What is Braille Braille is a means of reading and writing for blind people. The history and development of the Braille system has made it possible for blind people to take notes, write letters, read books and popular magazines, compute mathmatical equations, and even read and write music. Most important, however, Braille is literacy to a blind person. History and Use of Braille Braille is a system of touch reading and writing in which raised dots represent the letters of the alphabet. Braille also contains equivalents for punctuation marks and provides symbols to show letter groupings.
Braille is read by moving the hand or hands from left to right along each line.
Both hands are usually involved in the reading process, and reading is generally done with the index fingers. The average reading speed is about 125 words per minute, but greater speeds of up to 200 words per minute are possible. By using braille, blind people can review and study the written word. They can become aware of different written conventions such as spelling, punctuation, paragraphing and footnotes. Most of all, blind individuals can have access to a wide range of reading materials including educational and recreational reading and practical manuals.