A Braille expert, Opeolu Akinola, has debunked the theory that technological innovations centred around reading and writing migh displace the Braille.

Mr Akinola, a Lagos-based computer tutor, Braille expert and provider of assistive technologies for the blind, said this during an interview in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday.

Braille is a form of written language for the blind, in which characters are represented by patterns of raised dots that are felt with the fingertips.

Mr Akinola said that digital and audio inventions, such as the Job Access With Speech (JAWS) and other variants, cannot displace Braille due to its uniqueness.

He stated, “Yes, the fact that sighted people use computers to read and write, or even listen to audio materials, does not stop them from using the pen and paper because both are still intuitive.

“You find many computer specialists first writing with pen and paper before they even go on the computer. So, the same thing goes for the Braille system because it is a more intuitive way of writing and reading than using a computer.

“Apart from that, what happens to people who depend on audio and digital is that they miss out on spellings and being able to know punctuations correctly.

“Also, such people lack the understanding of formatting, paragraphing and others, which are all very important in literacy.”

Mr Akinola said that though Braille was quite large in size, because one print page might be equivalent to three Braille pages during transcription, it has also gone digital.

“Braille might be a big material to carry; however, it has also gone digital with refreshable braille devices. I mean a device that is about the size of a mobile phone that you can store thousands of books in.

“At that level, it can compete with any other form of writing and reading system in the digital world. Hence, the introduction of digital Braille is as current as any other literary form,” Mr Akinola said.

The visually impaired information communication technologist further explained that files could be easily exchanged via the digital Braille device in real-time, without stress for the blind user.

“That is, the print file could be exchanged into the Braille form,” he said.

According to the expert, the device has simplified the task of visually impaired broadcasters, who must meet listeners’ demand for up-to-date information on global events.

Corroborating Mr Akinola’s submission, a US-based Nigerian lecturer, Akinbode Olaoye, posited that the Braille system would remain relevant as long as humanity existed.

Mr Olaoye, who specialises in teaching visually impaired persons, said they would, at their early stages of education, particularly require braille for effective mastery.

“Children in their elementary years in school will definitely need braille to cope in their education. As part of my contributions to making writing and reading easier for the visually impaired persons, I have developed a simpler means of reading and writing Braille in the Yoruba Language.

“Before my discovery, the codes made to represent each letter in the Yoruba Language were too large. Through my discovery, the codes are now reduced and simpler to read. My new modification is, however, still awaiting approval by the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC),” Mr Olaoye said.

January 4 is designated annually as World Braille Day to celebrate Louis Braille, a French blind man who invented the writing and reading system. 

(NAN)