Writing in Braille is not as easy as regular writing. However, you can write braille manually or using the keyboard. Once you learn the braille alphabet, you should be able to apply the writing techniques, although it will take a lot of practice to become fully fluent.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Learning Braille
Step 1. Learn the braille alphabet
All braille letters are a combination of six dots per cell. These points are arranged as two vertical rows of three dots (or depending on the point of view, three horizontal rows of two dots). One letter can be represented by one to five dots. There is a pattern in the Braille alphabet that corresponds to the order of the letters in the alphabet.
- The first ten letters of the alphabet (A-J) are specially made up of some combination of the upper four dots.
- The next ten letters (K-T) are arranged by adding the lower left dot to the previous ten letters. So, if the upper left dot (the letter A) is added to the lower left point, the letter becomes “K”. Next, of course, is the letter “L” which is created by adding the same dot to the letter “B”. This pattern continues until the letter “T.”
- The next five letters except "W", are arranged by adding two dots below the first ten letters. The letter "W" is excluded because this alphabet does not exist in French, which is the native language of Braille.
Step 2. Learn punctuation
Punctuation marks are also composed of a combination of six dots in one cell. Cells containing a dot at the bottom right are capitalized (uppercase). The dot is written by making a dot at the bottom right and two dots in the second line. The formation is the same as the letter "D", only down one line. The exclamation mark is written by lowering the letter "F" by one line.
- To indicate that all letters in a word are capitalized (not just the first letter), the related word is preceded by two capitalization symbols so that the word begins with two cells containing only the lower right dot.
- Use numeric symbols to write down numbers. This symbol is three dots in the right column with a bottom dot in the left column (forming an inverted “L”). Number symbols can be followed by symbols that usually represent the letters "A" through "J." The letter “A” followed by a numeric symbol becomes the number “1”, and “B” becomes “2”, all the way to the letter “J” which represents the number “0.”
Step 3. Learn contractions
Because braille takes up more space than the English alphabet, it is shortened using contractions. There are 189 additional combinations for common words like “for” “and”, or “which” shortened to a single cell. The suffix also has its own symbol. In addition, the abbreviation j is also commonly used, for example the letter "tm" is short for the word "tomorrow" (tomorrow).
Part 2 of 3: Writing Manually
Step 1. Prepare all the equipment
To write braille by hand, you'll need a slate, a stylus, and card-stock paper. You can get everything easily through the internet.
- The stylus is a small rod that is usually a few centimeters long. Half of the ends are handles, and the other is blunt metal. The metal is pressed against the paper to make dot holes that correspond to the braille alphabet.
- Slate is used to keep the dots evenly spaced so that braille is written neatly. Slate is made of two metals, usually the length of a page of paper and attached to hinges. They are usually tall enough to accommodate 4-6 rows of braille.
- Card-stock paper is one of the thick types of paper. When you press the stylus, the paper will bend instead of tearing.
Step 2. Clamp the slate to the paper and indent the paper using a stylus
Slide the paper between the two metal slate boards. The stylus should have several rows of cells with six holes each. Press the stylus through the slate hole to make the appropriate pattern.
Step 3. Turn the page
When you hit the period, you are actually writing the back of the page. This means that you need to use the stylus to write from right to left, as if you were writing Arabic script. After that, flip the paper so that the braille can be read as usual, from left to right.
Part 3 of 3: Type in Braille
Step 1. Set up a braillewriter
The Perkins braillewriter is a device similar to a normal typewriter, except that it only has six keys. Purchase heavy paper to load on this machine.
Braillewriter prices start from IDR 10,000,000 and are available in various shapes and sizes. Some are designed to be used with just one hand or a light touch. There are also more sophisticated types of braillewriters, which will be discussed later
Step 2. Learn the buttons
The large button in the center of the braillewriter is the spacebar. The three keys on each side of the space bar represent an arrangement of six dots in braille. To type a cell, you need to press all the necessary period keys at the same time. The slightly up button on the far left is the row down button, and the corresponding button on the far right is backspace (one character back).
- There is also a large plastic section that curves over the top of the machine and serves as a paper holder and a gray head that is used to scroll paper through the machine.
- In braille, dots are sometimes marked with numbers; The top left point is 1, the left center point is 2, and the bottom left point is 3. Similarly, the right column points also decrease from 4 to 6. Thus, a braillewriter keyboard is structured like this: 321 (space) 456.
Step 3. Use advanced technology
Of course, typewriters are considered obsolete by modern standards. Fortunately, there are now electronic braillewriters with a similar function. Devices such as the Mountbatten Brailler and Perkins Smart Brailler allow you to store documents electronically. This machine also has audio support and training mode.
