Ella Zajonc

11-1-19

Braille Informative Speech

Imagine living in a world where you can only know what you hear, smell, taste and

touch. Many people don’t realize just how much they rely on their sense of sight. Without sight,

it would be difficult or impossible to get places, find things, cook, eat, play, exercise and so

much more. Your ability to learn and share knowledge would be especially hindered, as you

wouldn’t be able to read or write. This was the world of the blind before Braille was invented.

If any of you don’t know what Braille is, the Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Braille as a

system of writing for the blind that uses characters made up of raised dots. [5] (Merriam

Webster) To help unravel the mystery surrounding Braille, I’ll answer these common questions:

Who invented Braille and why?

How does it work?

And, most importantly, do we still need it today?

Let me take you back in time to the early 1800’s. A little boy around three years old is

playing in his father’s workshop. He picks up an awl and plays with it, pretending to poke holes

in leather. He strikes particularly hard once and when the awl rebounds, it stabs him in the eye.

Infection sets in and soon, at the age of five, he is completely blind. This little boy is Louis

Braille. Born in Coupvray France on January 4th 1809, Louis was an intelligent boy and eager

to learn. Louis’ parents attempted to raise him as normally as possible in the hope that he could

lead a relatively normal life. However, little Louis’ life would far from normal, as he was

destined for greatness. When Louis was ten years old, his parents sent him to the Royal Institute
for Blind Youth in Paris so he would have the chance to learn all he could in spite of his

disability. [1] (Wikipedia)

The school owned some specialized books for the blind. These books used raised or

embossed letters in place of ink, so students could trace the outline of each figure and slowly and

painstakingly read the book. However, these books were expensive to make, difficult to read,

and altogether very inefficient. Nonetheless, Louis completed the school’s curriculum and by

1833, he was a full-fledged professor. [1] (Wikipedia)

Louis loved learning, and wanted the entire world of knowledge to be accessible to

himself and other blind people. Determined to find a better system of reading and writing for the

blind, Louis investigated alternatives to the raised letters he had used in school. In 1821, a man

named Captain Charles Barbier visited the school and told Louis about a system of reading and

writing he had developed made of raised dots and dashes. Barbier used his system in the army to

write coded messages that could be read whether day or night, but Louis saw another use for

such a system: a way of reading and writing for the blind. Captain Charles Barbier’s system was

complicated, so Louis simplified it a great deal. By 1837, Louis had developed it to where it is

today. [1] (Wikipedia)

Braille is a very simple system once you understand it. Each letter and punctuation mark

of the English language has a specific pattern of raised dots that are contained within an

imaginary rectangle, called a cell. Each cell has room for six dots: two columns, three dots

each, lined up next to each other. By placing different numbers of dots in different places in

each cell, you can create a specific letter. For example: the letter A only has one raised dot in

the upper-left corner of the cell, while the rest of the cell area is flat. Common words such as

“this” or “just” or “go” have their own distinct pattern of dots contained in a single cell in order
to conserve space. By running a finger over these raised dots, a blind person can feel which

letter they just “read” and so comprehend a book written in Braille. Louis also devised an easy

system of writing in Braille. A simple slate and stylus could be used to make impressions of

Braille letters on paper. Though not totally accepted at first, this ingenious system allowed blind

people all over France, and eventually the world to read and write with ease. [1] (Wikipedia)

It’s obvious that Braille was incredibly helpful in the 19th and 20th centuries when

technology was barely present and advancing ever so slowly, but do we still need it today in the

21st century? Every day, advances in technology are making it easier for the blind community to

navigate our world.

Voice over, a setting on everyday devices such as phones, iPads, computers and so on,

reads aloud whatever the user touches on the screen of the device, allowing the user to navigate

apps, the internet, documents, and much more without having to look at the screen. This helps

blind users maneuver around the digital world.

But what about the physical world and things like signs and books? Technology seems to

have that covered too. Programs such as Aira help the blind community to navigate the physical

world as well as the digital. Members of this program can download the Aira app onto their

device or purchase a special pair of Aira glasses. The camera of that device will allow an Aira

agent to see whatever the blind user is seeing. Of course, the agent will only see things through

the devices when the blind user calls and asks for assistance. When called, the Aira agent will be

enabled to see what the blind user is seeing and relay information to them through the speaker in

the blind user’s device. Walking, shopping, finding things, taking pictures, helping kids with

homework, and even reading; all these things are made easier and more time efficient by Aira.

[4] (aira)
 eSight, which is basically a high-tech pair of glasses for the visually impaired, assists

users by clarifying whatever sight they have left. [3] (eSight)

Audio books are also broadening horizons for the blind. They allow blind users to enjoy

a good book and can even be used in school.

So, with all of this said, should Braille be deigned as irrelevant and be dismissed? No.

All of these devices and programs I listed depend on technology. If the blind depended solely on

technology, in the case of technology failure, the blind would be totally helpless. With Braille

on their side, the blind community is less vulnerable. Also, what about those who are blind and

deaf? Seems pretty unlikely, but it happens. They can’t receive instructions from an Aira agent

or voice over, or listen to an audio book. Braille can be used to aid those who are both blind and

deaf. In addition, it helps blind students. Math, history, science, music, English and foreign

languages, – every subject would be difficult to learn by only using audio books. Writing and

literature would be especially hard to master if you were blind and without Braille. The National

Federation of the Blind states things well: “Simply put, Braille is vital to literacy for the blind.

Compared to listening to audio versions of books or other materials, reading and writing with

Braille teaches grammar, spelling, and punctuation.”[2] (National Federation of the Blind) In

addition, studies have shown that students who use physical information, like text or Braille,

make better grades and are more confident in their academic abilities than students who rely on

audio resources.

And as far as writing goes, you can’t always depend on someone else or technology to

write something for you. Braille typewriters or a slate and stylus offer easy ways for a blind

person to communicate by writing.

 And if all of this isn’t enough for you, Braille offers some independence and confidence

to the blind community. It’s hard having a disability where you have to rely so heavily on other

people so much of the time, but Braille gives a significant amount of independence to the blind

community that they wouldn’t have otherwise. With the ability to read comes the confidence to

go new places, learn new things, and engage with the world. Now, don’t take all this the wrong

way, I’m not saying we should dismiss technology and its potential to help the blind. In fact,

technology that helps the blind in any way possible is marvelous, but Braille shouldn’t be

dismissed either. As my grandfather always says, if you can read, you can do anything. With

Braille this applies to the blind too. Braille opens a whole new world to the blind community:

the world of the book. It presents the blind community with access to knowledge, the joy of

sharing information, and a tool to help them master their disability. In light of all the ways it

helps the blind community, Braille truly is helpful and relevant and should continue to be used.

Thank you.
[1] Wikipedia

Author –

Title – Louis Braille

Publisher –

Website URL - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Braille

Date – December 28th, 2019

[2] National Federation of the Blind

Author – National Federation of the Blind

Title – Braille Resources

Publisher –

Website URL - https://www.nfb.org/resources/braille-resources

Date -

[3] eSight

Author –

Title –

Publisher –

Website URL - https://esighteyewear.com/

Date -

[4] aira

Author –

Title – How It Works

Publisher –
 Website URL - https://aira.io/how-it-works

Date -

[5] Merriam Webster

Author –

Title – braille noun

Publisher –

Website URL - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/braille

Date -