Louis Braille, the man who devised the system that enabled blind people to read and write, was born in 1809. We marked his bicentennial by learning more about him and the braille system he created.

 The Picture Book Biography of Louis Braille by David Adler was a good place to begin our exploration.

 This is a sampling of books accessible to blind children. Some, like A Splendid Friend Indeed, have braille added to the regular print and some have textured illustrations as well as braille, as in The Black Book of Colors.

 Other items adapted for people that are blind or have low vision include rulers, playing cards and dice.

The basic braille cell is a combination of 6 dots (two wide and three long) that corresponds to letters, numbers and punctuation. Students used a blank sheet of paper to translate the letters of their name to braille.  

Writing tools emboss dots on braille paper or file cards and allows braille to be written. Use a stylus and slate to write the note going from right to left with each letter flipped over. Then when you turn the paper over you'll be able to read it normally, from left to right.

There are even drawing boards so you can "feel" what you have drawn. Try it yourself by placing a piece of drawing paper on top of cardboard that's been covered with netting. 

Go to the Braille Bug site to play games and practice your braille skills.

A kit containing the embossed dice, braille playing cards, the slate and stylus, alphabet cards, a ruler, a drawing board, and pouring aid can be borrowed so you can explore braille further on your own. Just ask for it from the Outreach Department.