Grades K–2 · Language
How can raised dots carry written words?
A story does not have to reach a reader through eyes or ears. In braille, tiny bumps on a page can carry written words. A reader who knows the patterns feels them with fingertips. The bumps are raised dots, arranged carefully so their places can be recognized by touch.
One small group is called a cell. In the six-dot cells shown here, there are three possible dot places down the left and three down the right. Some places are raised and others are not. Changing which places are raised changes the pattern.
In these English letter examples, a has only the top-left dot raised. The letter b adds the dot below it. The letter c also has two raised dots, but they sit beside each other across the top. Two dots can therefore make different letters. Where they sit matters as much as how many there are.
The numbered cell locates six possible places. Below it, b and c have the same number of raised dots but different arrangements.
A trained reader joins these patterns into words and sentences. Braille is a way to write language, not a new spoken language. A page of small raised shapes can open the same wide world of stories and ideas as a page of ink.
About this explanation
The pictures are enlarged, flat diagrams of raised dots. Real braille is felt by touch, and its writing rules include more than these three letters.
Starting knowledge: Recognizing small groups and comparing top, bottom, left and right positions.
Sources
- American Printing House for the Blind / California State University, Los Angeles — Unit 1: The Braille Alphabet and Numbers