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Business Management and Administration

Braille Transcriptionist

Real-Life Activities

Real-Life Communication

People who work with braille must accept that some people do not understand the needs of the visually impaired. Susan Graham says the hardest part of her job is encouraging teachers that braille is as necessary to the blind student as print is to the sighted student.

"You must be a good advocate of your skills and be able to communicate well the value of your skills to prospective employers," says Graham, a braille transcriber.

You have just accepted a job as a braille transcriptionist at a local school. You decide that your first task in your new job will be to inform the school's teachers about the importance of braille for the visually impaired. You decide to write a memo to distribute to the staff.

Here's what you would like to say about braille literacy:

  • Literacy includes reading, writing and counting.
  • All children must learn these things.
  • Literacy, successful employment, independence, intellectual freedom, personal security and equal opportunities are benefits of learning braille.
  • Learning braille leads to intellectual freedom, personal security and equal opportunities.
  • Braille is a code that is equivalent to print.
  • Braille can be used for the alphabet, numbers, musical notation, scientific equations, foreign languages and computer notations.
  • Audio tapes and computers that "speak" are good for children to access information, but these resources do not teach literacy skills.
  • Studies show that the knowledge of braille makes a visually impaired person more employable.
  • Technology will not be a substitute for these literacy skills in the workplace.
  • Braille is not that hard for young children to learn.
  • Learning braille early makes for fast and competent readers.

You need to write the memo to relay this information.