Braille

  
Vision 
Louis Braille 

 
National Federation of the Blind 
Extensive blind and Braille information. 
Canadian National Institute for the Blind 
Canadian Caritable Organization for sight-impaired persons. Well presented information. 
Sign Language. 
Interactive Finger Spelling and Braille Guide 
In-progress projects for communicating with disabled persons.

alphabet 

punctuation 

Braille System 
Braille’s characters are embossed from the back of paper from right to left, and is read from the face of the paper from left to right. It is transcribed on a slate with a stylus, or by striking keys on a Braillewriter, a device similar to a typewriter. Braille is read by gliding fingers over the embossed paper. Many devices have been adapted to use Braille, such as watches, thermometers, playing cards, and calculators. 

Braille is a blind person’s equivalent to a sighted person’s printed word. It provides direct access to the written thoughts of others. Books transcribed in Braille are available in all subject areas, and Braille is considered the building block for language skills for the blind. 

To reduce the amount of time it takes to communicate using Braille, a contracted version, comparable to shorthand , was created. This makes reading and writing Braille much more efficient. 

Inventor 
Braille was invented by in Paris, France, in 1929, by Louis Braille. Mr. Braille lost his sight due to an eye injury, and became frustrated by the large raised letter alphabet he had to use to learn to read and write. In the French Army many years later, artillery office Charles Barbier de la Serre suggested he try to read using tactile  code. Louis Braille experimented with the tactile code concept, developing the Braille reading and writing system, now used around the world. In 1828, he began teaching at the Institute for the Young Blind in Paris.