Capitol to host Braille exhibit

From http://www.theolympian.com/2010/02/23/1149241/capitol-to-host-braille-exhibit.html

A traveling display highlighting Louis Braille will be featured in Olympia in March. The 20-panel display will take viewers through the highlights of Braille’s life, the braille production process, and why this form of reading remains important today.

The exhibit was produced by the National Braille Press. It is sponsored by the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), Washington State Library and Washington State Heritage Center.

“This exhibit is a great opportunity to celebrate Louis Braille’s extraordinary life and learn how his reading system made it possible for blind and visually impaired people to enjoy literature,” said Secretary of State Sam Reed in a prepared statement.

The exhibit will be shown March 1-15 on the third floor of the Legislative Building.

“I think my main hope for what people take away from visiting the exhibit is to recognize the importance and value that braille plays in the everyday life of blind people,” said Danielle Miller, program manager for WTBBL, which is part of the Washington State Library in the Office of Secretary of State.

On Tuesday (March 2), the library will have a table next to the exhibit where WTBBL staff will have examples of materials in braille, as well as braille fortune cookies. There also will be blind volunteers who can braille names or phrases for people who visit the table. A special event honoring Louis Braille and his reading invention will take place that day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with state legislators and the public invited. Secretary Reed will be among the speakers at a 12:30 p.m. ceremony recognizing the exhibit.

“Louis Braille’s invention made literacy possible for millions of people around the world,” Miller said. “He provided blind people with an important gift that allows them to read, write and stay more connected with the world around them. Unfortunately, there has been a decrease in the number of blind individuals who learn braille, partly due to fewer teachers and an increase in text-to-speech technology. This exhibit is a reminder of how important a role that braille can play in the lives of the blind or visually impaired.” Louis Braille was born in France on January 4, 1809. He became blind at age 3 when he accidently stabbed himself in one eye with a tool and got an infection. The other eye went blind when the infection spread.

The bright, creative student earned a scholarship to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris. At 15, he devised what is now known as braille, widely used by blind and visually impaired people for reading and writing. Braille is read by passing the fingers over characters made up of an arrangement of one to six embossed points. It has been adapted to almost every known language, as well as music, mathematics and science.