Miami, FL. Public venues in the United States where Spanish speakers account for a significant (read: greater than 25%) portion of the population, still have no representation within the Braille system. Take Miami, Florida, for example. Even in 2006, only 18.5% of the population was composed of non-Hispanic whites, according the Census Bureau. It doesn't take a sociology professor to see the trending exodus being homogeneously replaced by Spanish speakers.
Why is it, then, that the blind population still receives the English treatment? They are living in a predominantly Spanish-speaking population where shop owners and employees alike find difficulties when they don't know Spanish, leaning on friends to translate. And yet the blind Braille system only caters to English speakers. Why haven't their voices been heard?
Grocery stores, airports, hotels, public markets and so forth even in the suburban regions have bilingual signs. But when it comes to emergency exit information and restroom signs - the bare minimum of information to provide - only the English version is available in Braille. The National Braille Association (NBA) has simplified and streamlined its formats in annually updated guidelines. Spanish introduces a mere 7 symbols from the English braille, 5 of which are the vowels with acute marks. It couldn't be a more painless addendum to signage and a more important agenda to tackle as a community invested in the constituents.
Time for representation. Hold your public servants responsible for serving the public.
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