011.htm.

BRAILLE: A SURVIVAL SKILL FOR ALL BLIND PEOPLE

by Dawnelle Cruze

From the Editor: Dawnelle Cruze is one of the leaders of the National 
Federation of the Blind of Virginia. She recently wrote me as follows:

"It was suggested by Charlie Brown and Seville Allen that I send in the 
attached transcript of remarks I made at a public hearing held in Richmond, 
Virginia, on July 10, 1990. This hearing was called by a joint study 
commission composed of members of the Virginia Department for the Visually 
Handicapped, the Virginia Department of Education, and a couple of state 
legislators, whose purpose is to determine whether Braille should be taught 
to all blind and partially blind students in the Virginia public school 
system. This, of course, is an issue that is close to the heart of every 
concerned blind person who cares about the training of the next generation. 
While there are many areas of disagreement about how blind children should 
be educated, I think almost every Federationist agrees that Braille is a 
linchpin in the educational program of every blind child."

This is what Dawnelle wrote me. Here is what she said to the study commission:

Braille—the six-dot system of literacy—is the only viable language of 
learning which affords blind and partially blind people the opportunity to 
compete on terms of equality in our society today. Without competency in 
Braille, blind people cannot expect to maximize their potential in the world 
of work. The truth is that Braille is a crucial survival skill which all 
blind and partially-blind students must master. Therefore, it is imperative 
that Braille be taught to every blind student in the school system of the 
Old Dominion.

I remember the days when learning Braille was a respectable accomplishment. 
Braille was a staple in the education of both blind and partially blind 
students. When I was in third grade, my teacher asked me to assist her in 
providing Braille instruction to a partially blind boy whose primary form of 
literacy was large print. This classmate ultimately discovered that Braille 
was his medium of choice in taking notes and in performing other daily tasks 
which required writing or the immediate retrieval of information. As far as 
I know, this man is still utilizing his Braille skills in his business today 
even though he still reads large print.

Conversely, I met a high school student two years ago who was woefully 
lacking in the survival skill of Braille. This high school senior was a 
product of the public school system in Virginia and had won a collegiate 
scholarship from the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia. In 
discussion with him concerning his use of the alternative techniques of 
blindness, the student revealed that he had skated by during his public 
school career without ever achieving fluency in Braille. Rather than using 
Braille, he had been encouraged to rely on tapes and oral presentation. His 
spelling and writing skills were thus neglected. I would also venture to 
guess that his grades were not as high as they might have been if this 
student had been fully literate in Braille. I shudder to think what happened 
to this boy when he entered college and discovered the true meaning of 
functional illiteracy! How much more might he have achieved if he had been 
schooled in the most basic language of literacy for every blind person, 
Braille?

The question comes to mind: Why isn't Braille accorded its proper place in 
the curricula of blind and partially-blind students? How and why has Braille 
lost its status over the years as the primary literacy tool in every blind 
student's education? Perhaps its fall from grace is partially due to the 
innate negative attitudes about blindness which are held by the very 
professionals who are tasked to train blind students in the skills they will 
need if they are to assume their place in society. Those same negative 
attitudes are also held by those educators who instruct these professionals 
in the alternative techniques of blindness which will be passed on to their 
charges.

Contrary to the popular belief among these educators, there is no reason to 
use visual acuity as a yardstick to determine whether or not a partially-blind
person should be expected to master the skills of Braille.

Unfortunately, it is my observation that the trend has been to turn away from
Braille as the basic means of written communication among blind and partially
blind students in this age of talking computers and visual magnifiers. The 
order of the day in the instruction of partially blind students seems to be 
to camouflage their blindness as much as possible in an effort to help them 
blend in with the mainstream. Partially-blind students are forced to accept 
print as their literacy medium in spite of the eyestrain or inefficiency 
which might ensue. After all—for the most part—it is easier for the sighted 
itinerant and resource teachers to teach reading and writing of print because
most of these teachers are not proficient in the use of Braille. Let me note 
here that this is not totally the fault of those teachers. College programs 
in special education are not requiring them to learn Braille, and many are 
lucky if they even receive one semester of Braille instruction. In any case, 
isn't it easier for the partially blind student to haul around a visual 
television magnifier? Can't the student use his speech-equipped computer in 
class instead of that small slate and stylus which would fit so easily into 
purse or pocket? Finally—and most pertinent to the issue in question—who 
wants to look blind anyway?

It would appear that some professional educators have sought to cut Braille 
out of the standard curriculum of alternative techniques taught to blind 
children having some useful residual vision. Furthermore, totally blind 
children have not been pushed to attain real proficiency in reading and 
writing Braille. Thus, an alarming rate of functional illiteracy has been 
fostered which is rampant among blind students throughout this nation.

Part of the blame for this deplorable state of affairs must be pinned on the 
community of blind adults who have not been more vocal about the loss of 
status for Braille in the individualized education plans for blind students 
and who have not been more vigilant in reaching out to the parents of blind 
children to educate them as to the importance of Braille instruction. Too 
many parents have been left ignorant regarding the fact that Braille is the 
language of literacy for their blind and partially blind sons and daughters. 
Because these parents were not aware of the benefits of Braille 
instruction—particularly in the case of every partially blind child—these 
parents unquestioningly swallowed the myth sold to them by sighted 
professionals concerning Braille. That is, they believed that blind children 
who still possessed some residual vision couldn't possibly be blind and 
didn't need to gain facility in Braille. Furthermore, these parents were told
that their children couldn't possibly be forced to learn Braille as long as 
they could still read print with their classmates. Trusting parents never 
took the time to analyze this thinking. If they had, they would have realized
that their children had no choice in the other subjects which they were 
expected to learn in school in their basic educational curriculum. Was any 
fourth-grader ever asked if he wished to study Virginia History? Was any 
high-schooler given a choice about learning basic English composition? Can an
academically-oriented child opt out when it comes to studying Algebra? Of 
course not! Like English or Algebra, Braille must be a required subject among
blind and partially blind students. These children must be required to master
this vital language of literacy before they are allowed to graduate from high
school!

Blind people—such as members of the National Federation of the Blind of 
Virginia—are waking up and accepting the challenge of insuring that Braille 
will be taught to all blind and partially blind students in this country. We 
are redoubling our efforts to educate parents of blind children regarding the
absolute necessity of including Braille instruction in the curriculum of 
their blind sons and daughters. We are attending meetings such as this one to
rally around the cause of Braille. We are demanding that those professionals 
in the education and rehabilitation systems who claim to be supporters of 
Braille come out of the closet and join in the fight to restore Braille to 
its rightful place in the education of blind children.

This issue is too critical to the success of blind and partially blind 
students to be buried in professional jargon or opinion. Let us learn from 
the experiences of blind and partially blind people everywhere and accept 
Braille as one of the most necessary, basic alternative techniques of 
blindness. Let us go forward to re-institute Braille as a foundational 
survival skill in the individualized educational plan for every blind child. 
Let us give Braille the same respect accorded to ink print and acknowledge it 
as the medium of literacy for blind and partially blind children.

By doing these things, we will help all blind children along their way toward
obtaining first-class citizenship in today's society. We will have given them
one of the most basic keys to security, equality, and opportunity. With 
Braille as their primary language of literacy, the next generation of blind
children will be better prepared to assume their places among their sighted 
peers. Having mastered Braille as one of their major survival skills, these 
children will be literate enough to maximize their potential and will reach 
for heights as yet not gained by their blind compatriots. Braille will have 
given them the information they need to grasp their own success.