Santa Clause knows Braille? You bet!
It’s that special time of year — the bite of winter is in the air, decorations are being hung, and children around the world are getting ready to write their letters to Santa Clause. Historically, this may have excluded children who use Braille, but now they can join in the tradition and excitement.
Approximately 10% of legally blind people in the United States, or 130,000 people, are able to read and write Braille. The Braille system uses raised dots that represent characters like letters, numbers, punctuation, and more. Not only can Braille be read on paper, but it can also be read digitally with refreshable Braille displays and with the help of portable assistive devices that can even print Braille embossed paper.
If you have a child who is blind or know one that would love to receive a letter in Braille from Santa himself, Santa has elves on standby with a number of organizations we’ve listed below that will help distribute letters to and from the North Pole.
Get your requests in by these dates
Submit requests by December 11, 2018
Canada Post
Canada Post has been helping Santa with his mail since 1981 more than 27.8 million letters, in 39 languages, including Braille.
Submit Requests by December 14, 2018
National Federation of the Blind (NFB) (USA)
The staff at NFB were made honorary elves by Santa Clause to help him with distributing Braille letters to boys and girls across the country. Additionally, this organization will provide a print letter so that parents who don’t read Braille can also follow along, as well as a tactile coloring sheet.
RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) (UK)
Elves at the RNIB are prepared to send children in the UK letters from Santa in both English and Welsh. Be sure to include in your request:
- The child's name, age and postal address
- Your contact telephone number
Reply formats include uncontracted Braille (grade 1), contracted Braille (grade 2), large print (please specify the font size), or audio CD.
Santa Replies in Large Print and Braille in Australia
For Replies in Braille:
- Include the full name and return address of each child on the back of their envelope
- Check that their letter has a 65 cent stamp on it
- Send their letters to: Letters from Santa (Braille) PO Box 176 Burwood, NSW 1805
- Or drop into Vision Australia’s offices located in Coorparoo (Queensland), Parramatta (New South Wales) or Kooyong (Victoria)
For Large Print:
- Include the full name and return address of each child on the back of their envelope
- Check that their letter has a 65 cent stamp on it
- Post to Santa Mail (large text) North Pole, 9999
Submit requests by December 15, 2018
Braille Works
There are four different letters from Santa in Braille for parents and teachers to choose from. There are even examples that you can read so you’ll know exactly what you’ll be receiving from the North Pole. They’ll also include a large print copy.
Working toward awareness and accessibility
At BoIA, we strive to raise awareness of the importance of developing Braille literacy by educating clients and partners in web accessibility. Statistics show that youth who are literate in Braille are much more likely finish school and find employment; although 85% of blind students go to public schools, only 10% of them are literate in Braille.
You can be a part of the solution by striving to make your website and digital content accessible to all users. Contact us for all your web accessibility needs and a free consultation by emailing us at Contact@boia.org or by calling us at 401-830-0075.
