CUMBERLAND — As technology continues to advance and means of transferring the printed word to audible form are further developed, the use of Braille by the visually impaired has declined severely.

The National Federation of the Blind said that only 10 percent of blind people today read Braille. The federation also emphasized the importance of being able to read Braille in finding a job, saying that 80 percent of employed blind individuals can read Braille.

Roger Williamson, head of the Rehabilitation Department at Blind Industries in Cumberland, attributes the decline to technological advances that have made teaching Braille less of a necessity.

“The problem with Braille usage is that Braille is not taught to the degree that it once was because of screen readers and other formats that allow people to hear things that are usually in text or print,” said Williamson.

“Older people who went to residential schools are Braille readers, but younger people have not been exposed to it to the degree that they once were,” added Williamson. “Younger people who are blind now for the most part attend regular schools and it just isn't given the emphasis that it once was.”

Williamson said that the decline started around the 1970s because residential schools began to accept students with disabilities other than blindness. Students who were only blind and had no other disabilities began to attend regular schools. Braille teachers also started becoming more scarce as the language began to be viewed as less essential.

“That absolutely is a problem,” said Williamson. “If I read something in Braille and you read it in print, we'd both be able to get a better idea of its content. Reading in Braille or print helps people learn how to write better and how to form sentences and I don't think that people get that if they're not able to read something in Braille.”

Williamson agrees that Braille is vital for blind people seeking employment.

“It is important for keeping track of data. It's an easier way of handling it rather than with a computer and a screen reader,” said Williamson. “It's very important, I think.”

Blind Industries, which employs blind people in a variety of manufacturing and instructional positions, is a nonprofit organization that has existed for more than 200 years and has had a Cumberland plant for more than 40 years. The Cumberland plant employs 70-plus people, around 40 of which are blind.

Williamson said that while knowledge of Braille is important for blind people seeking traditional employment, it is not necessary for employment with Blind Industries.

“People who work at Blind Industries don't need to be able to read Braille unless they're in the instructional area,” said Williamson. “Most of the work that is done by the employees at most of our plants is of a manufacturing nature, for instance the Cumberland plant does mostly sewing.”

Williamson’s wife, Debra Williamson, is blind and relies on Braille in her everyday life.

“It's very important to me because it's a way that I can write things down for myself,” said Debra Williamson. “It's a way for me to label items. There are ways, but it isn't all that easy to come up with a way to label the spices in my kitchen in an audible way for instance. (Braille’s) a way of life; I can't imagine living without it.”

Debra Williamson said that Braille isn’t necessarily more difficult to learn than the standard printed language. She also said that she doesn’t believe that Braille materials are prohibitively expensive.

“It's probably less true that Braille materials are more expensive than in the past because computers and electronic Braille printers have allowed us to be able to do what in years past we couldn't even come close to doing,” said Debra Williamson. “When I was a child and going to school, all the Braille books were produced in one or two places around the country using big machines. Today I can download a book and Braille it out myself.

“It'll take more pages and paper because the letters have to fit under the finger so you can feel them, but I think it's probably less expensive today than it ever has been and certainly more widely available because of the electronic age that we're in,” she added.

Cory Galliher can be reached at Contact Cory Galliher at cgalliher@times-news.com.