What is Braille ?

Just as the personal computer has revolutionized writing in print today, it is also possible to produce Braille more easily and quickly than ever before

Assuming that the proper equipment is available, a computer user can now send a document to a standard printer to produce a paper copy in print or to a Braille embosser to produce the document in Braille. And one need not even know Braille to create this miracle.

Braille was first developed in the late 1820's by a young Frenchman named Louis Braille.

He created Braille by modifying a system of night writing which was intended for military use.

He did this work as a very young man and had it complete by the time he was about eighteen.

He and his friends at the school for the blind found that reading and writing dots was much faster than reading raised print letters, which could not be written by hand at all.

The development of this system by young Louis Braille is now recognized as the most important single development in making it possible for the blind to get a good education.

It took more than a century, however, before people would accept Braille as an excellent way for the blind to read and write.

Even today many people underestimate the effectiveness of Braille

While tapes and records are enjoyable, Braille is essential for note-taking and helpful for studying such things as math, spelling, and foreign languages

It is a matter of great concern to members of the National Federation of the Blind that fewer blind people now have the opportunity to become good Braille users than did twenty-five years ago.

Why is this? Many professionals in work with the blind stress recorded media with blind children.

Many people who become blind do so in old age and are not encouraged to spend the time and make the effort needed to develop the new reading and writing skills that depend on feeling rather than seeing.

There are even Braille teachers who do not expect speed and accuracy of their blind students. As a result, the students learn Braille as a chore and a drudgery.

Experienced Braille readers, however, read Braille at speeds comparable to print readers-200 to 400 words a minute. Such Braille readers say that the only limitation of Braille is that there isn't enough material available

They want more books produced by Braille presses, more books produced by volunteer Braillists in their homes, and wider availability of computerized Braille production.

One of the goals of the National Federation of the Blind is to help people appreciate Braille for the efficient system it is.

The main difference between print and Braille is simply that print is meant to be read with the eyes, while Braille is meant to be read with the fingertips.

Fingers feel dots quickly and accurately; eyes see loops and lines of ink. In both cases it is the brain that processes and reacts to the raw data sent to it by the fingers or the eyes.

This article was first written in Braille and transcribed into print to answer the questions of sighted people who cannot read Braille

If you have further questions about Braille or blindness, write to the National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230.