According to the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB):
Every seven minutes someone in America
will become blind or visually impaired.
It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans are legally blind. Several state and federal laws have been enacted that require schools, businesses, and government agencies to provide certain written material in accessible formats for the blind. Even with advances in technology, braille is considered a valuable alternate format for those who have learned it.
As explained by the International Braille Research Center on their website:
Braille is the only reliable method
of literacy for blind persons...
"...because it enables them to read and write and can actually be substituted for print in most circumstances. Blind persons of all ages and in all walks of life use Braille in the same ways that sighted persons use print."
