Braille provides a pathway to literacy for the visually impaired. But research shows that blind students typically demonstrate lower literacy rates than their peers without visual impairment.

A first-of-its-kind study at Rice University will seek to improve braille literacy by exploring questions about how it’s taught. Some teachers see braille as a code representing print, while others consider it a writing system serving as a direct path to literacy. The research will examine how an instructor’s view of the system affects students.