What is Braille? 

Braille is a tactile system that allows blind and partially sighted people to access reading and writing. People read it through touch using the pads of the fingers to feel the letters and symbols.  

You can write Braille in a variety of ways, using specialist equipment or specific computer software. Here are a few reasons why I love using it.  

Braille in education 

Braille was the brainchild of Louis Braille a French educator. Braille played an essential role in my education; I was able to learn mathematical symbols and literacy skills more effectively than I would have done through aural methods. I believe I  would have really struggled if I had to focus on audio format for my work, whilst also having to listen to a teacher in class. I'm also quite a tactile person, so I really need to have something in front of me to be able to fully understand it, rather than having it read to me.  

Braille in Health

Most, if not all medication manufacturers have incorporated Braille on their packaging. This makes it easy for me to be able to find certain medicine, and is probably much safer, too!  In addition, I can receive my confidential information and letters now in Braille; as they are confidential, there isn't an appropriate way to have them in audio format, to my knowledge.  

Braille in public

Some public places such as shops and restaurants now use Braille to indicate certain things, such as fire exit door and on bathrooms. Which makes it much easier for me to find the correct bathroom. Tactile indicators such as Braille also serve as landmarks for me when orientating myself.  

Braille in shopping

Similarly to medication, some companies have started using Braille on their item packaging. Which is useful when it comes to purchasing cleaning products or food items.  

Braille in the arts

Have you ever heard of Braille art? It's essentially where you can create tactile pictures using Braille! It's cool and requires a lot of skill. I'm no good at it, but it's still fun to feel, our ambassador Clarke Reynolds combines art and braille into fantastic works of art, check him out here!  

Braille in Music:

Outside of my role with Fight for Sight, my other passion is music, particularly singing, so being able to have a hard copy version of song lyrics is very useful to me when I'm recording or performing. Did you know that there is an entirely different code for Braille music? I'm still learning it, but I know it really helps other musicians.

Kevin Satizabal, a blind composer and journalist working for the BBC describes how Braille music has made it easy for him to access music -- "I can understand the composer's thoughts and intentions because you've got the dynamics and tempo markings all laid out in the Braille score," he shared. “Braille music lets me access music more easily and  the thing I love about it now is that it's a lot easier to access with technology. Music software like MuseScore now shows you Braille music notation when you're navigating the score, and I think you can type Braille music into a BrailleNote, for example, and it appears in print in a digital score which is amazing, and you can now get scores in BRF files, which is more portable". 

Braille in games

As a child, I'd always struggle to fit in with other children, because I couldn't access some of the games they play. It wasn't until I got to have the same card or board games in Braille, that I could also join the with the fun, and often, Braille games are still built with print, so that sighted people and VI people can play together.  

Braille books:  

I love audio books as much as the next person, but there's just something about being able to pick up a hard copy of a book, and just read at my own pace, and be able to imagine the characters in my own way! I believe having access to physical books really helped to improve my literacy skills like spelling, grammar and punctuation. 

Braille and finance:  

Like confidential health records, most, if not all banks allow for statements and documents to be sent out in Braille, which makes things a whole lot easier, and it means that people like myself can have access to the same level of privacy as a sighted person with regards to finance.  

Overall, Braille is a very useful tool to be able to learn, and whilst the world is becoming more technical, it's still important that we keep teaching it to future generations, especially as nowadays, Braille is being incorporated into technology. Lastly, Braille creates jobs for people as many Braille transcription services hire blind and visually impaired people. 

Long live Braille!