If Only I Had Braille…

by Cricket Bidleman and Gary Wunder

We shared a Facebook post by the American Action Fund and solicited responses from our membership. The request was: Will you finish this sentence for us? If only I had Braille...

These are some of the answers we received, along with our responses. Please note that some comments have been abridged for clarity and length.

Statement: I could thaw what I intend to thaw and make dinner by putting labels that would stay on bags in the freezer.

Reply: One of the things we do for blind people is help from having to reinvent the wheel each time one of us has a problem. For example, someone replied suggesting using reusable labels with rubber bands around the freezer bags. We also have Braille label-makers and such in the Independence Market. Some people choose to organize their freezers in a certain way so that they know approximately where everything is.

Statement: We could create and make available jobs for the blind.

Reply: Some workshops for the blind are criticized because they have contracts requiring reading print shipping labels. Braille on the print labels would make these jobs doable regardless of vision. Some jobs these days require driver’s licenses, or other things that blind people just can’t do or don’t have. These are forms of discrimination, but with the proper accommodations, blind people can do anything.

Statement: I would order something other than burgers at restaurants.

Reply: Places of public accommodation (including restaurants) can provide reasonable accommodation, such as having someone read menus. They aren’t required to have Braille, although it would be ideal. Some that don’t have Braille use QR codes that take blind patrons’ smartphones to what we hope are accessible websites. Of course, this assumes that we know where the codes are and how to make them work. If we aren’t told that QR codes are available, we are forced to ask someone to read the menu.

We had some comments talking about the difficulties that people with low-vision face when learning to read. It’s certainly true that others have different standards for people with different levels of blindness. Or at least, that’s how they view it. Perhaps there’s some denial of the fact that vision can change at any time. But we all need the skills to be independent in all situations. This is why we must press hard for the early learning of Braille. As Amy Porterfield said, “Eyesight may change, but empowerment is forever.”

Statement: Braille clothing tags would be nice to have.

Reply: Independently finding clothing of proper sizes and colors while shopping would be a fantastic advancement. Many of us who label other items are not nearly as consistent with sewing labels into our clothing. What information would be most helpful on clothing labels? What about when clothing has patterns? How have others resolved this problem?

Statement: If I had Braille in the places where sighted people had print, or an app that translated print signs to Braille, then I could window-shop alone in huge, echoing shopping malls where I've never been before. I could go into a bookshop and buy a physical book or read reference books in the reading room of a library.

Reply: We have both been totally blind since birth and have never just browsed through stores at our own pace. Most trips to the mall have been made with specific purchases in mind. Gary’s wife has always been blind, but until recently she had enough vision to read signage and labels. Now that she has lost all of her vision, shopping is not the pleasure it once was. It doesn’t matter that she can hire someone to read; she either feels pressured to make quick decisions or that she is wasting money by asking for the same kind of information she used to get independently. While she still shops, she considers the lack of independence one of the inconveniences of being totally blind. It is no longer an enjoyable recreational activity.

Statement: If only I had Braille, reading cooking instructions on boxes would be so much easier.

Reply: Amen! With all the tips and tricks we can provide that will make labeling easier, it’s hard to swallow the idea that sighted people take print labels for granted. Would Braille serve as well as we think on small boxes or on products with complicated cooking instructions? Maybe what we really want is technology that reads labels, goes to a database, and produces those instructions on Braille paper or on refreshable Braille displays.

Statement: If I had Braille, appliances would be so much easier to use instead of having to label everything.

Reply: Appliances pose two problems: reading operating instructions and labeling the controls to do so. With a refreshable Braille display, reasonably good web skills, and the luck to encounter a website that is truly usable with the screen reader, instructions can be a breeze. Unfortunately, instructions rely more and more on pictures than on readable text. Labeling appliances is increasingly difficult with the popularity of touchscreens. Certain types of touchscreens can be impossible for blind people to use. iPhones with Braille but without screen-reading software would be of no use to blind users since the screens are touch-sensitive but not pressure-sensitive. Our tried-and-true techniques have tremendous value, but we must always be innovative to keep up with today’s technology.

Statement: If only I had Braille at a younger age, I believe I would be further along than I am today!

Reply: This is true for many blind people, and is what drives our education programs and initiatives like our NFB BELL® Academy, and our continued advocacy. We may not be able to change the opportunities you had, but we can use your love, hope, and determination to create better futures for young blind people. Your story, heart, and willingness to help means that fewer of us will have to make these reflections in the future.

Statement: If I had Braille, I would have access to the known universe and all of its knowledge.

Reply: As tragic as the lack of Braille skills is, we can acquire knowledge in other ways. Dr. Jernigan wrote an article about one summer vacation in which he had only one Braille magazine. He apportioned how much he would read each day so that the next day or week would hold something special for him to read. We have gotten beyond this rationing of material. For many of us what we must decide is where to focus our energy. In conversations with people about working as a computer programmer, Gary would ask them to be specific about what they wanted to learn about computers. Their answer was often that they wanted to learn everything. No one specialized in both hardware and software. No one had a complete mastery of either. The field is too vast. The same holds true for the universe, which is constantly developing. The absence of Braille has created unnecessary difficulty for some of us, but we live in a golden time for acquiring information and incorporating Braille in the process.

Finally, we had some comments talking about blind people being relegated to learning audibly, whether via audio books or live readers. One person asserted that they would be a much better writer/speller if they had learned Braille, and while modern technology like smart-speakers can help with that, we don’t think there’s truly a replacement for Braille. Additionally, hiring readers costs more than having books or files that can be read by many. In the end, learning Braille gives us choices. Do we like audio books or hardcopies or electronic files? Do we like board games that are already accessible or coming up with creative solutions? The answers won’t be the same for everyone, but if we all learn Braille, then we will be able to choose. This is why our advocacy work is so essential.