Braille | Braille and the Blind

Finding Free Braille Books for Your Child

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You may have a child that is blind; or perhaps you are part of a library or community group that is seeking Braille books for children. There are many sources available that can help you obtain these types of book for free.

Register at the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. This service is part of the national Library of Congress and provides services for reading disabled, low vision or blind citizens. While you will have to submit documentation of the disability, you will then have access to all materials available through the National Library Service. You will have the ability to search catalogs and request specific books.

The Kenneth Jernigan Library also allows you to borrow books. These books are selected by librarians and set to your child through the mail.

Free Braille books are also available from the American Action Fund. Approximately once a month, your child will get a book or chapter from a book.

The Braille Institute is also a great resource for books. The organization provides free books to children from its Special Collections program.

Another source of free Braille books is the Angel Program at Seedlings Braille Books for Children. Your child and you can select two books per year from their extensive catalog.

In addition, check your local libraries for additional sources of Braille literature for your child. A simple internet search can also help you find outlets that can provide books and other reading material.

Filed Under: Braille, Support Tagged With: Braille, Library of Congress, Special Collections

All About Braille

Most people have heard of Braille, but unless you have a blind family member of friend you probably do not know that many details about Braille.

What is Braille?

It is important to remember that Braille is not its own language. Braille is an alternative way to read languages that already exist. The dots people associate in Braille are arranged in different combinations to represent different letters. There are different combinations of dots of each language. A person reading in English in Braille and a person reading in French in Braille would not be using the same letter codes.

Where did Braille Come From?

Braille was invented by a teenage boy named Louis Braille who lived in the early 1800s. Louis was born with full sight, but injured one of his eyes during a childhood accident. Feeling left out in school, Louis used his creative and scientific talents to come up with a way that he could read and write. While studying, Louis learned about a dot system initially used by the French army. Louis put his own spin on the idea and soon after Braille was born. Louis even published the first Braille. Although Braille benefited him, it was not originally accepted by teachers and doctors of his day. But like many great inventors, after his death, Braille eventually caught on and helps millions of blind people everywhere to this day.

Modern Braille

Braille has come a long way since days of Louis Braille and so has technology. Braille can be found everywhere these days. Braille is often found on ATM machines, so that visually impaired individuals can access their bank accounts with out assistance. Braille can also be put on cell phones and computers so that blind people can be independent workers. Braille is popular in elevators to help blind people who live in apartment complexes or stay in hotels while on vacation.

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: Blindness, Braille, Visual impairment

Regular Eye Check Up Needed To Prevent Eye Problems.

There are many diseases that can cause a person to become blind. It is very important that there is a regular eye check up done by people of all ages to ensure that the person does not become blind. As the person becomes older, it is much more important for the regular eye check up. There are many clinics that will help the person to have a regular check of the eye.
The eye check up is done to identify the presence of any damage to the eye and the various parts of the eye. Retinal damage is common in diabetes.
Since diabetes is on the rise in many countries and societies, more and more people are suffering from this problem. It is very important that the treatment of the eye is done early enough. For the treatment to be early, the identification of the problem also needs to be early. For identification of the problem, the person needs to undergo health checks and focus on eye check up.

The common method of testing the eye is to check the visual acuity by using the Snellen’s chart. This is a test that is done by making the patient view a chart with varying sizes of numbers or alphabets and the person has to read the largest to the smallest numbers. When the person is not able to read any of them, then it denotes that the person has some kind of visual problem.

Regular eye check will also help to identify the presence of any problems earlier than usual. This is because of the fact that if a yearly eye check is done, any new problems can be treated as soon as they appear and this will prevent any lasting problems like blindness. If there are no regular eye checks done, then the person may even become blind.

Filed Under: Braille Tagged With: Blindness, Eye, Eye examination, Visual acuity

Importance Of Barrier Free Environment For The Blind

A barrier free environment is very important for each and every person who is blind. Vision is a very important sensory function of the person. There are times when the person may not be able to have proper vision. This is called as partial blindness. There are many other people who may not be able to see at all and this is called as complete blindness.

When a person is blind, the person may not be able to live life to the fullest. This is because the blind person may need to depend on other people to move around in the house and also outside the house. To prevent the person from becoming dependant on others and also to ensure that the person is able to be independent in living, it is very important to create a barrier free environment for the person.

A barrier free environment is a very important need for a blind person. This is because if there is some barrier, then the person will have a high risk of falling and injuring themselves. This can lead to fractures and other problems that can further reduce the independence of the person.

The importance of barrier free environment can be understood from the fact that those who are blind and live in a barrier free environment have a lesser risk of injuring themselves. They are also much more independent. A person who is blind and lives in an environment where there are a lot of barriers may have a high risk for injuries. The person will also need to be dependent on other people to overcome the problems that are associated with barriers. Quality of life too can be increased if the person has a barrier free environment and the individual will be able to live life better than usual.

Filed Under: Braille Tagged With: Barrier-free, Blindness, Conditions and Diseases, Eye Disorders

All The Basic Information About Braille

Braille is a system that is used all over the world by people who are blind. This is a system that helps the person to read various kinds of materials. Braille can be said to be a system of language that is used by the blind people.

Braille is the use of dotted alphabets that are used by the blind person to read. There are various kinds or systems of Braille that have been used and created. The 6 dot system is one form of Braille where there are 6 dots that are used by the individual to be able to read various kinds of books. Other than the 6 dot system, there is also the 8 dot system of Braille. This system has about 8 dots that are again used in the way alphabets are written.

Braille is used all over the world by people to read, if they are blind. This makes it like a uniform blind reading system. There are various books that have been made into the Braille form that can be used by the people who want to read these books. These books may be quite expensive when compared to the normal books because of the high cost of production, but they are very useful.

The books that are in the Braille form and can be used by the people who are visually challenged is actually the raised dots. There are various dots that have been made for the person to be able to read. The blind person runs their hand over the book in the Braille form. When the person runs the hand over the book, it is easy to decipher using the mind and the hand co ordination. The raised dots are deciphered by the mind into alphabets and words. This helps the blind person to read using Braille.

Filed Under: Braille Tagged With: Braille

Disadvantages Of Blind In The Society

The society can be very rough at times. There are many people who do not have vision and are blind. This can lead to a lot of problems for the person. The person will be at a disadvantage in the society. There are many people who are blind from birth and this is called as congenital blindness. When a person suffers from congenital blindness, the person may have blindness from birth because of some disease or because of the fact that the person may not have their brain properly developed.

There are some people who become blind sometime after the birth. This too is because of the fact that some of them may be suffering from certain diseases that causes damage to the part of the brain that is associated with vision. Other than this, certain injuries to the eye can also cause blindness. When a person becomes blind, it can lead to severe disadvantages in the society.

Education for the person who is blind is difficult. There are only a few specialized schools where the blind are taught. This makes the person to be at a disadvantage right from the start. Other than the education, learning various skills also becomes difficult as the person is not able to see anything. There are some people who may not be completely blind and these people may be able to cope with life.

The person who is blind will not be able to live independently in most cases. In developed nations, it is easier for a person to live independently because of the provision of barrier free environment in the society. The barrier free environment makes it possible for the person who is blind to move around without any problems. This will also increase the independence of the person making life more meaningful.

Filed Under: Braille Tagged With: Health

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Braille

There are various advantages of using Braille by people to read. Braille is a form of language that is used by the blind people to read. As we know blind people will not be able to see the shape of size of the alphabets. To make even blind people to read, this system of Braille was started.

This is a method in which the book in Braille form has various dots that are raised. As the dots are present on the paper and also because the dots are raised, the person who is reading the book needs to run the hands over the book or paper and the raised dots will help the person to read the words in the book.

Any person thinking of Braille will think of the many advantages that it has. Though the system of Braille has a lot of advantages, there are also some disadvantages of Braille. We will look at some of the other advantages before going into the disadvantages.

Learning is possible for the person who is able to read Braille. Even a blind person can educate himself thorough Braille and this is the major advantage of using this system to read. The disadvantage of Braille is that the person who is using this kind of books to read will have to spend a lot of money to read. This is a very difficult proposition for many of the people who are not economically well off.

The high cost of the books that are in Braille is just one of the disadvantages. The other disadvantage is that the Braille is present in English and there are no other fully compatible systems in any other language. There are a lot of people trying to use other methods similar to Braille for various languages, but it has not been as successful. This is a disadvantage because people who do not know English and have become blind will find it difficult.

Filed Under: Braille Tagged With: Blindness, Braille, Eye Disorders, Vision and Reading Aids, Visual impairment

How to decide what breed of dog is best for a seeing-eye-dog.

: Image by niallkennedy via Flickr

In the dark world of the legally blind, venturing into the noisy,crowded world of those not vision impared, it can seem a scary, dauntless task. For Those that do venture out, and make try to make their lives as normal as possible, a seeing eye dog is the most essential partner to them. Upon completion of formal training, a graduated guide dog is matched with those who need it the most. Normally a waiting list is in place for those willing and wanting to adopt and take home a guide dog.

A dog’s personality is a very important thing to consider when looking into adopting.

Is he Friendly? Shy? Does he lead? or prefer to follow? Is he loyal, and willing to work? or does he enjoy laying in the sun? When dogs are matched with their new owners, the owners must learn the dogs name, breed and temprament, in order to bond quickly and closely with their new family member.

The breeds most commonly used as Guide dogs according to the Guide dogs of America are: 70% Labrador Retrievers, 15% Golden Retrievers, and 15% German Shepherds. Labrador Retrievers make up the majority of dogs as they have been found to be the most successful breed used. The Labrador Retriever is the dog most often used for guide dog programs throughout the world, due to their friendly attitude and willingness to work hard.

A few days of one on one training is usually needed to help the new owner and the dogs adjust and to learn commands needed to show the dog just what tasks their owner needs help performing doing things such as walking across the street, picking things up,& walking up and down steps.Once a dog is matched with their new owner and the few initial days of adjustment and training are complete,both dog and owner are ready to begin their new life together as a family that relies on one another.

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: Blindness, Dog, German Shepherd Dog, Guide dog

Is learning braille beneficial to people who are not legally blind?

The benefits for Learning braille as a sighted person are extraordinary.Not only does learning Braille de-mystify the reading language of the blind, it also extends possible social bridges that many sighted people may feel they cannot cross to communicate with those who are blind.

There are many ways to learn to read braille for sighted people, from computer programs, pop up boards to educational toys. Parents of blind children can find these beneficial, as well as family members who have someone dear to them who is legally blind. Say you have a blind friend, and wish to write them a letter that they can actually read by themselves?

The gaps and social awkwardness that exist between those who are blind, and those who are sighted can easily be bridged with books such as “The Handbook To Learning To Read Braille By Sight” By Leland Schubert helps those who are sighted learn by exposing them to print braille and embossed braille. At the end of each educational section, it provides a quiz to help go over what was learned in each.

“New Programmed Instruction in Braille, Second Edition” By S. Ashcroft, F. Henderson, L. Sanford, and A. Koenig Is a manual used mostly in college courses used to teach the sighted all the contractions and rules for reading and writing literary braille, and contains 11 chapters complete with practice writing exercises.

Even teachers who have blind students can communicate effectively with their students by learning braille. A computer program used to teach the sighted braille is also an effective way to learn. “The Braille Teacher” by Aubrey Welle is available for DOS-compatible computers. This program is 10 lessons on the literary braille code. And is a quick way to learn, while not having to pick up a book and read.

A teacher specific computer program is “The Computerized Braille Tutor”. The program,converts the keyboard into a Brailler and shows facsimile braille dots on the screen.

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: Blindness, Braille, Learning

Read the Best Books on the Planet–in Braille

Braille. It’s one of those necessary skills you’ve learned through the years. You enjoy reading the classics, authors like Lewis Carroll and Charlotte Bronte, but you also hanker for those newly released books, the ones that keep your heart racing and your mind soaring. Reading is a serious and fun adventure, one that you don’t want to miss, especially if you have recently lost your sight, or a good portion of it, and want to know the facts and formulas for reading Braille and experiencing reading all over again. Good news. Try these tips for locating the best Braille books on the planet.

1. Google books in Braille on your home computer and discover a great list of places to search; from the well-known online establishments to those companies specializing in Braille only.
2. Seek out your nearest local Braille library. Receive a catalog of Braille listings by emailing, mailing or telephoning your request.
3. Have a child who is blind? Find the latest resources by typing in books on Braille for children. Discover low cost resources, even free options in book reading to keep your child happy and interested for hours.
4. Just recently lost your sight? Want to learn how to read again? Learning Braille as an adult can be as difficult as learning a new language, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. If it’s the independence you lack and want, and the freedom to read what you want when you want, then learning Braille is for you. Even if you have low vision, learning Braille will assist you in the fulfilling life you desire.

Get started! Fortunately, these aren’t the only resources available to you on your search for books on Braille. Often, talking with others who are blind or have low sight will lend a cornucopia of ideas to keep you reading for hours to come.

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: Blindness, Braille, education, Learning, Lewis Carroll, Reading