Focusing on Braille Readership in the United States and the Distribution of Braille Materials.
It is nigh impossible to estimate the braille-reading population in the United States. Louis Goldish has made H a couple of stabs and so have others including the Library of Congress, Division for the Blind and Physically «) Handicapped. Neither Mr. Goldish nor we have done much ' more than scratch the surface: the sources for his figures « were secondary sources, and DBPH's most recent effort in i assessing braille readership arose from a loosely constructed survey with limited objectives. If one attempts an honest estimate or projection of **] this readership by looking at a variety of national sources, one can see, I believe, that the braille reader- **] ship appears to be at a plateau in terms of numbers. -> There have been many efforts, however, to provide improved ^ reading services to braille readers, some coming from the J United States and some from other countries. It is these efforts to meet braille readers' needs that have taken up a good deal of my time in...