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3/26/2009
According to a March 25, 2009 article from The Associated Press, a recent report from the National Federation of the Blind indicates that less than 10% of Americans who are legally blind are able to read Braille. In the 1950s, more than half of the nation's blind children were taught to read Braille; today, only 1 in 10 blind students are learning it. Many teachers now encourage students who are visually impaired to utilize technology, such as audio texts or voice-recognition software. However, advocates for the instruction of Braille argue that, for the visually impaired, the lack of this skill is akin to being illiterate. Research indicates that blind individuals who know how to read Braille tend to achieve higher levels of education, as well as higher employment rates and incomes.
The article is available at the MSNBC Web site.
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