Braille

“Braille is knowledge, and knowledge is power.” – Louis Braille

Learning Braille

Like any new skill, braille takes time to learn. On average, it takes about four months to learn the uncontracted version and up to two years for the contracted. But once you’ve picked it up, you’ve got it for life.

If you already use Blind Low Vision NZ services and want to learn braille, please get in touch with 0800 24 33 33 or braille@blindlowvision.org.nz for basic materials to get you started.

How do you write in braille?

There are lots of different braille machines used in New Zealand. The most common manual one is the Perkins Brailler.

You can also use an electronic braille device. This connects to your computer, smartphone or similar electronic device so you can read or take notes wherever you are. The best known electronic one is the Mountbatten.

You can also produce braille manually with a braille slate. These work like a pen on paper, allowing you to emboss paper. It’s a cost-effective way of writing braille, and is also very portable. A braille slate can be used to make notes or shopping lists, write phone messages, and more. A slate works with a stylus, which you use together with the slate to produce braille dots. There is a range of different styli available depending on your needs.

Our online shop offers a range of braillers, braille slates, Dymo braille label makers, and other supplies for writing braille.

Spelling in braille

Braille words are spelt the same as written words, but because it takes up around three times as much space as a print, short-form words have been developed. The short-form is known as contracted braille and was adapted from the uncontracted code Louis Braille invented. Uncontracted code is most easily described as the braille alphabet. Every letter is represented, just as in print. For example, in the uncontracted version, the word ‘and’ would be written using the braille letters a, n, and d. The word ‘and’ in the contracted version would be written with a single character using a third of the space.

Pictures and diagrams

Diagrams and pictures can sometimes be explained in words without losing any information. In many cases, a raised version is useful – these are called tactile diagrams or pictures. Blind Low Vision NZ produces these tactile versions.

Numbers

Writing numbers requires putting two characters together. By placing a special character called the number sign directly in front of letters A – J of the braille alphabet, you make the digits 0 to 9.

Music

Yes, you can even braille music! Notes such as A, B or F are represented by different combinations of the top four dots. Each note’s value (such as crotchet or minim) is represented by different combinations of the bottom two dots. Pitch and other musical symbols are represented through different combinations of the six braille dots in a cell before the music note.

Different languages

Since the 1990s, braille has been used in almost every country and has been adapted to almost every known language, from Albanian to Zulu. Even pictorial languages such as Chinese can be represented in braille. Blind Low Vision NZ only teaches the English version.

The printed braille page

Braille can be produced so it’s written on both sides of a piece of paper. This is called “interpoint” or “interline”. It is produced by a printer known as an embosser. When a book is produced like this you can read both sides of each piece of paper – just like a print book.

Send a braille message

Would you like to make a braille reader’s day by composing your own braille message for a card or special event? Maybe you have a family member or friend who would be thrilled to hear from you in a braille message?

Our Accessible Formats Services Team are here to help, and if you would like us to translate your text into braille, we will happily produce an embossed page from your text and send it to you or directly to your recipient. All we ask from you is a small donation to help us create your braille message and to support our services to the blind and low vision community.

Submit your braille request