Changing the Perception of Braille

I recently watched a Ted talk that focuses on the idea that how we feel about something is totally based on our perception. It seems to me that in ore for us to improve braille literacy, we are going to have to change people's perceptions. Organizations like the NFB and ACB are already doing things to help change people's attitudes towards braille, but I think we can go even further.

Many people are choosing to learn sign language because they think it's cool. So the question is how do we make braille cool? I think we have to start with children and teens. When we're younger, we tend to me more likely to accept change and set trends. With this in mind, I have a few ideas of how we can make braille cool in the eyes of our children, and if we can do that, then maybe that will translate to the adults in their life.

My first idea is making braille part of the curriculum for all children if a blind child is a part of the class. This will normalize reading braille for the child with vision problems and give the other children in his/her class the chance to learn how to communicate with their blind class mate. The sighted children don't need to learn to be proficient in braille, but they should learn enough to be able to write to their fellow class mates and take examples home to their parents.

Another possibility would be to have the blind child teach braille to their sighted peers. This provides an opportunity for the blind child to show pride in how they read and write, while bringing awareness to their fellow sighted peers. In my opinion, one of the reasons why children with disabilities are picked on is simply because their different. If children are exposed to, and taught how to communicate with their class mates who are different, they are less likely to tease.

You'll notice that in both of these suggestions, sighted children are learning braille. The reason why I think this is important is because it's a way to demonstrate to children with low vision that braille doesn't make someone blind, but in fact can be a tool for everyone. , For me, braille became cool once my sighted classmates started asking me to teach them. The day I got my first notes given to me in braille from my sighted friends was the day that I no longer felt like learning braille was a waste of my time. I think if this kind of feeling can happen for all children who are losing their sight, then braille can be something their proud of rather then something they are ashamed to use.

So what do you think of my ideas? How do you think we can change the perception of braille and increase literacy?