Have Braille readers always represented such a small percentage of the visually impaired population?
As the demographics of the country have changed, so have the demographics of the visually impaired community. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 12.1% of people over the age of 65 have a visual impairment. Consequently, with the growth of the over 65 population, there has been a significant jump in the number of visually impaired seniors. These persons are the least likely to learn Braille. Among the under 65, there are also more non-Braille readers. This can be attributed to the mainstreaming of visually impaired students within our education system and to improvements in voice generation technology and audio technology. Also, with improved medical care, those who have a slight visual impairment at a young age are now able to maintain the majority of their vision into adulthood. Unfortunately, they often find Braille difficult to learn as an adult.
