Braille system

Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired. It is traditionally written with embossed paper. Braille-users can read computer screens and other electronic supports using refreshable braille displays. They can write braille with the original slate and stylus or type it on a braille writer, such as a portable braille note-taker or computer that prints with a braille embosser.

History

Braille was developed by Louis Braille, a Frenchman who lost his sight as a result of a childhood accident. In 1824, at the age of 15, he developed a coding system by simplifying his French army captain Charles Barbier's night writing method. The system was first published in 1829. It was slightly modified by Louis Braille himself in 1837 and fully codified in 1839. Braille characters are small rectangular blocks, or cells, that contain tiny palpable bumps called raised dots. The number and arrangement of these dots distinguish one character from another.

Braille System

The braille system is a method that is widely used by blind and visually impaired people to read and write. Each braille character or cell is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two columns of three dots each. A dot may be raised at any of the six positions to form sixty-four (2^6) possible subsets, including the arrangement in which no dots are raised. For reference purposes, a particular permutation may be described by naming the positions where dots are raised, the positions being universally numbered 1 to 3, from top to bottom, on the left, and 4 to 6, from top to bottom, on the right. For example, dots 1-3-4 would describe a cell with three dots raised, at the top and bottom in the left column and on top of the right column, i.e., the letter m. The lines of horizontal braille text are separated by a space, much like visible printed text, so that the dots of one line can be differentiated from the braille text above and below.

Braille Literacy

Braille literacy rates have declined since the introduction of assistive technology. Today, many resources, including books and periodicals, are available in digital formats that are accessible through computers and mobile devices with text-to-speech capabilities. However, braille remains an important literacy tool, particularly for young children who are blind or visually impaired. The National Federation of the Blind advocates for the importance of braille literacy, arguing that braille is to the blind what print is to the sighted.

See Also

• Louis Braille
• National Federation of the Blind
• Assistive technology