Braille
WHAT IS BRAILLE?
Braille is a system of embossed signs which are raised dots that are read with fingers by people who are blind. It is used as a communication tool and for enhancing literacy for people who are visually impaired. Braille is divided into two parts. There is Grade 1 Braille where every letter of every word is expressed as it is and it is mostly used in vernacular languages like Setswana e.g. Ntate or Rre which means father in English. The word Ntate or Rre will be expressed as it is without changing or contracting. Whereas the word father can be written in Grade 2 where you don’t express every letter of the word instead you write it as dot 5 and f using the Braille cell. Therefore, in Pudulogong we begin with Grade 1 Braille (unconstructed) for beginners and later we go deep into Grade 2 Braille (contracted). We use a Braille machine called Perkins Brailler, a hand frame (slate) and a stylus and with the advancement of technology we also use a Computer with the Braille Embosser Machine using software programs to produce Braille Materials. These software Programs are user friendly such that even a total blind person can use them using a software program called Jaws. Therefore, apart from producing Braille materials, we also transcribe Braille materials from print to Braille and vice-versa. We also teach blind students who are not Braille competent how to write and read Braille so that they become Braille competent by the end of their course.
Braille is a system of embossed signs which are raised dots that are read with fingers by people who are blind. It is used as a communication tool and for enhancing literacy for people who are visually impaired. Braille is divided into two parts. There is Grade 1 Braille where every letter of every word is expressed as it is and it is mostly used in vernacular languages like Setswana e.g. Ntate or Rre which means father in English. The word Ntate or Rre will be expressed as it is without changing or contracting. Whereas the word father can be written in Grade 2 where you don’t express every letter of the word instead you write it as dot 5 and f using the Braille cell. Therefore, in Pudulogong we begin with Grade 1 Braille (unconstructed) for beginners and later we go deep into Grade 2 Braille (contracted). We use a Braille machine called Perkins Brailler, a hand frame (slate) and a stylus and with the advancement of technology we also use a Computer with the Braille Embosser Machine using software programs to produce Braille Materials. These software Programs are user friendly such that even a total blind person can use them using a software program called Jaws. Therefore, apart from producing Braille materials, we also transcribe Braille materials from print to Braille and vice-versa. We also teach blind students who are not Braille competent how to write and read Braille so that they become Braille competent by the end of their course.
