Tactile Sensitivity and Braille Reading in People with Early Blindness and Late Blindness

TLDR

The inability to read quickly can be a disadvantage throughout life. The study examined how age at onset of blindness, years of braille reading, and tactile sensitivity influence braille reading fluency. Nine early‑blind and ten late‑blind participants had their word‑recognition accuracy, braille reading speed, and tactile sensitivity measured. Age at onset of blindness is strongly negatively correlated with braille reading speed (r = −0.68, p < .005), whereas tactile sensitivity shows no significant association after controlling for onset age, indicating that earlier onset is a key determinant of braille fluency.

Abstract

Introduction The inability to read quickly can be a disadvantage throughout life. This study focused on the associations of braille reading fluency and individual factors, such as the age at onset of blindness and number of years reading braille, and the tactile sensitivity of people with early and late blindness. The relationship between reading speed and these other factors was examined to identify factors that influence reading speed. Methods Nine people with early blindness and 10 people with late blindness participated in this study, which included the measurement of accuracy of word recognition, braille reading speed, and tactile sensitivity. Results We found a significant partial correlation between reading speed and the age at onset of blindness, controlling for number of years reading braille ( r = −0.68, p &lt; .005), and no significant partial correlation between tactile sensitivity and reading speed after controlling for the age at onset of blindness ( r = −0.08, ns). Discussion A direct relationship between reading speed and tactile sensitivity was not confirmed, and the age at onset of blindness appears not only to mediate the relationship between reading speed and tactile sensitivity but also may be a crucial factor influencing braille reading fluency. Implications for practitioners Our results suggested that a crucial factor that influences braille reading fluency was the age at onset of blindness, and that individuals should begin learning braille as early as possible.