01/03/2014

Braille Bug poster displaying braille alphabet and images of kids reading braille

Saturday, January 4, marks the 205th birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor of his eponymous code for people with vision loss. In celebration of his birthday, as well as National Braille Literacy Month, we’ve assembled a roundup of braille-centric content throughout AFB's family of sites.

Read up, reflect, and appreciate what braille has meant to so many. Braille continues to be a driving force for people with vision loss. Throughout January, we will be sharing information relevant to braille—history, technology, and so forth.

Here's a collection of articles to kick things off. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

What Is Braille? A primer for the uninitiated. Then, move on to a more advanced overview, courtesy of VisionAware’s All About Braille section.

Touch and Read: Early Tools of Literacy for Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired. Presented via FamilyConnect, this article is an excerpt from the AFB Press text Reach Out and Teach: Helping Your Child Who is Visually Impaired Learn and Grow, by Kay Alicyn Ferrell.

Braille Literacy Awareness Month. From our partner site, VisionAware.

200 Years: The Life and Legacy of Louis Braille. This robust online museum celebrating Louis Braille's Bicentennial traces his life through photographs, engravings, and illustrations from AFB's rare books collection.

Literacy Resources for Parents. Also from FamilyConnect, a valuable roundup for families with children who are blind or visually impaired.

DOTS for Braille Literacy. The most recent issue of AFB's newsletter covering the latest on braille technologies and teaching strategies.

Louis Braille Biography. A kid-friendly biography on the Braille Bug® site, which was created to help sighted children learn about braille through accessible games and activities.

Further, the forthcoming January issue of AccessWorld will include content on braille as it relates to technology—an annual focus each January.

Author AFB Staff
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