World Braille Day ... makes you think

Frances Gallagher Author

Jul 04, 2024 |

World Braille Day – Many of us take it for granted that we can read text and teach others using text. But have we ever thought about what Braille is

World Braille Day – Many of us take it for granted that we can read text and teach others using text. But have we ever thought about what Braille is and its history? Here’s some interesting information and if you have any insights, or useful resources, I’d like to hear about it.

We know that Braille is an important system for visually impaired people, but do we know that it features 63 characters formed from up to six raised dots? The mind boggles. Created in 1824 by Louis Braille, who became blind at a young age, it transformed how visually impaired individuals read and write. Braille's innovation came during his time at the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris.

The roots of Braille go back to Valentin Haüy, who first used embossed paper for blind reading. His method led to simpler systems, including Moon type, developed in 1845 by William Moon. Moon type, still used by some, especially older individuals, is easier for those who lose sight later in life. This is something I will have to look at further.

Louis Braille built upon Charles Barbier's 'night writing,' a dot-based system initially for military communication. At 15, Braille developed a more practical six-dot cell, publishing his method in 1829, with further enhancements in 1837. This system cleverly represents letters, numbers, punctuation, and formatting like capitalisation and italics.

Despite its usefulness, Braille's system wasn't officially adopted by his school until two years after his death. It became universally accepted for English speakers in 1932, with further refinements in 1957. Today, Braille includes codes for diverse fields like mathematics and music.

Writing Braille involves a slate and stylus or special machines like the 1892 Hall Braille writer and contemporary electronic devices. This adaptability makes Braille as relevant today as ever, especially in educational courses for the visually impaired. Learning and teaching Braille remains crucial in empowering blind individuals, offering them greater independence and access to information.

Categories: : Blended, Level 6