How Do Blind People Write? From Braille to Modern Technology

How does a blind person write?

Many blind people use Braille, named after its inventor, Louis Braille, who developed the system when he was just 15. The Braille system was published in 1829, and the first book in Braille appeared eight years later. Interestingly, it was about the history of France.

Braille is based on six raised dots, arranged in different combinations to represent letters.

To write on paper, blind people can use Braille typewriters, including models sold under the names Perkins, Eurotype and TatraPoint. The paper needs to be thicker and stiffer than ordinary writing paper.

How do blind people use the internet? One option is a screen reader: software that converts on-screen text into synthetic speech. Widely used options include the free NVDA and the paid JAWS. These tools enable blind people to use computers, write text and work in many professions.

Digital tools of this kind have been developing since around 2000. Their rapid progress has helped advance assistive technology for people with visual impairments, a field focused on designing accessible hardware and software.

Despite its versatility, Braille has some drawbacks. Braille text takes up considerably more space: a popular Harry Potter novel can fill 36 Braille volumes instead of seven print volumes. Braille books also tend to cost much more because printing is expensive and print runs are small.

How did blind people write in the past?

Earlier methods had significant limitations. At first, people tried forming letters from materials such as wood, felt or pieces of wire. Unfortunately, this still did not give blind people a practical way to write text.

This time, reading was the problem: the letters quickly wore away. Another idea was knot-based writing, which allowed people to record and read information by tying knots in a cord. The size, number and spacing of the knots conveyed meaning. As you might imagine, communicating this way was extremely slow.

Ultimately, the system developed by Louis Braille gained widespread use. He drew his inspiration from the military: his raised-dot system was based on a method of communication used by the French army to convey orders in the dark without speaking. The key difference was that the military system used 12 raised dots rather than six. Braille simplified the system and later expanded it to include mathematical and musical notation.