On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 897, Braille reading and math standards, paving the way for blind students in the public school system to receive an education equal to that received by their sighted peers. Assembly member Joe Coto, District 23-San Jose, authored the bill which was sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind of California. Assembly member Coto's non-wavering commitment to both education and the rights of the disabled, including the blind and visually impaired carried this bill through to its signing. This bill creates a set of educational standards for the instruction of Braille and the Braille math code. These standards are parallel to the standards created and implemented years ago for the instruction of sighted pupils learning to read and write.

Literacy, in any medium, is crucial to the future success of any student. Successful employment and the opportunity for life-long personal development and enrichment are anchored in literacy. Several generations of blind students in the public schools have fallen behind as the teaching of Instruction of Braille, the most common literacy medium for the blind and visually impaired, has diminished or been denied completely to an unacceptably high percentage of students. This has resulted in generations of blind adults who without solid literacy skills have faced an unemployment rate of over seventy percent. "We need to improve the system to accelerate the success of these students" said Assembly member Joe Coto.

Graduating high school students face a new exit examination beginning next year. This general knowledge exam includes basic algebra skills. Blind and visually impaired students who do not know the Braille math code have no chance of passing this exam. Access Technology, while helpful in many classroom subjects, has no application for a student learning algebra. A task force, which was created in 2002 to create standards for reading instruction, will regroup to create the standards for teaching the Braille math code. Once completed these standards are adopted and serve as a blueprint for teachers.

By signing AB 897, Governor Schwarzenegger has demonstrated his commitment to proper education for all, including the disabled students in California public schools.