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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 1653

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE RESOLUTION

No. 295 Session of 2007


        INTRODUCED BY BELFANTI, DiGIROLAMO, SHIMKUS, BLACKWELL, RAMALEY,
           SIPTROTH, GALLOWAY, CAPPELLI, MANN, BAKER, BISHOP, BOBACK,
           CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, CREIGHTON, DENLINGER, DONATUCCI,
           FABRIZIO, GEIST, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GRUCELA, HENNESSEY,
           HERSHEY, HESS, KILLION, KIRKLAND, MAJOR, MANTZ, MARKOSEK,
           McILHATTAN, R. MILLER, MUSTIO, M. O'BRIEN, O'NEILL, PALLONE,
           PAYNE, RAPP, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO,
           SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SONNEY, STABACK, VULAKOVICH, WALKO,
           WOJNAROSKI, MILLARD, MICOZZIE, PYLE AND MOYER, MAY 23, 2007

        INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
           MAY 23, 2007

                                  A RESOLUTION

     1  Designating May 22, 2007, as "Braille Literacy Awareness Day" in
     2     Pennsylvania.

     3     WHEREAS, Braille, the language system of raised dots, is a
     4  truly successful medium of literacy, as it empowers blind and
     5  visually impaired members of our communities to effectively and
     6  efficiently read and write; and
     7     WHEREAS, The inventor of this system, Louis Braille, was born
     8  in 1809 and lost his vision at an early age due to complications
     9  from an accidental eye injury; and
    10     WHEREAS, Louis Braille's education consisted of lectures and
    11  a limited number of books with oversized, raised print, but as
    12  an intelligent and creative student, he sought alternative
    13  methods to learn and express himself; and
    14     WHEREAS, By the age of 15, Louis Braille adapted a

     1  complicated system of raised marks, first used in battlefield
     2  communications and called night writing, into an easier-to-use
     3  language of raised dots, each representing a letter of the
     4  alphabet; and
     5     WHEREAS, Louis Braille's system of writing allowed books for
     6  the blind to contain more characters and to maintain more
     7  compact sizes; and
     8     WHEREAS, Later in life, Louis Braille developed Braille
     9  representations for music and mathematics; and
    10     WHEREAS, Louis Braille's system has been changed little and
    11  still consists of letters represented by cells of no more than
    12  six dots, punctuation and contractions to speed reading and
    13  writing; and
    14     WHEREAS, Although the usefulness of Braille was recognized,
    15  it was not widely accepted until 1868, when it was publicized
    16  and taught by a group that became known as the British Royal
    17  Institute for the Blind; and
    18     WHEREAS, It was not until the 20th century that Braille
    19  become the official method of reading and writing for blind
    20  citizens in the United States; and
    21     WHEREAS, While Braille can be written by utilizing a stylus
    22  tool to punch characters into heavy papers, advances in
    23  technology have allowed for Braille typewriters and computer
    24  attachments; and
    25     WHEREAS, Additional advances in technology have brought about
    26  alternative methods for blind and visually impaired persons to
    27  read and write, yet Braille continues to be used and taught in
    28  the United States; and
    29     WHEREAS, The are approximately 1.3 million legally blind
    30  citizens in the United States; and
    20070H0295R1653                  - 2 -     

     1     WHEREAS, Research estimates that 40% of all blind individuals
     2  in the United States can use Braille and that only 32% of all
     3  blind individuals are employed; and
     4     WHEREAS, Statistics show that the ability to read Braille
     5  provides a clear advantage in employment and self-sufficiency of
     6  blind individuals, as 85% of the number of blind persons who can
     7  read Braille are employed; and
     8     WHEREAS, Blind children who learn to use Braille often excel
     9  in schools, many alongside sighted children, and possess the
    10  ability to gain employment and live independently; and
    11     WHEREAS, Approximately 5,500 legally blind children in the
    12  United States read Braille today; and
    13     WHEREAS, Braille literacy has proven to aid blind children
    14  and adults in maintaining autonomous roles in our communities;
    15  and
    16     WHEREAS, Braille literacy continues to empower blind
    17  individuals to develop living skills and advance academically,
    18  creatively, socially and economically; therefore be it
    19     RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives support the
    20  teaching and use of Braille and designate May 22, 2007, as
    21  "Braille Literacy Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania.






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