For those of you who are unfamiliar with Braille: this is the method or system that is used by many blind persons to read and write. Braille is made up of a series of raised dots that are used to form letters and punctuations, numbers and symbols.
As a heavy Braille user, I truly believe that Braille has a definite place in the community for and of the blind. It belongs in schools that teach blind and vision impaired kids. It belongs in colleges and universities where it can be looked upon as a solid alternative to voice output and low vision displays. It belongs in the workplace where blind persons can use Braille to take notes, label their paper folders, and it can be used to label washrooms, conference rooms, cabinets, plus more.
Braille is important in a world where i devices are becoming more and more of the way of life. For whereas voice over is a champion for blind persons; it does not spell the words and here is where blind users need to be able to keep up with their spelling skills.
Braille enables a blind person to have the opportunity to read a desired word and learn how it is spelled. There are always instances when the spoken word may not always be spelled the way it sounds and here is where Braille becomes an invaluable asset.
I use Braille notes when giving presentations as it is easy for me to read my notes as I speak, at my fingertips so to speak. I use Braille to label my file folders, my CDs, plus more. We need to keep Braille in our world because it is probably one of the best ways to retain any semblance of literacy.
I can only urge schools and colleges to keep on teaching Braille and I can only encourage manufacturers of Braille displays to keep on producing them.
Just my two cents for today.