Print or Braille: Decision-Making in the Choice of the Primary Literacy Medium for Pupils with a Severe Visual Impairment

The purpose of this Paper is to define those factors which have a role in determining the literacy medium for children with a severe visual impairment who retain sufficient residual vision to be able to access print in some form but for whom Braille may be considered as a more efficient medium for reading and writing. Much has been written about reading and writing in print and Braille which has implicitly reinforced the presupposition of the superior status of print. In addition, two factors have been significant in their impact on changing attitudes towards Braille as a literacy medium: first, the move from &dquo;sight-saving&dquo; to visual stimulation; and, secondly, the increasing use of technology for access to print for both low vision and blind people. These factors provide the context for an evaluation of existing guidelines which have been developed to facilitate decision-making in the choice of print or Braille as the primary literacy medium for this particular group of children. This Paper argues that certain key factors can form part of an ongoing review of an individual child’s literacy needs. It concludes that time, resources, training and funding should be made available to support an informed choice on the part of teachers, parents and children and that this should not preclude the option of using both literacy media concurrently on a sliding scale of need