By Gbenga Ogundare
As persons with visual disability around the world marked the International Braille Day on January 4, a coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) providing services to blind persons has expressed worries over the drop in Braille literacy among blind students and teachers in Nigeria.
The group, which comprises the Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB), Disability Awareness and Development Initiative (DADI), TBliss and Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind (ANWAB), also decried the dearth of brailling devices and resources in private and public academic institutions.
It urged state and non-state actors to sponsor and support the skills and devices needed for Braille literacy to take a foothold among the blind at every academic level.
The coalition expressed the concerns as part of activities organised to commemorate the World Braille Day 2022 at the Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind in Lagos.
benefits of digital technology in terms of literary braille, mathematics codes, scientific notations and the ability to interpret from print to Braille.
“That’s why we are encouraging the schools to upgrade the skills of teachers of Braille so that they understand the UEBC and also teach their students.
“This is to enable the students have equal access to resources that can be read through braille in print and digital.”