Des Moines Mayor to proclaim Braille Awareness Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              Contact: Shoshana Hebshi

Jan. 21, 2010                                                                                                         515-281-1338       
 Des Moines mayor to proclaim Braille Awareness Week
 
WHEN:      4 p.m., Monday, Jan. 25
WHERE:  Des Moines City Hall, 400 Robert Ray Dr.
 
DES MOINES—To make it official, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie will sign a proclamation declaring Jan. 23 to 30, 2010 as Braille Awareness Week.
 
This proclamation comes at an opportune time to promote Braille literacy. Fewer than 10 percent of blind children in the United States learn Braille, even though Braille literacy has been associated with academic and professional success.
 
"Like literacy among sighted students, Braille literacy provides full and detailed access to the written word, including spelling, punctuation and organizational structure. Children and adults with limited vision often struggle to read print when Braille can provide complete and efficient literacy," said Karen Keninger, director of the Iowa Department for the Blind and a lifelong Braille reader.
 
To highlight Braille literacy in Iowa, the Iowa Department for the Blind and the Iowa Braille School are co-hosting the Iowa Braille Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 23, which brings blind students from across the state to Des Moines for a daylong competition to test Braille comprehension and skills.
 
This year, more than a dozen students will compete in the Challenge. The highest scoring participants will head to Los Angeles for the national competition in June. Last year four Iowans went on to Los Angeles.
 
While many technological advancements have increased a blind person’s ability to communicate, such as software that can read what’s on a computer screen, talking cell phones and other gadgets, Braille literacy is still an important part of a blind person’s development. Beyond employment and academic success, Braille literacy is also linked with higher self-esteem and independence. According to the Braille Institute of America, only 30 percent of blind adults gain full-time employment, but 90 percent of those who beat the odds are Braille readers.
 
Braille, named after its creator, Louis Braille, uses a system of raised dots to form letters and words. These Braille dots are read with the fingertips and provide blind and visually impaired students a system of reading and writing independently.
 
“Braille literacy is overlooked in America,” said Gail Stricker, a librarian at the Iowa Department for the Blind’s library. “Technological advances have not replaced the need for blind and visually impaired children to learn to read and write.”
 
For more information about Braille Awareness Week, the Iowa Braille Challenge or the Iowa Department for the Blind, contact Shoshana Hebshi, communications specialist, at (515) 281-1338 or Shoshana.Hebshi@blind.state.ia.us.
 
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