Article By Ayoola Efunkoya
On World Braille Day, I find myself reflecting not only on what Braille means to me personally, but on what it continues to mean for blind people’s productivity, dignity, and full participation in society—especially in a rapidly digitising world.
Recently, I shared a radio news report of my coverage of the inaugural Annual General Meeting of the Alumni Association of the FCT School for the Blind. Alongside the link to the online story, I also shared the audio file of the report as broadcast on radio. The response was encouraging, but it came with an unexpected undercurrent of curiosity.
A number of people—some sighted, but strikingly more blind people—asked how I was able to read the script I recorded.
Did I memorise it?
Was I listening to my laptop with a screen reader and repeating what it said through an earpiece?
These questions revealed something unsettling: even within the blind community, the assumption that a blind journalist can simply read is no longer taken for granted.
So let me be clear. I Brailled my script. And I read it.
That simple fact opens a much bigger conversation—about literacy, efficiency, and why Braille remains indispensable in education, work, and public life.
Braille and Real Literacy
Braille is not an assistive add-on or a nostalgic tool from a pre-digital era. Braille is literacy. While screen readers and audio technologies are powerful and necessary, listening is not the same as reading.
Braille allows blind people to engage with text at the same depth as print readers: understanding spelling, punctuation, formatting, emphasis, and structure. These elements matter in journalism, law, education, science, administration, and policy work. They matter wherever precision and clarity are required.
Without Braille, blind people are often pushed into passive consumption of information. With Braille, we become active producers of knowledge.
Braille and Productivity Across Human Endeavour
Access to Braille significantly improves productivity and efficiency in many fields.
In journalism and media, Braille enables accurate script reading, editing, and fact-checking without reliance on audio playback speeds or repeated listening.
In education and academia, Braille supports deep reading, note-taking, examinations, mathematics, and scientific notation—areas where audio alone is insufficient.
In law and public administration, Braille allows blind professionals to review legal texts, draft documents, and navigate structured information with confidence.
In science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, Braille codes make equations, symbols, and data accessible in ways speech cannot fully replicate.
In music, theology, finance, and software development, Braille supports accuracy, speed, and independent verification of information.
Productivity is not just about access to information; it is about control over information. Braille provides that control.
Braille in Public Spaces and Everyday Life
Braille’s relevance extends well beyond professional settings. In inclusive societies, Braille is embedded into public infrastructure.
Braille belongs on:
Building directories and room numbers
Elevator buttons and floor indicators
Public restroom signage
ATM machines and payment terminals
Hospital and pharmacy labels
Transportation hubs—airports, train stations, and bus terminals
These features are not symbolic gestures. They enable independent navigation, privacy, safety, and efficiency. Where Braille is present, blind people move freely. Where it is absent, dependence is imposed.
Why Braille Is Still Struggling in Nigeria and Africa
Despite its proven value, Braille faces persistent challenges across Nigeria and much of Africa.
Policy implementation remains weak. Accessibility provisions exist on paper but are rarely enforced, particularly in public buildings and services.
Teacher training is inadequate. Many educators of the blind lack strong Braille proficiency themselves, leading to poor instruction and learner frustration.
There is an over-reliance on audio technology, often promoted as a replacement rather than a complement to Braille, reinforcing the false narrative that Braille is obsolete.
Braille materials and devices remain expensive and scarce, from slates and embossers to refreshable Braille displays.
Perhaps most concerning is a growing internalised bias—even among blind people—that Braille is difficult, outdated, or unnecessary.
What Needs to Change
The future is not a choice between Braille and technology. The future is integration.
Governments must enforce accessibility standards that mandate Braille in public infrastructure and invest in teacher training and local Braille production.
Educational institutions must treat Braille as foundational, especially for children and newly blind adults.
Technology developers must continue to embed Braille into digital ecosystems, not sideline it.
And blind people ourselves must reclaim Braille unapologetically—as a tool of power, not a burden.
A Living Legacy
Braille is a proper noun for a reason. It carries the legacy of Louis Braille, and it continues to evolve through digital formats, modern embossing, and refreshable Braille displays. Societies that understand its value ensure that innovation strengthens Braille rather than displacing it.
On this World Braille Day, the message is simple and urgent:
Braille is not the past.
Braille is not in competition with technology.
Braille is literacy, productivity, independence, and dignity.
As long as blind people continue to learn, work, report, and lead, Braille will remain essential—not just for us, but for any society that claims to value inclusion.
Ayoola Efunkoya is a Nigerian journalist and accessibility consultant.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment