You might have noticed little lumps around doors, outside elevators, or at the bottom or side of signs. While some people pass these by without a second thought, others are genuinely interested to know what it is. These dots are Braille, a written language that is used by blind people to communicate.

All characters are represented by patterns of six raised dots. While blind people cannot see the dots, they can feel them with their fingertips. Each letter is created by a combination of dots organized within a rectangle that has two columns of three dots each.

Louis Braille, who became blind at the age of three, is the inventor of this form of communication. In 1824, when he was 11, he planned to alter the Charles Barbier’s night writing code in order to develop written communication for blind people.

By brushing their fingertips across the lines of dots, people can read braille. Grade 1 Braille is the most basic kind, and it simply substitutes the Braille alphabet for regular print letters. In Grade 2, the Braille pattern is reduced to accommodate specific letter pairings and other commonly used short words. These abbreviations greatly speed up reading and writing Braille. Depending on the grade level needed, learning to read and write braille can often take anywhere from 3 to 18 months.

Braille can often be found in public places such as libraries, elevators, museum exhibits, and cash machines, and although it might be tough to come across, some books are also available in braille.

So next time you come across braille, try to figure out what it says! It might encourage you to try and learn more about the topic. If you would like to deepen your knowledge, The Iowa Department of the Blind has more information!!