My child is blind and I was told he should learn braille. What is braille?
A French boy named Louis Braille who was himself blind devised a system of raised dots that represent letters, numbers and symbols that enable blind people to read using their fingers. The system uses a rectangular cell/grid made up of 3 pairs of dots. The presence or absence of dots in the grid gives the code for the symbol or letter it represents. Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a particular combination of dots.
The person reading Braille moves their fingers over the grid to determine which letter is being represented. It can take several months to learn to read Braille accurately. Braille may be created by using a slate and stylus, or a special machine with keys representing each dot in the Braille cell, or a Braille embosser similar to an electric typewriter.
This is an example of some letters of the Braille alphabet. The large dots are raised and the small ones are just there to show the position of the raised one in relation to the cell. Only the large dot which is raised, is shown in real Braille.
First he must learn to recognize the individual letters, punctuation marks, contractions, etc, and then learn to read Braille.
What else can I do for him?
The Guyana Society for the blind can offer some help. They will be able to teach him to walk with a cane, which will greatly enhance his mobility and thus his quality of life, how to cook and bake, crafts, woodworking, and also how to learn Braille. There are many products now available for the blind outside this country. These may have to be specially ordered from specialty suppliers, while others are available on the internet.
There are lots of books, games (scrabble, bingo, chess, checkers), and toys (animal blocks, cards), telephones, available in Braille. Some television shows have audio descriptions on them. This is a feature which tells you what is happening on the screen.
You can buy special watches where the top raises up and he can feel the hands and tell the time, or you can get ones that actually tell you the time.
You can get Braille letters that can be stuck onto the letters on a computer keyboard, so he can type. There are also many ‘talking’ products available. You can get a special clock that tells you the time, the date, and also has a timer on it. You can get special money identifiers.
There are calculators, microwaves, special organizers with an appointment book, phone book, alarm clock and calculator, scales, a talking dictionary, textbooks for school, tape measures, thermometers, caller ID phones, just to name a few.
There is a really interesting gadget that you attach to the top of a glass or cup and it buzzes when the liquid reaches about 1 inch from the top.
