By Jessica Easthope
Skylar Covich can’t convince everyone that it’s necessary to learn Braille, even in the midst of a Braille literacy crisis.
“There is still this push to do everything with audio and not always push people to take all the options that they have so that is one worry about Braille declining,” he said.
Skylar is a technology program lead at the Braille Institute of America in southern California. He was born blind and learned Braille when he was 5.
“Not only for reading books, but for being able to make presentations, a lot easier, participate in Church life a lot easier, lectoring having words of musical notation at your fingertips to sing in the choir. I’ve done both of those things or whatever other part of life you’re in, it’s an important skill to have,” said Skylar.
There’s not one reason that points to why Braille is becoming less common. Braille is expensive to manufacture, the books are long and heavy. Technological advances like audio guides and screen readers have made not learning Braille an easy choice for nearly 90% of blind children according to the National Federation of the Blind.
Skylar serves on the board of trustees for Xavier Society for the Blind in Manhattan. The society ships Catholic faith materials in Braille, audio books, and large print to about 2,400 people across 20 countries for free every year.
“People go to church and they take for granted that the missalette will be right there in the pew for use for them to use during Mass. That’s not available for people who are blind and other types of technology don’t really lend themselves to doing that,” said Executive Director Malachy Fallon.
Fallon says promoting Braille literacy to those who would benefit from it is stamped into their Catholic identity.
“It’s a debate that’s been ongoing, because of advances and technology. There’s also a school of thought that thinks young children and individuals who are blind from birth, should be learning Braille because it helps with their intellectual development, with their comprehension and retention,” said Fallon.
As a kid, signage, reading comprehension, and retention are some of the reasons Skylar was thankful he learned, now as an adult his reasons have changed.
“Reading to my son, he’s 2 years old, we have board books, including a couple of Catholic ones and he’s just so excited that I can read out loud. He can see perfectly well, but he’ll put his finger on the page and say that’s Braille and that really makes me happy,” he said.
Technology and devices like e-readers and refreshable Braille machines have also helped steer many blind people toward Braille. For those who read Braille and those who don’t, the key is access.