Tabatha Mitchell News Today

According to its latest count, the National Federation of the Blind says more than 24,000 Hawaiʻi residents are sightless. For the 67 blind students in Hawaiʻi's public schools, one continuing challenge is timely access to braille textbooks. Students can wait months for textbooks, but the Monarch aims to cut down that waiting period. HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports.

The bill means textbooks, posters and audio recordings will be provided to students in braille and tactile graphics. This helps blind and visually impaired students read words and complicated graphs through their fingertips.

Legislators are considering a bill that would force public schools to provide timely instructional material.