Small Dots: Big Impact

Romance, mysteries, comedies – Who doesn’t love a good story? You might be thinking, “I don’t have the time or patience to read a book” – audiobooks are a fun alternative to a hard copy. However, did you know there are other ways to read? Braille supports individuals who are blind or have low vision by entertaining one of the other five senses.

Braille is a reading system that helps people learn spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Written in small dots with special equipment or technology, the code symbolizes letters and numbers that are read through touch with fingertips. For individuals with partial or complete loss of sight, the system provides access to written language.

The American Foundation for the Blind explains, “Braille is not a language. Rather, it is a code by which many languages – such as English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and dozens of others – may be written and read.”

The complexity put into the design and arrangement of the system is truly remarkable. A Braille “cell” is composed of six dots organized in two columns and three rows. The Perkins School for the Blind describes how each dot is assigned a number from 1 to 6, with dot 1 consistently located in the top left corner throughout the alphabet. The lowercase letter “a” is the easiest to learn, represented as one dot in the top left corner.

January is Braille Literacy Awareness Month, which recognizes the tool that impacts lives.

“Braille is knowledge and knowledge is power,” creator Louis Braille once said. Since 1824, the code has been promoting learning and telling stories – revolutionizing the lives of many today.

Echoing Hills has supported individuals with disabilities since our founder, Cordell Brown, had a vision in 1965. Our mission is to encourage independence, helping others to reach their highest potential.