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The Ultimate Braille & Sign Language Resource

Braille and sign language give ways for blind and/or deaf people to communicate with the hearing world and with each other. Both Braille and sign language are used around the world in the languages of each individual country.

Braille

Braille is a tactile writing system enabling the blind to read by touching a series of raised dots conveying letters and numbers. Each set of dots is called a cell and each cell contains one to six raised impressions in 63 possible combinations. By touching a series of these cells, blind people can form words and sentences, write, and read books.

The raised dot technique was first invented by Charles Barbier de la Serre in the early 1800's. Barbier called his creation “night writing”. Barbier was a Captain in the French army and was given the task, by Napolean, of developing a silent form of communication.

Louis Braille was blinded in an accident in his father's shop when he was three. Louis accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with an awl. His other eye went blind due to sympathetic ophthalmia. Louis learned to read at the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris in 1819 by tracing raised, wooden alphabet letters in books. In 1824 Braille created the Braille code. He was 15 years old when Barbier presented “night writing” at the school. Braille went on to alter the code and use it to develop the Braille system using the same tool that took his sight, a stitching awl from his father's shop.

In 1829, Louis published his Method of Writing Words, Music and Plain Song by Means of Dots and by 1952 his methodology became a worldwide standard. Braille can be found on any manuscript and such items as elevators and watches, virtually anything that can be read. In 1932, a universal Braille code for English speaking countries was adopted. Basic braille hasn't changed since its inception, although variations abound as applications progress.

  • Braille Links Instructions resources include: braille code and transcription, instruction, curriculum and literacy, teaching materials and tutorials.

  • Standard English Braille Cells Pictures of the Braille alphabet and related cells.

  • Free Braille Lessons Dots for Families site has a who's who in braille, writing, lessons, tech, games and stories for the whole family.

Sign Language

Sign language conveys language for those who cannot hear by using specific hand and finger gestures and positions to articulate words and ideas.

Juan Pablo de Bonet was a pioneering Spanish priest who invented sign language in the sixteenth century. Sign language as an educational resource became standard after Bonet published his first book for the deaf in 1620, which depicted his manual alphabet.

American Sign Language (ASL) is the fourth most used language in the United States. A self-functioning language with its own grammar rules, allows for regional dialects. ASL users use not only hand gestures, but facial expressions to convey words and context. Sign language changes with time and usage dependent on the country it emanates from, the region, and age of the people who utilize it.

Ninety percent of children born deaf are born to hearing parents who tend to learn sign language as their child learns it. Fluency comes after practice. Children learn language best from their parents, adults, and other children. Early intervention is key to fluency.