Media and information literacy starts with access — and access should mean independence.
Every day, people read information on screens, signs, packaging, labels, public notices and documents. They can check a detail, return to a sentence, compare information and decide what matters to them.
Blind people need that same freedom: to access written information directly, independently and at the moment we need it.
Braille makes this possible. On paper, on everyday objects and through digital technology, it gives us direct access to the written word. We can check the spelling of a name, read instructions, identify a product or consult our notes without having to ask someone else to read for us. We choose what to read, when to read it and what to keep private.
This independence is an essential part of media and information literacy. To question, evaluate and contribute to information, we must first have meaningful access to it. Braille literacy gives blind people a strong foundation for learning, critical thinking, self-expression and informed participation in society.
The Global Declaration on Braille Literacy in Education calls attention to the importance of braille literacy. This Global Media and Information Literacy Week, let us carry that call into classrooms, libraries, workplaces, public spaces and digital services. Educators, publishers, public authorities and technology providers all have a role in making braille part of everyday access to information.
For sighted people, finding written information is an ordinary experience. For us as braille readers, finding an important piece of information in braille, exactly where it helps us, can still be a moment of surprise and joy.
That joy says something about how much independence braille brings — and how rarely we are given it.
As long as we can still list the situations and places where braille is available, there is still too little of it.
#MoreBrailleMoreEmpowerment #Braille #MediaAndInformationLiteracy #Accessibility