"In our way, we, the blind, are as indebted to Louis Braille as mankind is to Gutenberg. It is true that the dot system is very different from ordinary print, but these raised letters are, under our fingers, precious seeds from which has grown our intellectual harvest. Without the braille dot system, how incomplete and chaotic our education would be! The dismal doors of frustration would shut us out from the untold treasures of literature, philosophy and science. But, like a magic wand, the six dots of Louis Braille have resulted in schools where embossed books, like vessels, can transport us to ports of education, libraries and all the means of expression that assure our independence."  
-Hellen Keller [2]

Thesis

The invention of Braille had a huge impact on the lives of the blind because it gave blind people a better system of education, communication, and help them to further contribute to society.

“There is a wonder in reading Braille that the sighted will never know: to touch words and have them touch you back.”
-Jim Fiebig [5]

What is Braille?

        Braille is a system of reading and writing for the blind. Each Braille "cell" consists of one to six dots,  and each specific pattern of dots represents a letter or a word [1]. Each cell is 2 dots wide and 3 dots tall [3]. These dots create bumps in the paper that a blind person can read by touch. There were other systems before braille, but braille was by far the most useful and successful, and it is still used today [4].

"Braille Alphabet Chart"
<http://www.myflorida.com/dbs/braille/Braille-alphabet.php>
(Dec 10, 2009)

1. "Braille" <http://www.duxburysystems.com/braille.asp> (Dec 7, 2009)
2. "Helen Keller's Speech at the Sorbonne Honoring Louis Braille" <http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=86&DocumentID=4620>  (Dec 8, 2009)
3. "How Does Braille Work?" <http://www.rnzfb.org.nz/ourservices/readingandwriting/braille/introductionbraille#invention-of-braille> (Jan 3, 2010)
4.  Lowenfeld Berthold, The Changing Status of The Blind. (Springfield: Thomas, 1975)
5. "Jim Fiebig quotes" <http://thinkexist.com/quotes/jim_fiebig/> (Jan 30, 2010).

Created by Rose Hinson and Sayaka Yamamoto
Senior Division