At a time when technology promises instant answers, some may still wonder if braille is still relevant. But to the educators who gathered at CNIB Lake Joe this summer, that question misses the point entirely.
Braille isn’t a relic, it’s literacy. And just as no parent would accept a sighted child growing up without learning to read print, teachers of the visually impaired (TVIs) maintain that students who are blind or have low vision deserve nothing less than full access to the written word.
Across Canada, TVIs work in relative isolation. Most serve students spread over wide geographies, often working alone without a network of colleagues nearby. “We never see one another,” one participant admitted.
That’s why the Literacy for All: Canadian Vision Teachers Retreat was such a milestone: the first time CNIB offered a camp-based, in-person professional development opportunity designed for TVIs from across the country.
For Karen Brophey, CNIB’s Literacy Lead, it was a moment she’d been building toward for decades.
Karen started her career in the braille department at CNIB, coding WordPerfect documents into embossed pages without even knowing braille herself. Over time, she developed and supported numerous programs, including a national braille creative writing contest, a braille art contest, and braille workshops for kids. For her, the case for braille is simple: “It is literally your ABCs. Technology can support it, but it cannot replace it.”
A New Way of Teaching
One of the retreat’s highlights was the introduction of the I-M-ABLE approach (Individualized Meaning-Centered Approach to Braille Literacy Education), pioneered by Dr. Diane Wormsley.
Traditional literacy programs typically begin with the alphabet, teaching letters and sounds before progressing to words and sentences. For many students who are blind or have low vision, particularly those with additional disabilities, that method simply doesn’t stick. I-M-ABLE flips the model, starting instead with meaningful whole words.
“If a student loves hockey, their first braille word or phrase might be ‘Maple Leafs’,” explained Adam, a TVI and head of the Provincial Resource Centre in British Columbia. “Rather than memorizing T-H-E, they learn to recognize the feel of the word as a whole. That interest becomes the hook for deeper learning.”
Adam has attended Diane’s sessions at conferences before, but this was different. “I thought I knew this approach pretty well. But in the last two days, I’ve learned more than I did in the past ten years. Because we had the space, the time, the focus.”
The retreat wasn’t just about theory. It was about experience. Teachers spent their days not only in workshops but also in the same accessible camp activities their students could one day enjoy: swimming, boating, and hiking accessible trails.
For Beth Button, a TVI from New Brunswick, that immersion was transformative. “I could have had this training anywhere. But here, as part of the camp experience, it was different. Now I can go back and tell families, ‘I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. Your child can too.’”
That personal connection matters. Parents often hesitate to send their children to camp, especially across provinces. But when the recommendation comes from a teacher who has lived the experience, the pitch feels genuine.
Beth left Lake Joe with more than new teaching strategies. She left with photos, stories, and confidence to share with families.
For many, the retreat was as much about connection as it was about curriculum. Teachers shared stories about their caseloads, laughed about their clumsy attempts at reading braille as sighted adults, and admitted how easy it is to forget braille rules without regular practice.
“It’s a different kind of professional development,” said Adam. “Not just two hours on Zoom, but a chance to dive deep, focus, and bond as colleagues. That’s what makes it last.”
Looking Ahead
The hope now is that this first-of-its-kind retreat won’t be the last. Teachers left Lake Joe with renewed energy, armed with LEGO Braille Bricks kits, fresh strategies, and a sense of belonging that’s rare in their field. More importantly, they left as ambassadors, ready to tell students and families that braille is not only worth learning, but also worth celebrating.
As one teacher said before leaving camp: “If TVIs leave here with a good feeling, and they connect us with more families, and they tell them good things about CNIB – we all win.”
This learning retreat as generously funded by TD Ready Commitment
