Braille

Who Invented Braille
Louis Braille didn't invent Braille. As a boy he attended a school for the Blind in Paris, He learned how to read but not to write. Back then Blind People learned how to read raised letters with their fingertips. This form of writing was very difficult to read. In 1821 a soldier named Charles Barbier came to visit the school. He bought with him a system he had invented called 'night writing'. Barbier had designed it for Napoleon; who wanted a secret code that could be used at night. It proved to be too complex for soldiers to learn and was rejected by the army. Louis Braille realized how useful this system of raised dots could be for the Blind. He set to work simplifying it. His system used six dots instead of the 12 used in Barbier's code. Now Blind people could learn to read as well as write.How Dose It Work

Perkins Brailler - slate & stylist - electronic Braille note taker
Before computer technology, the devices people used to produce Braille were as old as Braille its self. The Perkins Brailler works like an old fashion typewriter. Its six keys produce the six dots of the Braille cell. The slate is a simple device used to punch out the dots using a stylist. These devices are still in use today. Computer technology has begun to replace these devices with electronic Braille note takers, refreshable Braille displays and Braille embossers; but the old ways of producing Braille will still be around as long as sighted people keep using pens.

Braille Alphabet
(English Braille America Edition)

Punctuation Signs

The Braille cell consists of six dots, two wide and three high. The dots are numbered one through six: the letter (a) is known as (dot 1), (b) - (dot 1 2), (c) - (dot 1 3), etc. Grade One Braille, used in some children's books, uses just the alphabet and punctuation marks. Grade Two Braille, used for almost everything produced in Braille, is a form of shorthand. Grade Three Braille, used for talking notes, is super shorthand. There is also a code used for music and one for math and science.

Grade Two Braille

Contractions

Grade Two English Braille (America Edition) has 250 symbols for: letters, punctuation marks, composition signs, numerals, contractions, single-cell words, and short-form words.

Jump to Sample Sentences

a -
(#1) -
about - ab
above - abv
according - ac
across - acr
afternoon - afn
after - af
afterward - afw
again - ag
against - ag(st)
ally - (dot 6)y
almost - alm
already - alr
also - al
although al(th)
altogether - alt
always - alw
ance - (dot 4 6) e
and - (dot 1 2 3 4 6)
ar - (dot 3 4 5)
as - z
ation - (dot 6) n

b -
(#2) -
but
bb - (dot 2 3)
be - (dot 2 3)
because - (be)c
before - (be)f
behind - (be)h
below - (be)l
beneath - (be)n
beside (be)s
between - (be)t
beyond - (be)y
ble - (dot 3 4 5 6)
blind - bl
braille - brl
by - (dot 3 5 6)

c -
(#3) -
can
cannot - (dot 4 5 6)c
cc - (dot 2 5)
con - (dot 2 5)
ch - (dot 1 6)
child - (dot 1 6)
character - (dot 5)(ch)
children - (ch)n
com - (dot 3 6)
conceive - (con)cv
conceiving - (con)cvg
could - cd

d -
(#4) -
do - (dot 1 4 5)
day - (dot 5) d
dd - (dot 2 5 6)
dis - (dot 2 5 6)
deceive - dcv
declare - dcl
declaring - dclg

e -
(#5) -
every - (dot 1 5)
ea - (dot 2)
ed - (dot 1 2 4 6)
either - ei
en - (dot 2 6)
enough - (dot 2 6)
ence - (dot 5 6) e
er (dot 1 2 4 5 6)
ever - (dot 5) e

f -
(#6) -
from - (dot 1 2 4)
father - (dot 5) f
ff - (dot 2 3 5)
first - f(st)
for - (dot 1 2 3 4 5 6)
friend - fr
ful - (dot 5 6) L

g -
(#7) -
go - (dot 1 2 4 5)
gg - (dot 2 3 5 6)
gh - (dot 1 2 6)
good - gd
great - grt

h -
(#8) -
have - (dot 1 2 5)
had - (dot 4 5 6) h
here - (dot 5) h
herself - h(er)f
him - hm
himself - hmf his 2 3 6

i -
(#9) -
immediate - imm
in - (dot 3 5)
ing - (dot 3 4 6)
into - (in)(to)
it - x
its - xs
itself - xf
ity - (dot 5 6) y

j -
(#0) -
just - (dot 2 4 5)

K -
knowledge - (dot 1 3)
know - (dot 5) k

L -
like - (dot 1 2 3)
less - (dot 4 6) s
letter - Lr
little - LL
lord - (dot 5) L

m -
more - (dot 1 2 4)
many - (dot 4 5 6) m
ment - (dot 5 6) t
mother - (dot 5) m
much - m(ch)
must - m(st)
myself - myf

n -
not - (dot 1 3 4 5)
name - (dot 5) n
necessary - nec
neither - nei
ness - (dot 5 6) s

o -
o'clock - o'c
of - (dot 1 2 3 5 6)
one - (dot 5) o
oneself - (one)f
ong - (dot 5 6) g
ou - (dot 1 2 5 6)
out - (dot 1 2 5 6)
ought - (dot 5)(ou)
ound - (dot 4 6) d
ourselves - (ou)rvs
ount - (dot 4 6) t
ow - (dot 2 4 6)

p
people - (dot 1 2 3 4)
paid - pd
part - (dot 5) p
perceive - p(er)cv
perceiving - p(er)cvg
perhaps - p(er)h

q -
quiet - (dot 1 2 3 4 5)
question - (dot 5) q
quick - qk

r -
rather - (dot 1 2 3 5)
receive - rcv
receiving - rcvg
rejoice - rjc
rejoicing - rjcg
right - (dot 5) r

s -
so - (dot 2 3 4)
said - sd
sh - (dot 1 4 6)
shall - (dot 1 4 6)
should - (sh)d
sion - (dot 4 6, n
some - (dot 5) s
spirit - (dot 4 5 6) s
st - (dot 3 4)
still - (dot 3 4)
such - s(ch)

t -
that - (dot 2 3 4 5)
th - (dot 1 4 5 6)
this - (dot 1 4 5 6)
the - (dot 2 3 4 6)
their - (dot 4 5 6)(the)
themselves - (the)mvs    
there - (dot 5)(the)
these - (dot 4 5)(the)
those - (dot 4 5)(th)
through - (dot 5)(th)
thyself - thyf
time - (dot 5) t
tion - (dot 5 6) n
to - (dot 2 3 5)
today - td
together - tgr
tomorrow - tm
tonight - tn

u -
us - (dot 1 3 6)
under - (dot 5) u
upon - (dot 4 5) u

v -
very - (dot 1 2 3 6)

w -
will - (dot 2 4 5 6)
was - (dot 3 5 6)
were - (dot 2 3 5 6)
wh - (dot 1 5 6)
which - (dot 1 5 6)
where - (dot 5)(wh)
whose - (dot 4 5)(wh)
with - (dot 2 3 4 5 6)
word - (dot 4 5) w
work - (dot 5) w
world - (dot 4 5 6) w
would - wd

x -
it - (dot 1 3 4 6)

y -
you - (dot 1 3 4 5 6)
young - (dot 5) y
your - yr
yourself - yrf
yourselves - yrvs

z -
as - (dot 1 3 5 6)