INTERNATIONAL BRAILLE RESEARCH CENTER

	PROMOTING LITERACY FOR THE BLIND IN THE 21st CENTURY
Identical twins, April and Amanda Jones, show how reading Braille enables them to compete on a basis of equality with their sighted peers in public school.

• What is Braille?
• Who uses Braille?
• Why is there a decrease in the use of Braille?
• Why is the International Braille Research Center necessary?
• For More Information

What is Braille?

Braille is a code which enables blind persons to read and write. It was invented by a blind Frenchman, Louis Braille, in 1829. Braille is comprised of a rectangular six-dot cell on its end, with up to 63 possible combinations using one or more of the six dots. Braille is embossed by hand (or with a machine) onto thick paper, and read with the fingers moving across on top of the dots. Combinations of Braille dots within a cell represent contractions of two or more print letters and Braille characters take up three times as much space as print.

Who uses Braille?

Reading Braille makes Matthew Jin independently literate

Lydia Richardson appears engrossed in reading a fascinating story in Braille.

Why is there a decrease in the use of Braille?

Until the mid-nineteen sixties, most blind students attended segregated residential schools for the blind. As blind students were integrated into public school programs, the teaching and use of Braille decreased. There is a significant shortage of qualified teachers of the blind who know Braille and can teach it. The use of tape recorders, and computers with synthetic speech have reduced the use of Braille. Listening to a document is not the same as reading it. Listening is not literacy.

Without Braille, Helen Keller could not have been educated, and even in death, she wanted to emphasize the importance of Braille in her life.

The International Council of Research Fellows, comprised of Braille experts from throughout the world, sets research goals for the International Braille Research Center.

The English Braille Code has not been updated to keep pace with the information explosion. Currently, there are separate Braille codes for mathematics, scientific notation and computers. Separate codes make Braille confusing to learn and to use.

Barbara Pierce, editor of the Braille Monitor (the monthly magazine of the National Federation of the Blind) takes time off to relax with a good book in a rocker by the fireplace. The book happens to be in Braille.

Pamela Dubel, Angela Howard, Jeff and Zena Pearcy, actors in a play presented by the Louisiana Center for the Blind, read their parts from scripts in Braille

Why is the International Braille Research Center necessary?

Founded in 1994, the International Braille Research Center is a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization whose survival is dependent upon contributions, grants and contracts. Its mission is to encourage and promote the teaching and use of Braille. To achieve this goal, research studies are being conducted to determine the best methods for teaching Braille. Distinguished teachers of Braille are recognized for their outstanding service to blind students.

Under contract to the International Council on English Braille, the International Braille Research Center has conducted a definitive research study which validates the efficacy of the new Unified Braille Code. This new system establishes one English Braille code in place of many separate ones. A single Braille code is easier to teach, to learn and to use. The International Braille Research Center provides expertise and guidance to both public and private entities who wish to make Braille more widely available to blind persons.

For More Information and to learn how you can help, contact:

International Braille Research Center
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
Telephone: 410-659-9314 X367
Fax: 410-685-5653

Photographs courtesy of National Federation of the Blind, Inc.

©1997 International Braille Research Center