Louis Braille Bicentenary
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S3M-3371, in the name of Robert Brown, on the bicentenary of the birth of Louis Braille. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, inventor of the unique communication system for blind people that has been instrumental in unlocking knowledge and potential, creating opportunities and supporting independent action from the time of its invention to the present day; notes the importance of providing braille and other forms of accessible information to people with visual impairments across all sectors and in all areas of activity to create a fair and inclusive society; also notes the potential of modern technology to give full effect to Louis Braille's vision of effective communication for blind and visually impaired people, and considers that the Scottish Government has an important role as an exemplar of best practice in relation to the accessibility to visually impaired people of public services and information provision across Scotland.
I have come somewhat breathless to the chamber, as there was a slight deficiency when the text of my speech was printed out. It is not inappropriate to start by saying that, because perhaps it opens one's mind in a small way to some of the difficulties that are faced by people who cannot read speeches or have access to the written word in the normal way.
It is a great pleasure to open this debate on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille and to welcome to the gallery several members of the cross-party group on visual impairment and representatives of their supporting organisations, not least the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Scotland. It is slightly invidious to pick out particular groups, because a substantial number of smaller and larger organisations operate in the field. Some of those organisations are national and some are regional, but they all provide support, advocacy and help or self-help for people who have suffered blindness or visual impairment.
Louis Braille was born in 1809 on the outskirts of Paris, when Napoleon was Emperor of France and the influence of the French revolution, with all its good and bad effects, had swept across Europe. I imagine that there was a sense of modernity, progress and the rights of man—and, I hope, of woman—in the air at the time.
Louis Braille's father was a saddler, which is a French revolutionary-sounding type of occupation for which there is not too much call these days. Braille lost his sight completely by the age of four, following an accident involving one eye and an infection in the other—a phenomenon that is not entirely unknown. He was sponsored by a local landowner to attend the Royal Institution for Blind Youth, which was one of the first schools for the blind in the world. Even our august Royal Blind School and the various bodies to which I referred do not go back quite as far as that.
Braille found that his school taught practical skills, such as slipper making and chair caning, which were seen as useful for future careers. Again, there is perhaps not too much call for those skills now. Reading was taught using raised type, which sounds an innovatory technique for its time. When he was 12, he was introduced to the idea of using raised dots. An ex-Napoleonic soldier, Charles Barbier, visited the institution and told people there how he had invented a method of night writing for soldiers to communicate with one another at night using dots and dashes. Not for the first time, innovation was stimulated through the needs of war.
Braille spent the next few years coming up with a simpler system using six dots to represent the standard alphabet. By the time he was 15—there was obviously an element of child prodigy—he had come up with 63 ways in which to use the six-dot cells in an area no larger than a fingertip. He began teaching the system to other people and became a teacher at the institution, where he also worked on translating books into Braille. He died just short of his 43rd birthday. It was not until 1952 that his contribution was recognised by France and he was reburied in the Panthéon, the resting place for national heroes, which he rightly was by that time. Indeed, he was not just a national hero, but an international one.
Since the Braille system was invented, it has become the recognised method of communication for blind people. It has been added to for funny foreign languages with more or different letters. It is used for taking notes and for various devices such as watches, signage, sheet music and restaurant menus. I even have a business card in Braille provided by the Scottish Parliament, which is anxious to be as inclusive as possible. The Parliament is also fairly good on Braille signage. In the reception that follows the debate, we are to be entertained by young visually impaired musicians whose music sheets are in Braille, which is phenomenal.
In Scotland, the Scottish Braille Press, which was founded in 1891, provides publications in quality alternative formats such as Braille, large print and audio. The RNIB has the largest national library in the United Kingdom for the visually impaired.
It is right that we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth and his vital invention of the Braille system, which has helped to widen the lives of many visually impaired people over the years. Research has confirmed that Braille also increases their employability. However, the proposition that I put to the Parliament tonight is that Louis Braille's vision was much wider than just the Braille system, important though it is. Today, technology brings us many opportunities for better communication and opportunities to transcribe and represent books and other material in various formats. We have large print, various font sizes and more suitable colour contrasts, which, as we know from the report on the most recent elections, is important for visually impaired people. We also have audio versions, interactive materials and much more. We can access those in schools, libraries, colleges, workplaces or at home.
Braille was an innovator of his time and, if he was here today, he would be leading the right to read campaign and arguing that we should use the full potential of the technology. He would demand the immediate availability in alternative formats of curriculum materials for young learners and of books, both classic and newly written. He would work to overcome the barriers of copyright law or Government bureaucracy—I should say that the Government is represented by Mr Neil tonight. Braille would also argue that we need an inclusive vision of the rights and contribution of visually impaired people in today's world. It would be remiss of me not to remind the Minister for Housing and Communities of the campaign for a national transcription service and to ask for an update on progress on maximising national resources of material in Braille and large print and of audio versions. That is an important backdrop to the debate.
There are said to be 3 million people in the UK with visual impairment. Of them, about 20,000 can use Braille, which is not a dissimilar number to the number of Gaelic speakers. Evidence suggests that 161 million people throughout the world have a disabling visual impairment, including 6 million or more children. Sadly, fewer than 10 per cent of them receive an education. Therefore, the potential of systems such as Braille is vast, not just here, but throughout the world.
I return to Braille—the technique, rather than the man. The time may come when Braille is under threat or is no longer required because of new technology, but that has not happened yet. Even in Scotland, there are still people who can benefit from the use of Braille. It is up to the Scottish Government, public authorities and those of us in public life to ensure that best practice is adopted and used in relation to the accessibility of information, particularly information on public services throughout our country, so that this and future generations—particularly young people—are able to make the most of their lives.
Canada and Mexico have introduced Braille on their bank notes, which is both totemic and practical. If any banks survive the current financial meltdown, it would be very good indeed if Braille could be used on bank notes in the UK.
As I move towards the seven-minute mark—I am two seconds away from it—I will sum up. The issue is important. The campaigning organisations have done an awful lot to raise the profile of Braille, and this Parliament has had a number of debates about it over the years. Successive Governments have shown interest in it. Progress has been made. In recognition of the anniversary of Louis Braille's birth, let us ensure that progress continues to be made and is accelerated, particularly with regard to young people in the blind and visually impaired community, who are the future of our nation and others throughout the world.
As a vice-convener of the cross-party group on visual impairment, I congratulate its convener, Robert Brown, on securing the debate. The motion and the debate are certainly timely. I, too, welcome members of the cross-party group to the public gallery.
Throughout my time with the cross-party group, I have been fortunate enough to meet some extraordinary people who live with the pressures of being blind or visually impaired.
I am proud of the many things that Scotland has given the world, including the engineering feats of Inverclyde's own James Watt in improving the steam engine. However, we must thank the French for giving us the pasteurisation process by Louis Pasteur, the stethoscope by René La?nnec—forgive my pronunciation—and, of course, Braille, as we know it today.
It is testament to Louis Braille that his communication system has lasted as the most effective tool for blind people. As Robert Brown said, the Braille method revolutionised communication for blind people. Without it, many would lead an extremely isolated existence.
Blind from the age of 4, Louis Braille would have appreciated the difficulties of day-to-day living with no sight. As well as that, he experienced difficult social conditions and suffered severe illness for most of his life, which makes it all the more important to recognise his achievements.
The freedom and independence that the Braille system can give people with sight problems is extremely important to them. The young musicians who will be playing at the reception this evening, who use Braille to read their music, are a fine example of that. As a musician, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for someone who is blind or has a visual impairment to learn an instrument. That is difficult enough for people who have sight, but it must be so much more difficult for people who are blind or visually impaired. I recognise fully that someone who is blind or visually impaired and can play an instrument has a talent that is extremely welcome.
It is difficult for many of us to imagine the everyday difficulties that blind and visually impaired people encounter. We are lucky enough to be able to access with ease the information that we require when we require it. That is not always possible for many people in Scotland today.
The effective system that Louis Braille developed has not changed much over the years, but new technologies have kept Braille evolving with various software developments. The advent of the digital age has provided more flexibility for Braille users.
It is my view—and that of many others—that education is a basic human right for everyone, regardless of whether they are sighted, blind or visually impaired. On that basis, it is incumbent on all Governments to ensure that everyone's rights are upheld.
I know that RNIB Scotland and the Scottish Government have been working together to improve educational facilities—campaigns are on-going. There have been improvements in materials for blind and visually impaired people, but, as everyone in the chamber will be aware, there is still much to do. Progress is imperative for people of all ages with visual impairments. I look forward to noting the progress made by both RNIB Scotland and the Scottish Government on this issue and other such issues.
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. I congratulate Robert Brown on his motion to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. It is appropriate to discuss that at this time. I also congratulate on their work Robert Brown, as convener of the cross-party group on visual impairment, and the other members of the group, many of whom are in the public gallery.
The debate gives us the opportunity not only to celebrate Louis Braille's life but to consider some of the work that campaigning organisations do throughout Scotland and to reflect on action that the Scottish Government can take to improve the lives of people who are visually impaired or blind.
Just before Christmas, I attended an event in my community at which I came across a man who was active in the community and who liked to attend and participate in the various events that are organised. He recently became blind because of an accident. When I spoke to him, I was struck by how much that had affected his life. That made me reflect on what it is like for people to lose their sight or never to have had sight. We all become caught up in our own hectic lives, but when we reflect on such situations, we realise the struggles that blind and visually impaired people must face and the situations that they must overcome.
The advent of the Braille system has helped people to read, to communicate and to experience much more in life. The life of Louis Braille shows that he was used to struggling against adversity. It is obvious that he was a strong character to overcome his circumstances. Robert Brown and Stuart McMillan spoke about that. At the age of 10, Louis Braille left his village in France to go to a school in Paris, which must have been daunting and intimidating. He was determined to learn to read. The school that he attended had only 14 books with raised-type letters. He read them all, but he encountered difficulty in reading the sentences, because the letters were so large that by the time the end of the sentence was reached, it was sometimes difficult to remember what the sentence conveyed. As a result, he became determined to produce a more concise system, so he developed the coded format that we have now.
Society owes a lot to Louis Braille's work. We are glad that Scotland has a number of campaigns and campaigners who continue the work on behalf of the blind. I pay tribute to two campaigners in my constituency—Jimmy and Margaret O'Rourke—who are steadfast workers on behalf of such organisations.
As for what the Scottish Government can do, it can consider several issues. It is important to learn the lessons of the previous elections and to consider the report on them. In more than 25 years in which I have been involved in elections, several times when blind people have turned up to vote, people at polling stations and—it must be said—representatives of political parties have been unsure of how to deal with them. I am struck by how a blind or visually impaired person feels about that. Are they likely to return to vote and to participate in the democratic process? The lesson is that we must put in place the correct procedures if we are to encourage people to come and vote.
I am aware that I am running out of time, Presiding Officer, but I want to mention two further important areas: access to health and social care, including support for the Scottish vision strategy; and education and the right to learn campaign.
I welcome the motion that Robert Brown has brought to the chamber and the opportunity that it has given to celebrate Louis Braille's life. I commend the work of the many campaigners and campaigns in Scotland in taking forward that work and in trying to improve the quality of life of those who are blind and visually impaired. I am happy to support the motion.
I, too, congratulate Robert Brown on securing the debate on the bicentenary of Louis Braille and commend him on his commitment to the issue. Indeed, I commend him and other politicians for their work on our cross-party groups. Given that that work is not done on the floor of the Parliament, it is unsung and few people get to hear of it.
As Robert Brown said, Louis Braille lost his sight when he was only four. It is difficult for many of us to imagine life without sight. Undoubtedly, losing his sight so early must have been tough but, as other members have said, within 10 years the young Braille was inventing the system that is still in use today. The Braille system allows blind and partially sighted people across the world to read, write and communicate to the same level as sighted people. In 2008, almost 20,000 people in Scotland were registered as blind. There is no doubt that Braille empowers people to operate as normally as possible in their everyday lives.
David Blunkett has not yet been mentioned in the debate—I thought that previous speakers would have done so. I have always admired him for participating in our profession of politics, including at the highest level when he was a minister. He may not be a member of my party, but I admire him as a fellow politician who so competently carried out his duties with the aid of Braille. That has to be commended.
As Robert Brown said, Braille was developed almost two centuries ago. Nowadays, there is no doubt that it is not being utilised to its full effect. The frustration for blind and partially sighted people is that they continue to be disadvantaged because of the underusage of Braille and other methods that could assist them.
The RNIB briefing for the debate sets out the problems that people with sight impairments have with the health service. Problems arise for them even with simple tasks such as visiting their general practitioner surgery. For example, given that many GP surgeries use automated screen-based systems to call patients for their appointment, people with sight impairments are left unaware that they have been called. Simple measures could also be used to address the difficulties that people with sight impairments have in moving around their GP surgery.
In a recent survey of blind and partially sighted people, there were disappointing results for patients' opinions on the service that they receive from the national health service. Worryingly, 95 per cent of respondents said that their preferred and requested format had never been used in GP letters, health advice leaflets or other information that they had received. Even test results had not been issued in the requested format. The NHS states that it meets the needs of everyone, but the survey makes it clear that, in many respects, it is not meeting the needs of blind and partially sighted people.
A friend of mine who has had diabetes for many years is now—and it happened suddenly—registered as a blind person. There has been a huge increase in the number of people with diabetes and that will put extra pressure on a service that is not even able to meet present needs. The provision of Braille and other communication formats needs to be improved in future if it is to meet the needs of people with diabetes who incur blindness, in addition to addressing the needs of the blind and partially sighted.
Another problem for patients arises when they leave the GP surgery. Prescriptions are produced with print that is too small for those who are partially sighted to read, let alone those who would prefer Braille. As the RNIB mentions in its briefing, patients have taken the wrong dosage, which can have serious side effects. We are talking not only about the health service; we have to ensure that pharmacies, too, understand the communication needs of those who are blind and partially sighted.
I commend Ian Rankin for his recent launch of a campaign to make more books available to the visually impaired and to raise funds for rehousing the Scottish Braille Press. I wish him success in his efforts both to increase the use of Braille format and, as Robert Brown said, to produce more books in larger print, audio books and other materials.
The invention of a talented young man at an institute in Paris in 1821 has undoubtedly benefited the lives of millions of blind and partially sighted people for generations. However, tonight we have found that more people could benefit from the use of Braille. We are in a position to ensure that they do.
Like other members, I pay tribute to Robert Brown not just for securing this debate and making a fine speech at the start of it, but for the work that he does as the convener of the cross-party group on visual impairment and in relation to macular degeneration and related issues. He is to be commended for his work in all of those areas.
This has been a short but helpful debate; being new to my job, I found it informative. I invite Mary Scanlon to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing about some of the points she made, as I am sure that the cabinet secretary would be interested to hear about the experiences that people are having. We want to be absolutely sure that we are providing the maximum quality and range of services for people with any kind of sight impairment.
Mary Scanlon mentioned that there are 20,000 blind people in Scotland. In total, 180,000 people in Scotland are blind or visually impaired. We must try to maximise the quality and range of services that are available to those people. I take Mary Scanlon's criticisms on board, but recent developments in the health service such as the provision of free eye examinations will, in time, contribute to the prevention of some cases of blindness and enable us to treat certain kinds of blindness before it is too late. The Government and I are keen to do that.
I am particularly interested in stem cell research as a means of providing solutions not just to blindness but to some of the wider health problems that we face. I requested as part of my briefing for today's debate a note on current developments in stem cell research and on the contribution it can make to tackling the problem of blindness. Scotland is leading the way on stem cell research in that area. Along with Scottish Enterprise and the UK Stem Cell Foundation, the chief scientist office in the Scottish Government is co-funding a grant application to examine the development of safe and effective corneal stem cell transplantation. That is a welcome development. I hope that we are successful in getting funding for the project, because it could help us to make substantial progress towards preventing blindness. More important for many people, we are close to getting a cure for certain types of blindness. We want to play a part in ensuring that that becomes possible.
The project for which the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and the UK Stem Cell Foundation are seeking funding has the potential to restore sight in some people. Recent press coverage has highlighted some of the astonishing advances that have been made in medical treatment based on stem cell technology. Last week I read in the Daily Express about a lady who started to lose her sight in her 20s. As a result of stem cell technology, she has received an implant in one eye, in which she has already regained 70 per cent sight. The Government and I are keen to pursue progress in that area, as it offers the solution to the problem and is part and parcel of our wider strategy, along with the provision of Braille services.
We also fund the communication aids for language and learning—CALL—centre at the University of Edinburgh, which Robert Brown is aware of. The centre provides specialist advice, expertise and training in technology for people in schools throughout Scotland who work with children who have speech, communication and/or writing difficulties. CALL is working with Learning and Teaching Scotland to produce an online database of adapted curriculum materials. We are encouraging that development. The Scottish books for all database will be available to all schools via glow—the Scottish schools intranet—or Scran and will allow teachers to obtain adapted curriculum materials and make them available to any pupil in Scotland.
I am glad to say that we also support the Royal Blind School, which has grant funding of more than £5 million from 2008 to 2010 as a grant-aided special school in Scotland. The school teaches Braille to pupils who are not print users. It has up-to-date technology: there are computers in each classroom, and special programmes and peripherals mean that all pupils gain skills. Pupils are provided with any equipment—such as large-print materials, computers and sloping boards—that is necessary for them to access the curriculum.
I hear what the minister says about the Royal Blind School, but is there provision for children to learn Braille in each local authority in Scotland?
I do not think that there is universal provision but, through Learning and Teaching Scotland, we are trying to make more provision not only for Braille but for other learning aids in school. It is right that we do that and, I intend to look at that area once I have been in this job a wee bit longer to determine whether we can make more substantial progress. I will call on Robert Brown and the cross-party group to advise me on what some priority areas might be, in which we can try to improve the quality and range of services for blind people, including young people in school.
We all agree about the importance of independent living for all our citizens, including those who are blind or have a visual impairment, irrespective of where they work and live or any other factor. This is by no means a party-political issue. Everybody is entitled to live independently, and it is a right for every blind or visually impaired person to enjoy as far as possible the quality of life that the rest of us enjoy. That objective is clearly shared by everybody in the Parliament.
I welcome the debate. I have read a short biography of Louis Braille, which I had not done before. It was interesting indeed. He must have been a strong-willed and capable individual to achieve what he did.
I reaffirm our commitment to equality, inclusion and, particularly, the disability equality duty. We will try to deliver the best quality of service to people in Scotland who are disabled in any way. This is the first debate that I have handled as a minister, and it is a particular pleasure to participate in a debate that is of such importance to so many people.
Meeting closed at 17:33.