The average braille reading speed is about 125 words per minute. The combinations of raised dots provide a system so a person with a visual impairment can read music, play cards and other games, ride elevators, and read books, magazines, and other materials. There are five major braille codes used in the United States. One type of braille is called English braille. This is used for written material using only standard letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.
English braille consists of three grades of braille.
When people are first learning braille, they generally begin with Grade 1 braille. This consists of the letters of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation marks, and a few special symbols. Grade 2 braille includes all of the Grade 1 symbols plus 189 contractions and 76 short-form, or abbreviated words. The contractions are special braille characters representing groups of letters that appear frequently in English. Because a braille cell takes about two and a half times more space that a standard written letter on a page, contractions and short-form words are used to save space and paper.