Learn Braille: Become a Pro at Braille By Doing a Braille Course

Considering Learning Braille? 

If you want to learn braille, it is an excellent idea to do a braille course. A braille course will teach you all you need to know about braille. Although braille is a way for people who are visually impaired to read, it is also an excellent skill to learn for those working with people with disabilities. The good news is there are so many braille courses currently available. They offer great flexibility also for those balancing work and study. Braille courses are available in part-time and evening class options, in person and online.  

What is Braille? 

Braille, in simple terms, is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision. Parents, teachers and others who are not visually impaired ordinarily read braille with their eyes. Braille is not a language. It is actually a code by which many languages may be written and read. Braille is used by thousands of people across the globe in their native languages and provides a means of literacy for everyone.  

What Does Braille Look Like? 

Braille symbols are formed within units of space known as braille cells. A full braille cell includes six raised dots arranged in two parallel rows each having three dots. The dot positions are identified by numbers from one through six. Sixty-four combinations are possible using one or more of these six dots. A single cell can be used to represent a number, punctuation mark, alphabet letter or even a whole word.  

How Was Braille Invented? 

Braille was invented by Louis Braille who attended the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris as a student. At that time, books were created using raised print which was laborious to produce, hard to read and difficult for individuals to write. When attending the institute, he yearned for more books to read. As a result, he experimented with ways to create an alphabet that was easy to read with the fingertips. The writing system he created, at age fifteen, evolved from the tactile ‘Ecriture Nocturne’ code also known as night writing invented by Charles Barbier for sending military messages that could read on the battlefield at night time without light. This led to the creation of the braille code. A code that is used by thousands today, providing literacy for all. 

Who Should Do a Braille Course? 

The main people who should consider doing a braille course are parents, relatives or friends of people with vision impairment. In addition, teachers, resource teachers and special needs assistants working in special and mainstream schools can benefit from doing a braille course. 

What Will I Learn? 

You will learn how to use your fingers to read braille. In addition, you will explore how to read basic braille by sight. You will also learn the meaning behind the braille symbols and how to form them into sentences yourself. In other words, you will explore not only how to understand braille but also how to produce it.  

If you’re serious about doing a braille course, check out courses near you in the Nightcourses.co.uk national course finder.