Autobiography

Qualifications

Kresta's Tail

Tanya's Tail

Round House Folk

Braille

Synaesthesia

Angelicles

A Tribute To Ronald Bayfield

Blind and partially sighted people around the world rely on a system known as “Braille”, whereby the user is able to read and write through a series of raised dots. The Braille alphabet was invented by Louis Braille in the early 19th century, and has since been developed into the more advanced system used by visually impaired people today. It is read by using the tips of the two index fingers, where, most commonly, one finger is allocated to do much of the actual reading, and the other is used to aid navigation through the text.

I began learning Braille after the loss of my sight, aged 13, a difficult transition after having been fully sighted, and being able to quickly glance over printed text. I was lead through a series of practice books, in which each volume focused on different aspects of the Braille code, from the basic alphabet, through to the complexities of grade 2 Braille. I have since also become proficient in reading and writing Braille music, and am very keen to keep the use of Braille alive.

Braille provides visually impaired people with the independence of reading and writing at their leasure. A wealth of Braille resources are available, from libraries and other independent organizations, as well as through transcribers, whose job it is to transcribe printed materials into Braille if requested.

Unfortunately, especially amongst younger people, the use of Braille is becoming more and more "dated", as advancing technology, including computer screen reading software, speech activated and audio devices, now dominates day to day life. As a consequence, there are fewer experienced teachers of Braille, causing those who do require support with Braille, a frustrating and difficult wait.