When seeing me read in public, some people have asked me about those bumps rising above my manuscript or computer display. Most have heard it’s called braille but aren’t so familiar with how it works.
I often explain that each letter, number, or sign is formed from a combination of six dots (or with computer braille, eight dots). A tiny dot six before a letter notes how that letter is capitalized. A different sign turns that combination of dots in the next cell into a number or a series of numbers.
The system that has been adopted worldwide over the decades since Louis Braille created it in 1824 is truly remarkable. Yes, six dots in many combinations can say a lot. For us who use the system, whether in the current Unified English Braille Code or previous grades or versions, letting our fingers do the walking is second nature. Even traversing a refreshable braille display for work or study becomes a matter of habit.
But if you are a coworker or classmate, family member or friend of someone who is blind-no doubt you will be astounded by this incredible system of dots, combinations, and signs.
Over the years, some have debated whether braille is worth preserving since, apparently, so few people who lose their sight later in life ever learn it. Thankfully, braille remains. And I don’t just say that as a proficient reader of braille. I speak on behalf of many who advocate for its use in schools and especially in the workplace where a screen reader may not tell everything you need to know by itself. Sometimes, with braille rising and collapsing beneath your fingers on a 40 to 80 cell display, you may be able to work faster than you would by hearing an automated voice. In fact, many of us who use braille, with or without the computer, can read just as fast as someone who sees the printed text.
When it comes to navigating braille with a display, clicking an icon or correcting a mistake may be as easy as pushing one of many quick navigation keys located above the line of text. These router keys along with buttons that pan the screen up and down or side to side bring us everything necessary for filling out forms, filing reports, data entry, and studying languages.
As we extend the celebration of World Braille Day (January 4), we walk in the ingenious footsteps of Louis Braille whose contribution shows we can do so much with that six or eight dot cell!
Boldly Blind 