And VoicePrint Is Saluting This Pioneer In Making Media Accessible With A Week Of Special Programming
(January 11 to 16)

"We, the blind, are as indebted to Louis Braille as mankind is to Gutenberg."

-Helen Keller

Special thanks to our lead sponsor:

TD Canada Trust is a proud sponsor of VoicePrint's salute to Louis Braille's 200^th Birthday.

Listen to information on TD's accessibility features. (mp3)

Special thanks to our Silver sponsor:

Join the celebration and sponsor VoicePrint's salute to Louis Braille's 200^th Birthday

"In 1824," states the opening page of the official Braille 200 website, "a blind French man created and perfected a simple, effective and efficient system of reading and writing by touch. While many had tried before, it fell to 15-year-old Louis Braille to create something that actually met the needs of people who would use it.  In the world of vision loss, the invention of Braille must be compared to the invention of the printing press - its birth was nothing short of a revolution. Today, in the digital age, Braille is more relevant than ever, touching the lives of tens of millions of blind, deaf-blind and vision impaired people worldwide. Available in virtually every language, Braille provides endless possibilities for education, achievement and independence through literacy."

It's this incredible legacy that VoicePrint, another pioneer in giving those with vision loss independent access to information, is saluting through an engaging series of special programs early in 2009 as part of a worldwide salute marking the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille.

"We're proud to offer this commemorative week of programming that, of course, is of particular interest to blind, vision-impaired and other print-restricted Canadians," says VoicePrint Operations Director, Arlene Patterson. "And also will capture the interest of all Canadians."

VoicePrint's Upcoming Tribute To Louis Braille: Programming Line-up

All times local - across all time zones.

For more information on our four regional channels, visit our Multiplex webpage.

Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. Contact Interview with C. Michael Mellor, author of the book, Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius. A blind man from a farm village family, away at school, devises a code that revolutionizes communication for other blind people. No one at the time could have comprehended the significance of Louis Braille's work. Mellor talks about Louis Braille, the person: a fragile life but with a steel unending commitment to improve the lot of the lives of those born blind or vision-impaired. Mellor makes the case that not only did Louis Braille improve the lives of many people, but he also made his own place in history.

>> Listen to an excerpt from this interview with C. Michael Mellor.

Monday, January 12, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. (repeated at 6:00 p.m.)  A re-broadcast of our Braille Documentary , featuring Peter Osborne, head of the Library and Production Services of the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the United Kingdom. Osborne discusses Braille, its continued usefulness and the ongoing effort to keep Louis Braille's contribution to the world relevant.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. (repeated at 6:00 p.m.) An interview with a representative of The Accessible Channel (TAC). Launched on December 3, 2008, TAC is a national descriptive, closed-captioned HD digital TV specialty service for the vision impaired and hearing impaired that is inclusive for the whole family. 

Following this interview is a special presentation of Young Heroes: Louis Braille, described by AudioVision Canada.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. (repeated at 6:00 p.m.) An interview with Polly Abbott, manager of Adult rehabilitation services at the Guild for The Blind in Chicago, Illinois. A presenter at the 2008 CNIB Braille conference, Ms. Abbott discusses the challenges and successful techniques in teaching Braille to older adults and students. How do you keep Braille interesting? What are the reasons for the initial reluctance in learning Braille? How does learning Braille help these students in the 21^st century when technology is continuously evolving?

>>  Listen to an excerpt from this interview Polly Abbott.

Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. (repeated at 6:00 p.m.)
Interviews with Dr. Myra Rodriguez and Dr. Alex Shaw. We begin with an interview with Dr. Rodriguez, who was one of three people involved in the development of a new version of the Canadian Braille textbook. VoicePrint asks: Why was a new version necessary? What is involved in the development of a new Braille textbook? How is this version different from the previous textbook? In the second half of the program, VoicePrint presents an interview with Dr. Shaw, Senior Researcher at the CNIB in Toronto. Shaw discusses the results of the CNIB's recent research on hand movement while reading Braille. Are there distinct hand movements while reading Braille? What does this mean for Braille readers?  

>>  Listen to an excerpt from this interview Dr. Rodriguez.

>>  Listen to an excerpt from this interview Dr. Shaw.

Following this interview will be an interview with Betty Nobel, Department Head of the Vancouver Community College Program for the Vision Impaired. Nobel, who is also a Board Director of TAC, talks to VoicePrint about a conference that will take place in France, examining the uses of Braille on an international level.

>>  Listen to an excerpt from this interview with Betty Nobel.

What is the future of Braille and how might it still remain relevant in the digital age? Nobel offers her perspective on this interesting question and how Braille has made a difference in her life.

Friday, January 16, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. (repeated at 6:00 p.m.) An interview with John Godber, Head of Products and Publications of the Royal National Institute of Blind People or RNIB in Great Britain (and a Braille user himself). Despite the impact of Braille on the world and the fact that Braille is translated into 35 different languages, the number of blind and vision-impaired individuals using the language is decreasing. A hundred and eight-eight years after Braille was first developed, does it still have a future? Is it still relevant in the digital age? Tune in and find out.

>>  Listen to an excerpt from this interview with Dr. John Godber.   

This interview will be followed by readings of stories written by Braille users, featured on the Braille 200 website

For more information on the Louis Braille celebrations, visit: www.braille200.ca. Braille 200 is the Canadian banner for special events planned and organized by the World Braille Foundation in cooperation with CNIB, the World Blind Union, the Canadian Braille Authority and other literacy groups in Canada. Activities are planned across Canada, including conferences, dedicated scholarships, and awareness and advocacy events.

This Special Programming is brought to you in part by:

Listen to our Braille Documentary (one-hour long) today on our online audio archive:

Part one - Braille Documentary

Part two - Braille Documentary

Part three - Braille Documentary

Part four - Braille Documentary