Five Interesting Facts about Braille

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It’s easy to read this article. It’s not just because this article is so simple or readable, its just because those who read this article can see it and read it in the Entri App blog so fast. Have you ever thought of how the blind and deafblind people write and read? Even when I write this article they may not be able to read this, maybe they could hear this article but can’t read it. Reading and writing is often considered a talent in our society but if you ask a deafblind or blind they will consider it as a basic need or necessity. Well if you are confused how they could read or write, there is something called Braille script which is developed in the sole aim of providing the blind and deafblind a script to read and write. Are you interested in knowing more about the braille script? Let us check out the five interesting facts about the Braille script.

1. The Parent Script was Older than Bareilly

Some of you may know that the Braille script was developed by Louis braille in the year of 1824. He was just fifteen when he developed the system of blind script called braille. The inspiration came from the necessity of him. He lost his eyesight in his childhood due to an accident. After that at the age of fifteen he developed the system of braille script to aid the blind to read and write. The braille script at its initial time was based on French language and alphabets. This might be the history you all will be familiarized with the Braille script. Well, it’s not the whole history. Some or other form of writing which is similar to the braille script (tactic code) was there before louis braille itself. It was called the Night writing which was developed by Charles Barbier. It was meant for the communication of soldiers in the night or their secret communication. Anyways this was not a fully developed script system. This was based on sounds rather than on alphabets. Barbiers system was based on 12 dot embossed for 36 sounds. The Braille script was based on the alphabet system and so it was so advanced in this purview.

2. It’s Not Just Dots but 3×2 Matrix

When we see plainly, they may seem like dots on paper. Have you ever wondered how these dots will be read by the people? Well, it is not just dots. They are 3×2 matrices representing each alphabet. Every combination of embossment represents a letter or an alphabet and all together it constitutes the reading material. Usually, the paper is embossed for writing the braille script. In English Braille script there are popularly 3 grades of script. The first grade or basic literacy is the letter to letter or alphabet to alphabet reading. The second grading is the standard contracted words. For example conjunctions, phrases etc will be abbreviated. The third grade which is not so standardized and popular is the personal stenography. Personal stenography is less used compared to the other two grades. The first grade is called basic literacy. Every Braille script known people will be having that first grade knowledge for sure. This is the English alphabet composition of the Braille script:

3. There are More Devices than Paper

You will be wondering if there is only paper associated with the braille script. Well it is not. In order to know what is more we need to understand how a braille script is written or read. There are mainly two compositions to read the Braille script:

Embossed Paper
Refreshable Braille Displays

Embossed paper is the most common and widely used one. It is just as simple by embossing the dots in the prescribed matrix format to represent the letters and there by the words. To emboss the letters on a paper a stylus or braille typewriter is used. The braille typewriter which is specifically called as Perkins Brailler consists of embossing the paper using a 9 key device. Among the 9 keys, 1,2,3,4,5,6 is used to emboss the letter in a 3×2 matrix. Two keys are for back and one ley is for space. This is how professional Braille writers may write or emboss in the paper.

Refreshable Braille screens are developing and on its way to a full-fledged form. These are nothing but computer or display screens consisting of the braille script. These one-line displays only as of the current developments. The advantages of these displays are, they are refreshable and if they popularize they may get access to lakhs of websites and technological advancement. As if now they could convert the text to speech form to listen to the web material. But that could do nothing to the feeling of reading. The disadvantages associated with the displays are, they are one line displays and they are too expensive.

4. Bharathi Braille India’s initiative

If you think that Braille script can only be read and written in English it’s not true. There are 133 language codes for Braille script. Each person can have the writing and reading skills in braille script in their own regional languages. When coming to India, Bharathi Braille is the initiative of India to develop the regional Braille script. There were 11 braille codes at the time of independence. Now the government is trying to include the braille script for official languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Punjabi, Assamese, Malayalam, Nepali, Odia, Telugu, and Urdu. This is as part of linguistic inclusion. The Bharathi Braille will be based on phonetics rather than alphabets. The need for developing the script is that apart from the feeling of reading rather than listening to audiobooks there are serious concerns associated with it. Normally no person can write an exam in Braille script. Usually a scribe for the blind person will be appointed for a writing exam. There are not many good books to read in regional languages which are accessible to the blind people. This all led to formation of Bharathi Braille.

5. January 4 World Braille Day

World Braille day is celebrated on January 4 every year. January 4 is the birthday of Louis Braille who is the founder of the braille script. This day is celebrated as a day for the awareness and spread of the braille script not just for the blind people but for the sighted people also. The date was chosen by the United Nations General Assembly via a proclamation in November 2018. The first Braille day was celebrated on January 4 2019.

Conclusion.

Braille script is important for blind people and deaf blind people to know the letters to know the world of literature and literacy. When we understand the importance of Braille script along with them, we are also becoming the real sighted people to see the pain and requirements of them. Understanding braille script and information regarding the same is important from an exam point of view. Then only we can crack any exams by keeping our eyes shut. Keep studying, keep winning.