Is Braille Relevant in the 21st Century Workplace?

This content is also available in: Español (Spanish)

Everyone comes to vision loss with different lived experiences. Many people who become blind or low vision later in life struggle to learn braille and often are not provided with enough instruction to master it with confidence. Depending on your career, relying only on speech or screen enlargement can present barriers. For some, tactually feeling words under their fingers aids in understanding and retaining complex information.

Why Braille Matters

I’ve been asked countless times: “Why do people who are blind or low vision still need braille?” The answer is simple: literacy. To be literate, you must be able to read and write and read what you write. For someone like me, who has never had good vision and now has almost none, literacy without reading with fingertips is complicated.

Early Struggles with Literacy

In elementary school, I could read by holding books close to my face. I wrote with pencil or pen, preferring black ink for better contrast, but my handwriting was considered poor, and I couldn’t easily read what others wrote.

As the print in books got smaller, my ability to keep up diminished. By fourth grade, I relied on Talking Books for pleasure reading and only rarely had access to large print. Reading assignments became exhausting, and I often gave up. By eighth grade, I noticed teachers covered most of the textbook content in lectures, so I leaned on that rather than struggling with eye strain. My spelling declined because most of what I read was my own, error-filled writing. Looking back, my literacy was already suffering.

The College Wake-Up Call

Freshman year of college was a turning point. Professors expected me to read textbooks independently. I went from being an A/B student in high school to a C/D student in college.

An even bigger challenge came with my own notes. Preparing for final exams, I discovered I couldn’t read the cursive I had written just months earlier. I switched to printing, skipped lines, and used wide-ruled notebooks, which helped somewhat. But with only recorded textbooks and human readers available, I still couldn’t keep up. My literacy level continued to decline.

Facing Literacy Challenges at Work

Fast forward 15 years. I had completed a master’s degree and was working as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. My office had more than 100 case files spread across a four-drawer filing cabinet. I could bend close to read the top drawers, but for the bottom drawer, I had to pull out each file and hold it to my face. Not exactly efficient when someone was waiting on the phone.

At my desk, I used a video magnifier to read print…slowly, and with a headache guaranteed by the end of the day. At meetings or conferences, printed material was completely inaccessible without that magnifier.

Then came a wake-up call. At a conference, a wise colleague remarked that people with low vision who rely only on magnifiers are often “functionally illiterate.” He explained that braille provides the potential for true literacy. The comment stung, but I knew he was right. I couldn’t read or write efficiently, and I depended on others or on devices to access even basic information.

Discovery

In my 40s, I decided to learn braille. I didn’t want to be the professional who couldn’t read a meeting agenda or had to hand my phone messages to an assistant. I wanted to be literate again.

I set three goals:

To read the program at my next professional conference.

To read to my grandchildren.

To serve as a lector at church.

With help from a coworker, I learned the alphabet and contractions. I took a course in “Relevant Braille” from Hadley, and I learned to use a slate and stylus. I labeled everything, requested materials in the medium, and incorporated a refreshable display into my daily routine.

I achieved the first two goals; the third still eludes me. But literacy quickly became one of my top three employment skills, along with orientation and mobility and touch typing. Without one, the others don’t stand alone.

Research on Braille in the Workplace

Neva Fairchild’s experience isn’t unique. A 2024 study by the National Research and Training Center (NRTC) on Blindness and Low Vision found that:

66 % of employed legally blind individuals use it on the job.

52.6 % use refreshable displays.

Braille readers are employed at much higher rates than who are blind/ low vision who do not read it.

The reason is simple: literacy is still essential. Audio or electronic formats cannot always replace the efficiency of reading and writing text directly. Many job tasks such as editing, labeling, and note-taking require accurate and independent literacy.

Daily and Professional Life

Today, braille impacts both my work and home life. I label case files, prepare presentation notes, read phone messages, and jot down reminders independently. With my display, I can read documents and interact with technology more efficiently.

Think about your own devices. Do you struggle to read text on a computer, tablet, or phone? A braille display can ease eye strain and save your vision for the things you most want to see—your grandchildren playing, photos from friends, or moments around the house.

Getting Started

If you’re not a braille reader, consider times when you wished you could read something independently:

A note you wrote but couldn’t decipher later.

A workplace manual or directory.

A restaurant menu.

A printed sign.

Additionally, many workplace tasks simply require literacy. Audio or screen reader access can help, but they aren’t always efficient enough to complete tasks accurately or at the pace employers expect. Braille fills that gap. It allows you to read and edit written material directly, on paper or through a refreshable display, and gives you a reliable way to label files, jot quick notes, or track details independently. Sometimes the simplest solution, like slipping a braille note into your pocket, is the most effective way to stay organized.

Braille also extends far beyond pen and paper. If you struggle to read on your computer, phone, or tablet, connecting a display can make digital access easier and reduce eye strain. That way, you can save your usable vision for what matters most, like enjoying photos from friends or watching a grandchild take their first steps.

Conclusion

So, is braille relevant in the 21st-century workplace? Absolutely. For many of us, it’s not just relevant, it’s essential. It restores literacy, supports independence, and contributes directly to career success. If you haven’t yet explored it, consider it an investment in both your work and your life.

Resources

All About Braille a VisionAware Resource

Braille Institute — Free Programs, Classes, and More

Find Braille Courses from Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired