Happy New Year everybody! I am kicking off the year on the Triple E Blog with a post about braille and how I use it every day.  January is the month that those of us in the blind and visually impaired community observe Braille Literacy Month. Braille is a code created for reading and writing. This code, which is a series of raised dots on paper, has revolutionized the lives of people with vision loss because it has opened doors of literacy, education, employment, and independence.

But before I get to how I use braille let me give you some background. Louis Braille was born this month in 1809, and was a Frenchman who lost his vision from an accident as a small child. His family enrolled him in the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris. While there and as a teenager, Braille began the process to create a reading and writing system by touch. He continued to perfect the system and as an adult became an instructor at the Institution.  Unfortunately, Braille’s method was not accepted by the sighted instructors and he died in 1852 never seeing his creation used by the blind. Eventually, the code was accepted and today this system of raised dots is used all over the world.

The braille code is made up of letters, numbers and symbols. It is not another language. The alphabet is based on a cell that is composed of 6 or 8 dots, arranged in two columns of 3 or 4 dots each. Each braille letter of the alphabet or other symbol, such as a comma, is formed by using one or more of the dots that are contained in the cell. Braille is usually found in a large book format on doubled sided paper to maximize space and can be read for math, science and music.

Now that you got that little history lesson and some background info; back to me and my daily usage. I have to be honest in saying I am not a proficient user of braille. Don’t bring a braille book or magazine and expect me to quickly move my fingers across those raised dots and tell you what it says because it ain’t gonna happen! But I do use braille in a small way every day. So, let me share with you the ways I read Braille which still benefit me greatly.

1.  braille calendar
2.  public bathroom signs
3.  the door number at dentist’ office
4.  braille labels on my credit cards, library card, insurance card, and expiration date on my state ID
5.  braille labels on file folders in my home office
6.  braille on elevator panels
7.  braille labels on my music CDs
8.  braille labels on my lipstick tubes
9.  braille labels on spices in my kitchen
10.  braille labels on my exercise equipment

So, there you have it! A list of the multiple ways I read braille every day. I have found braille to be very useful and greatly appreciate the contribution that Louis Braille has made to my life. Share with me in the comment section about your personal usage of braille. Are you a braille reader? How has braille impacted your life every day?