Moon is a system of raised shapes, which enables blind people of any age to read by touch.
The characters are made up of raised lines and curves, similar to the print alphabet, to create a set of basic shapes. These shapes are rotated or reflected to create the 26 letters of the alphabet and additional dots create punctuation marks and the numeral sign.
A blind English man, named Dr William Moon, devised the code.
An alternative to braille
When Dr Moon invented his system in 1845, braille - though invented 16 years before - had not reached this country from France.
Moon was well established in Britain by the time braille was introduced widely. Moon has remained an indispensable alternative ever since.
Easier to learn?
As the characters are fairly large and over half the letters bear a strong resemblance to the print equivalent, Moon has been found particularly suitable for those who lose their sight later in life, or for people who may have a less keen sense of touch.
Some children with additional physical and/or learning difficulties acquire some literacy skills through learning Moon.
There are many benefits to learning Moon, as well as some drawbacks.
If you're thinking of learning Moon because you stuggle with braille, you may be interested to know that learning Moon has given lots of people greater confidence in their sense of touch, and that many have gone on to learn braille successfully.
Why isn't the print alphabet raised?
People often wonder why the print alphabet is not raised for use by touch.
This was tried, however because of the complexity of printed letters, it was found that the raised letters had to be made very large to be felt properly.
Slow reading speeds and very bulky books frustrated readers.
Other people tried adaptations of printed letters before Dr Moon devised his system, but the comparative simplicity of Moon ensured its success, which has survived the test of time.
Moon alphabet card
The Moon alphabet card shows the embossed Moon alphabet and punctuation marks, together with the print translation. You can
order one free copy of the card from our online shop or by calling 0303 123 9999. If you want multiple copies of the card there will be a small charge.