During the focus of trying to impact communities and others with the ability to read and write we constantly forget about a small population that needs help just like all the others. The visually impaired or as many know them those who are blind. For our Literacy Campaign Report, we have decided to choose this population because it is one that many organizations, readers and campaigns tend to forget about. Our main goal is to help others understand the importance that this population has and how they should have alternatives such as braille, audio books, electronic tapes and others.

According to the American Foundation for the Blind, every seven minutes someone in America becomes blind or visually impaired, almost 8 million of Americans are impaired with reading, followed with having difficulties with writing. We seek to fix this problem by providing as much importance to them as we do to offer those who can see. An alternative can be to search for donations and assign the exact budget for books for the blind as much as we are willing to donate to those who can see. Also, opening websites where the visually impaired can navigate thru with help from an adult. Imagine, an online library where people can just listen to any story that they want to choose. Opening the doors to the blind or visually impaired is much more than just learning how to read and write in their own way. It’s creating opportunities for all those 8 million of Americans. For example, during elections instead of making papers for those who can see and understand a written paper clearly, we can include a specific type of braille that will help them choose the candidate that they desire or have someone help them verbally with making the choice.

Our campaign is important because in America were based off an increasing amount of literacy. We feel that the people whom suffer from seeing abilities should also be able to use literacy or have the tools to aid them. We believe that as technology advancing so should it for the visually impaired. Since our system is based on strict literacy practices it would only be fair if it was strictly implicated for the visually impaired meaning, if there is something is implicated in classrooms for people who aren’t impaired that same thing should be implicated for a person who isn’t able to see.

Braille is a form of written language that consists of dots that rise above the page, and forms a pattern that can felt with the fingertips. Braille was created by a Frenchman named Louis Braille he created this written language due to losing his eyesight at the age of 15. Braille is the written language most visually impaired people use in order to understand literacy. Another form that helps aid blind people would be spoken word attachable. This gives blind people the opportunity to hear exactly what is being read to them. A lot of people with disabilities do not like to let their disabilities take over them.

One personal connection to the visually impaired would be Porshe Maysonet Grandfather, Mr. Haygood. He lost vision completely in one eye socket in during his late 20’s. At the age of 87, he is now completely blind. Mr. Haygood has problems with literacy more than ever because he can only see big words, shapes, and figures. He wasn’t always completely impaired but, through the past years he had to relearn literacy as a blind man. Even though he struggles still to this day because braille isn’t implicated in every place but literacy is, he puts his best effort in learning as much as he can. Porshe Maysonet’s Grandfather had to buy mostly everything in his house over to aid him with his disability. His struggles lead him to need personal aid and shortly after we had to move him into an old folk’s home.

Another testimony would be another gentleman by the name of Wally who lost his vision in a car accident. Wally was 34 when he went completely blind. Wally explained all the feelings he felt. Wally didn’t let his inability to defeat him. He not only didn’t let that defeat him but he continued his dream of opening up his own business. He came to turns with his disability and made sure that even though he was at a disadvantage it wouldn’t stop him from doing great things. He also talked about the transition from having good eye sight to not having any at all. As a society we make it a priority to make sure that we cater to the disadvantaged. We solely focus on literacy for those who can read or write but forget about others that cant. “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” –Helen Keller

Wally story video