About the Braille System
Braille is a tactile system of raised dots representing letters of
the alphabet. To read braille, the fingers gently glide over paper that
has been embossed with the braille code. For note taking, a pointed
instrument is used to punch out the dots on paper held in a metal slate.
The readable raised dots appear on the other side of the paper.
History
Braille has been an effective means of communication for people who are blind
since 1829 when it was invented in Paris, France by Louis Braille. Louis
Braille lost his sight at the age of three as a result of an eye injury.
As a young boy at school, he became frustrated with the large and bulky
raised letter alphabet used to learn reading and writing skills. Later
in his life, a French artillery officer, Charles Barbier de la Serre,
gave him the idea of reading by a tactile code. After many years of
experimenting, Louis Braille developed a successful reading and writing
system that today is used around the world.
The Braille System
The basis of the braille system is known as a braille cell. The cell is
comprised of six dots numbered in a specific order. Each dot or
combination of dots represents a letter of the alphabet. For example, by
checking in the braille alphabet, you will see that dot 1 is the letter
"a" and dots 1 and 2 the letter "b".
Braille Alphabet
Braille Numbers and Symbols
Numbers and punctuation signs are also represented in braille. By
looking at the chart below, you will see that braille numbers are
announced by a sign using dots 3, 4, 5, and 6. The use of dot 6 just
before a letter indicates a capital.
Reading Exercise
Try and read the following phrase adapted from the novel The Little
Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Contracted Braille
The phrase you just read is in Grade 1 elementary braille. Just as
sighted people invented shorthand, people with vision loss use a contracted
version of braille which is space saving and allows for more rapid
reading and writing. The next sequence is the contracted version of the
first half of the braille phrase you just read.
The Importance of Braille
Braille is to the person with vision loss what the printed word is to the sighted
individual - access to information and contact with the outside world.
It is the building block for language skills, a means to teach spelling
to children with vision loss, and the most direct contact with the written thoughts
of others. Braille books are available in all subject areas, ranging
from modern fiction to mathematics, music and law. As with print,
braille is used for taking notes and labeling objects. Braille-adapted
devices such as watches, games, playing cards and thermometers are
examples of some of the practical and recreational uses of braille.
Learning Braille
Like any new "language", braille takes time and practice to learn.
Braille is taught to persons with vision loss as part of CNIB's adjustment to
vision loss program. It is also taught in schools within the community.
Sighted volunteers transcribe the original printed text into braille.
It takes eight months of training before volunteers become certified
CNIB braillists. The rigorous training program conforms to standards set
in cooperation with the Braille Authority of North America. Further training is required before brailling educational material for students or specializing in
transcribing music into braille.
Braille is produced in a number of ways. It can be transcribed from the
original printed text on a machine that resembles a typewriter. The
braille writer has six keys which correspond to the six dots of the
braille cell. Computers are also used to transcribe and reproduce
braille texts. The electronic revolution is changing the way braille is
produced, stored and retrieved, making it easier to use in the work
place.