From darkness to light: The story of Braille 

You all already know that Braille is a system that allows visually challenged people to read. Simply put, this system involves reading by touching embossed characters on paper. Although you may be aware that Louis Braille invented the Braille system in 1829, the history of this system can be traced much earlier. Surprised? Actually, a technique known as ‘night writing’ was developed by French scientist Charles Barbier who paved the way for the Braille system.  

Charles Barbier’s night writing technique 
He invented the night writing system long before Louise Braille was born. He was a member of Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army. Barbier noticed that soldiers were killed after dark because they used lamps to read military messages. The light from the lamp alerted the enemy to their location, putting them in danger. To combat this, Barbier developed a technique known as night writing, which allowed soldiers to communicate safely during the night. The system comprised a raised 12-dot cell with two dots wide and six dots tall. Each dot combination within the cell represented a letter or sound. Soldiers didn’t need light to read messages with his system. They could simply move their fingers over the paper to make out the orders! The Braille system you now know today is actually a modification of Charles Barbier’s night writing technique by Louise Braille.  

Louise Braille, the genius behind the Braille system 
He who was born in France and lost sight at a young age. In 1819, he enrolled in a school for the blind in Paris and learned about night writing. Initially intended for battlefield communication, Braille saw the potential of this technique to be used for people with impairments. He spent nine years developing and optimising what became known as the Braille system. Braille’s code had only six dots instead of the usual 12 in night writing. This enabled the reader to quickly cover the entire cell unit with one touch and move on to the next. The Braille system he invented is still in use today, with small tweaks made over the years.  

How is Braille read and written? 
Slate is a device that is used to write Braille. It is made up of two metal plates that are hinged together so that a sheet of paper can be inserted between them. The upper plate, which has cell-sized windows, is known as the guide plate. The lower plate has six minor pits in the Braille dot pattern. Pressure is applied to the paper against the pits using a stylus to form a raised dot. This is how Braille is written using slate.  

So, how do you read it? Every letter of the English alphabet has a Braille character. These characters are made up of raised dots arranged in 2 columns and 3 rows inside the braille cell. There are different Braille system grades and versions, with grade 1(Alphabetic Braille) being the most basic, with each letter transcribed. Grade 1 is used by beginners; people are starting out learning Braille. Grade 2 (Literary Braille) is more complex, typically learned after learning grade 1. The invention of Braille has enabled many people with visual and hearing impairments to read and write. In the honour of Louise Braille, July 4th is observed as Braille Day.