MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – A Clay County fourth grader is setting a high bar for reading while navigating the challenges of learning without sight.
Rosie Williams has been blind since birth after being diagnosed with septo-optic dysplasia (SOD). Still, she’s become an advocate for access to braille books — and a standout reader who says books take her somewhere else.
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“It kind of feels like I’m in a different world,” she said.
For Rosie, braille has been a key pathway to literacy.
“Acquiring braille books is a little bit more difficult. They’re very expensive,” said Liz Williams, Rosie’s mother.
With so much of daily life usually built around vision, Liz said literacy can shape what’s possible later on, and their success is dependent on how literate they are able to become.
“The window of opportunity for visually impaired adults is very skinny. You’ve got to be very educated,” Liz said.
Advocates said that the need is growing more urgent. The National Braille Press reported that braille literacy rates among blind children have fallen, from more than 50% about 40 years ago to under 20% today.
One statewide program is working to expand access. Through New Worlds Reading, a program of the University of Florida’s Lastinger Center for Learning, students across Florida can receive free books, including in braille.
Family and community engagement specialist Jeanine Davis said Williams stood out.
“I was really, really impressed with Rosie,” Davis said.
According to the program’s website, VPK through 5th graders qualify “who are not yet meeting grade level expectations in reading in Florida VPK programs, public schools, and charter schools.”
Students can receive one free book per month during the school year, with options in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Braille.
“It feels like a gift for me,” Rosie said.
The program application form can be found here.