Louis Braille’s creation changed and continues to change the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. More than just a code, braille makes literacy possible for thousands of people with sight loss in Canada and around the world. And literacy is essential to economic and academic success, and social inclusion, particularly for people with print disabilities. Unfortunately, the World Braille Union estimates that 90 percent of published works are not available to people with print disabilities and calls this the “book famine”.
CELA was established to ensure that people with print disabilities have equitable access to reading materials which meet their specific needs. One of the key services we provide is access to braille materials in physical and digital formats. In late 2023, CELA launched a braille study to learn more about our users, their needs, preferences, and priorities. We believe it is essential that users have direct input into the services they receive from CELA. We will use the feedback generated from this study to inform and shape both our services going forward and the role we play as an advocate for equitable access to reading for all people with print disabilities.
The final report from the study is now available as a downloadable Word document. It summarizes the participants' answers to the survey questions, provides an overview of CELA users' impressions of our collection and provides an overview of their preferred formats and use of technology. It also outlines CELA's next steps in supporting braille readers and addressing their feedback.
We want to thank all who participated in this study and offered their time so that we can learn how to better serve our braille readers.
