Louis Braille was born in Coupvray, France, on January 4, At that time, books were created using raised print which was laborious to produce, hard to read, and difficult for individuals to write. While attending the Institute, Braille yearned for more books to read. He experimented with ways to create an alphabet that was easy to read with the fingertips. The writing system he invented, at age fifteen, evolved from the tactile "Ecriture Nocturne" night writing code invented by Charles Barbier for sending military messages that could be read on the battlefield at night, without light.
When every letter of every word is expressed in braille, it is referred to as uncontracted braille. Some books for young children are written in uncontracted braille although it is less widely used for reading material meant for adults. However, many newly blinded adults find uncontracted braille useful for labeling personal or kitchen items when they are first learning braille. The standard system used for reproducing most textbooks and publications is known as contracted braille.
In this system cells are used individually or in combination with others to form a variety of contractions or whole words. For example, in uncontracted braille the phrase you like him requires twelve cell spaces. It would look like this:. If written in contracted braille, this same phrase would take only six cell spaces to write.
This is because the letters y and l are also used for the whole words you and like respectively. Likewise, the word him is formed by combining the letters h and m.
There are different letter contractions used in contracted braille including 75 shortform words like "him" shown above, which are simple abbreviations. These "short cuts" are used to reduce the volume of paper needed for reproducing books in braille and to make the reading process easier.
Many transport pass holders also feature braille labels, and some train toilets are equipped with braille identifiers and instructions. Lifts, cash machines and signs Many buttons found in lifts and on cash machines have braille labels. You may also be able to find braille signage present in such places as office buildings and museum exhibits.
Podcast: has assistive technology replaced braille? Podcast: Does braille have a place in the modern world? Get the latest news, stories and events from Thomas Pocklington Trust by joining our mailing list. Home News Braille in everyday life. Braille in everyday life Braille continues to be the tactile reading and writing system of choice for blind and partially sighted people all over the world. Some statistics for France.
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Did you know? Visual impairment statistics In France 1. Among the main causes of visual impairment among the elderly are uncorrected vision disorders, cataracts, glaucoma and AMD age-related macular degeneration , which is the main cause of blindness among older people in Western countries, with first symptoms generally appearing after the age of In the world An estimated million people are visually impaired: 36 million are blind and million have moderate to severe visual disabilities.
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