Quick facts about braille
Braille is super cool. A tactile code (not a language of it’s own), it is used to write languages from English to Arabic so people who are blind or have low vision can read.
We love seeing braille used:
Labelling diagrams on interpretive signs;
Labelling trail maps;
In booklets visitors can borrow, so braille readers can access the same information on interpretive signs that sighted visitors can.
Each braille cell is composed of up to six raised dots: two across and three down. This allows for 64 combinations of dots! A braille cell can be used to represent a letter, a number, a punctuation mark or a whole word.
Braille accompanies the raised printed text labels on this tactile sign. Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida. Photo: Freya McGregor.
Braille has been included under each printed text label so braille readers can benefit from this tactile map. Cabrillo National Monument, California. Photo: Freya McGregor.
Uncontracted braille uses one braille cell for each letter, whereas contracted braille uses a standard set of abbreviations and contractions, which increase the speed someone reads or writes at… and reduces the amount of paper needed to print any given sentence!
Special thick paper is used to write or print braille on, so the ‘punch’ doesn’t punch all the way through the paper; it leaves a raised bump to feel. Braillers (like a type writer) and braille embossers (like a printer) can print braille quickly, while using a slate and stylus to write braille dot by dot is a lot slower.
There are special computers which have refreshable braille displays. Instead of a screen (which can only provide visual information), braille is raised and lowered (or ‘refreshed’) for the user to read. These computers are much smaller than laptops, but can perform the same functions!
Braille was invented by Louis Braille (who lived from 1809-1852) while he was a teenage student at the Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. Previously, raised print had been used, but inconstancies in size and font made this system difficult to learn and time-consuming to read or write. International adoption of braille massively improved the literacy of millions of people who are blind or have low vision all over the world!
Braille accompanying large print on a tactile photo of a Northern Cardinal. Photo: Freya McGregor.
Fun fact: braille (the code) is spelt with a lower case ‘b’. The only time the word is capitalized is when we refer to Louis Braille, the person.
Learn more about braille from the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky. Since 1879, they have transcribed the textbooks for all students in the US with visual disabilities who use braille, and are the largest braille publishing house in the world. They also sell many tools to promote literacy and education for people who are blind or have low vision, which may be helpful for nature centers and educators creating tactile photos of birds and adding braille labels.
Our favorite braille labeler is the Reizen RL-350 Braille Labeler, which includes printed letters so a sighted person can easily print clear braille labels, like the ones used on the tactile photo of the Northern Cardinal, right. More information on creating tactile bird photos will be available after our program with a local school for the blind is complete, likely in fall 2022.
Where have you noticed braille in birding and nature spaces? Where else could it be added so more people can be included in birding and the outdoors??
