Many people may not realize that Braille literacy among visually impaired Americans is on the decline. During the 1950s, up to half of all visually impaired U.S. schoolchildren learned Braille, according to the National Federation of the Blind. Today, only 10% of visually impaired students are learning Braille, and fewer than 10% of the 1.3 million Americans who are legally blind can read Braille.
The decrease is Braille literacy among the visually impaired is due partially to the increase in audiovisual technology and the mainstreaming of visually impaired students in American schools. The shift in Braille literacy is significant, given the results of a 2018 study that found students who used Braille as their primary reading medium during childhood reported
greater life-satisfaction and job satisfaction as adults than people who relied on a different primary reading medium during childhood.
Audiovisual tools like headphones allow visually impaired students to better blend in with their fellow students, but audio tools also cannot convey all of the same information as reading. Elements like sentence structure, grammar, and paragraph breaks are lost when relying solely on audio tools.
Fortunately, Lego (yes, the same Lego you played with as a child) recently announced a new project to help children learn Braille. Lego will create customized blocks with studs in the six-dot configuration of Braille letters and numbers. These blocks will also be compatible with standard Legos, providing a fun and inclusive experience for all.
