Braille is a system of raised dots, which enables blind or partially sighted people of any age to read with their fingers. The characters are made up of variations on the domino six in its upright position. These dot patterns correspond to the letters of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation and some common letter groups such as the and er. A blind French schoolboy, named Louis Braille, devised the code 200 years ago.
Sensitive fingers are needed for reading braille, although even those with a less acute sense of touch are pleasantly surprised with how quickly their sensitivity increases with practice. Braille equals literacy and is a skill which is very important to those who have mastered it.
RNIB offers professionals and individuals the following training courses in braille:
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Certificate in Grade 2 English braille
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Brush Up Your Braille Workshop
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Dot-to-dot: self-teach grade 1 braille.