The Braille Alphabet (alphabet for the blind, english braille, Blindenschrift englisch)

'blind people say thank you' in Braille

The Braille writing system was invented 1825 by the Frenchman Louis Braille (new window)
and it is today the most important and successful
writing system for the blind of the world

Text will be read with the touch sense of fingers. The characters
of Braille writing consists of dots only, since blind people can use their
fingers to differentiate the raised dots better than other raised geometrical forms.

Louis Braille, blind since the age of 3, experimented for a long time until he found the solution:
finger tips with the 6 dots

6 dots
could be felt by one finger and yet available in different combinations to cover the entire alphabet:

Displays various versions of the Braille Alphabet for printing
Text version of the Braille alphabet

This fact is certain: the Braille writing was the first binary code in the world!
(two conditions: dot present or dot absent = 1 bit)

Louis Braille developed his dot writing further, also for music notes and even for mathematical formulas.

On the left you see a music score, and the right picture shows a chemical formula in Braille.

On the page ==>

Braille learning you can learn the Braille writing system.
You can find examples in Braille on ==>

Braille exercises (sample texts).

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The basics of Braille for the written communication of the blind:

The basic character (full cell) consists of 6 dots and is sometimes used for orientation.
The dots are numbered according to the following schedule:

upper line [1] and [4]

middle line [2] and [5]

lower line [3] and [6]
The number of possible characters amounts to 2 to the power of ⁶ = 64, without blanks thus 63. Not all combinations of dots are useful standing alone, because the dot writing is read with the fingers in contrast to print. The basic pattern of the Braille letters "a" to "j" is modified for the remaining letters and characters at the dot locations [ 3 ], [ 3 and 6 ] or [ 6 ]. Afterwards the remaining combinations follow.
A Braille character with its maximum of six or eight dots is called a cell.
The size of touchable Braille characters is 6 to 7 mm, and customarily have the following dimensions:
Dot-spacing 2.5 mm
Dot-thickness 1.5 mm (diameter)
Cell spacing 6 mm
Line spacing 10 mm
Height (survey) at least 0.4 mm

Due to the tactile minimum size of the signs and the need to use thicker paper, documents and books are much larger and heavier than comparable editions in print.
For the blind, the term print is used to describe the font for the sighted. Often, the term 'normal type' is using for print, as opposed to Braille.
There are only lowercase letters in Braille. If an uppercase letter must be designated, then 'CAP' (D6 )' is written in front. 'CAP' written twice (D6 D6 ) designates a word which only exists in uppercase letters.
[ correct uppercase letters only exist in the Braille alphabet system using 8 dots (Computer Braille) ]
For the display of numbers, the letter "a" to "j" is used. Numbers are started with the number-sign '#' (D3456 ) and end with the space or with letter-sign 'LTR' (D56 ) if a letter "a" to "j" follows.
Some punctuations marks have several meanings, depending on the context of use. The three charcters 'S1' (D5 ), 'S2' (D456 ) and 'S3' (D45 ) change the meanings of the following letters by using contractions.
If Braille is written by hand, the dots are pressed backward into the paper with the aid of a stencil (dot writing slate) and a pen (stylus). For reading, the paper is taken out and turned around. If a Braille writer (machine) is used, the turning around step can be skipped. 6 or 8 keys are used to write (7 or 9 keys with spacebar). You can write on your own computer using 6 keys of Braille on the Braille slate simulator or the Braille writing simulator:
Among the blind, only about 20% have knowledge of Braille writing.
The classification of blind by age shows that most blind people are over 60 years old. These people are often unable to learn the complexities of Braille and therefore are satisfied with acoustic alternatives. These numbers are extrapolations from Germany, as exact figures are not available. Due to rising life expectancy and the associated "aging society", we can figure that the percentage of blind people in society will be increasing.

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Writing systems for the blind:

Classification of writings for the blind in dot writings and relief writings: Even if the other writing systems are not as important, the general equation of Braille writing with the dot writing or writing for the blind is incorrect. The writing by Braille is the most effective writing system for the blind and it is successful, but it is not suitable for all blind people nor used by all blind people.
Before the triumphal of the dot writing system, for example, raised letters by Valentin Haüy (new window) were used which were much too complicated to be read in rapid succession. For the relief writing by Haüy (image, opens a new window), used since 1784, characters are written by using an iron pen to scratch the characters backwards into thick paper.

Other relief writing systems developed by Terzi (image, opens a new window), Alston (image, opens a new window), Gall (image, opens a new window), Howe (image, opens a new window), Lucas (image, opens a new window), Hebold (image, opens a new window) and Frere.
The Sting Writing system, invented by the German Johann Wilhelm Klein (new window) in 1807, was also just as hard to read, although the Latin letters are displayed as dots. It was difficult to read because the entire letter had to be felt by the fingertip by touching it with upward and downward movements before the letter could be recognized.
The first true dot writing system was invented in 1815 by Charles Barbier (new window). The characters of his Night Writing, developed for military purposes, consisted of up to 12 dots in two rows. Barbier also brought his writing system to the Paris Institute of the Blind, where it was also temporarily used as a writing system for the blind.
Between 1821 and 1825 Louis Braille developed his alphabet for the blind after improving the Night Writing of Charles Barbier. Braille did so by reducing the number of points to 6. As a result, his dot writing was much easier to read and write. The first publication of his dot writing system was in 1829, but it took many years before this writing system prevails. Only in 1850 was the Braille writing system officially recognized as a writing system for the blind, and thereafter it prevails internationally.
In 1839 Louis Braille introduce his Raphigraphy to the replica of the print. With this writing the blind could write their relatives, the Braille could not read. Later it was written with an apparatus, and increasingly they writing replaced by the typewriter.
Parallel also incurred other writings for the blind, including in 1845 the Moon Alphabet by William Moon (new window), which despite the simplicity of optical is still not easy tactile to grasp. Moon developed the system by Frere continues. (Frere had with similar characters like Lucas, a phonetic alphabet developed.) The Moon Writing it in some regions of the world still used as default writing for the blind.
From 1871 to 1916 was in New York used the dot writing system dissenting of Braille Writing named "New York Point" The about 1860 by William Bell Wait invented characters were just two dots high. But despite uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation marks was init, the characters was harder to read than Braille because the length of characters was different. And in 1916 by the War of the dots (new window) was this writing by the English Braille displaced.
Even by Joel W. Smith 1878 reformed version named "American Braille" was in this dispute does not prevail, even though they were arbitrarily set of dot patterns by Braille replaced for the assignment by a statistically more effective (most letters were the fewest dots). A uniform blind writing in english-speaking area had priority and it also supported the international dissemination of Braille Writing.
In continuation of the idea of Louis Braille for his Raphigrafie for better communication of blind and seeing was by Alexander Fakoó from 2007 to 2008 an alternate dot writing developed. This Fakoo Writing uses the same dots as the Braille Writing. Each characters consists of up to 9 dots and an integrated letter distance (9-dots-alphabet, 9-dot-braille, nine-dot braille). Thus this dot writing is readable also for seeing, why many advantages result.
Fakoo character set
For handwritten recordings for the blinds was developed by Alexander Fakoó a writing for the blind by hand without curves, which uses only the 4 side-lines and the two diagonals of a square (6-lines-alphabet). This square writing can be written more simply than Moon and contains apart from letters also numbers. Since the Quadoo Writing is strongly ajar against the print, a big recognizing effect develops.
Quadoo Alphabet

View and print a timeline of evolution of writings for the blind

some writings for the blind in comparison
Alphabets by Haüy, Gall, Howe, Moon, Braille, Wait and Fakoo on each other

Alphabets by Haüy, Gall, Howe, Moon, Braille, Wait and Fakoo on each other

Would be to note that the letters of the Braille almost no discernible lateral distance row will be.

mainmenu:

submenu 'Braille':

... page content 2.1. Braille alphabet:

The Braille Alphabet (alphabet for the blind, english braille, Blindenschrift englisch)

The Braille writing system was invented 1825 by the Frenchman Louis Braille (new window)
and it is today the most important and successful
writing system for the blind of the world

The basics of Braille for the written communication of the blind:

Writing systems for the blind:

foot menu:

upper line	[1]	and [4]
middle line	[2]	and [5]
lower line	[3]	and [6]

mainmenu:

submenu 'Braille':

... page content 2.1. Braille alphabet:

The Braille Alphabet (alphabet for the blind, english braille, Blindenschrift englisch)

The Braille writing system was invented 1825 by the Frenchman Louis Braille (new window) and it is today  the most important and successful writing system for the blind of the world

The basics of Braille for the written communication of the blind:

Writing systems for the blind:

foot menu:

The Braille writing system was invented 1825 by the Frenchman Louis Braille (new window)
and it is today the most important and successful
writing system for the blind of the world