Technology thought to weaken use of Braille among blind and visually impaired

EDMONTON – Canadians celebrated National Family Literacy Day on Monday.  However, for nearly 100,000 Albertans who are blind or partially-sighted, old-fashioned reading and writing has become a challenge in our high-tech world.

Six-year-old Jamal Fayad is one of those Albertans. He was born with Microphthalmia and Coloboma, conditions which have caused his eyes to be severely underdeveloped, leaving him completely blind.

While Fayad can read and write in Braille, he is believed to be one of few who have embraced the skill. U.S. statistics show only one in 10 blind children are learning Braille – a number that’s likely similar in Canada.

According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, those with vision impairments are using technology such as auto-correct or note taking programs to aid them in day-to-day reading and writing tasks. They say computers and smartphones have many advantages, but shouldn’t replace the use of Braille.

Adding to the struggle to embrace the skill set, it is believed of all the printed material in the world, only seven per cent is in a format accessible to people with vision loss.

With files from Su-Ling Goh, Global News