Debunking The Myth About Low Rates of Braille Readers

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In this story, I will discuss a research paper (Sheffield et al. 2022) that debunks the misleading, though often-quoted, statistic that only 10% of blind people in the United States read braille. This fake statistic has been repeated in academic research and in the media for decades. It is the favorite talking point for those who want to avoid producing materials in braille.

This blog post summarizes the research study. Read How Many Braille Readers Are There?

Assumptions about the low rates of braille literacy contribute to the scarcity of braille in public places. While I value Braille signs on elevators and doors, I notice the absence of Braille maps or exhibit labels and other signs in public.

Sheffield and her colleagues conducted a literature review and found that the source of this fake and misleading statistic was written over 40 years ago. They analyzed “a collection of 95 articles and manuscripts that made specific statements about the prevalence of braille readership. They found that all “identified citations used as the basis for braille literacy rates since the 1970s can be traced back to two primary sources: a National Library Service report from 1979 and the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Federal Quota data”.

These sources are problematic because they are outdated, and they were written to serve the needs of federal programs. They were not designed to collect data on braille literacy rates (Sheffield et al…