Which Hand is Faster in Braille Reading? A Neuropsychological Study

This research investigating speed of hands for Braille reading among blind secondary high school students regarding their handedness.

From 160 secondary high school students in Shahid Morady school, who use Braille, 27 blind participants (8 girls, 19 boys) (mean of age = 19. 8) were randomly selected. All participants completed Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971) for Laterality Quotient (LQ). The participants were divided into 2 groups as 14 for the right handed, and 13 for the left handed. Then each participant used his hands for reading a text titled «One Paged Folder» including 357 words in 3 situations (with both hands, just with right hand, and just with left hand). Reading speed was calculated by a chronometer in each occasion according to all of the text words per second.

Utilizing Friedman test revealed that using both hands needed the least time. But comparing the speed of reading between two groups by Mann-Whitney U detected significant differences, so that left handed participants had the most speed when using just left hand for Braille reading. There was no significant difference according to Kruskal-Wallis test results between two genders in interaction with laterality and reading speed.

Reading Braille by both hands has the most speed. And, left handed blinds have the most speed in reading Braille by using just left hand in comparison with right handed individuals.