Unfortunately it is not easy to learn to read braille by touch. Learning the actual letters is not too difficult, but it takes an awful lot of practice to learn. Of those who do not manage to learn braille, the most common reason is that they can't feel the dots, and this is most often because they have not been taught properly. It is really important to follow a proper course since even before you start learning the letters, you are learning to use your fingers to track along lines etc. This is proven to help a lot of people. It is much more important for people who lose their sight later than for people born blind, as those born blind are already used to receiving a lot of information by touch, and they use the visual cortex for this. People losing their sight have a lot of extra learning to do. It takes the majority of people several months to learn uncontracted braille and a couple of years to learn contracted braille, but support and courses are there and people who do learn braille value it very highly. The motto is little and often and never give up! Cheers Dave -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Gerald Locke Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 11:01 PM To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: Applying for Braille courses, for a friend Hi, Easy to teach yourself Braille as follows: Braille is composed out of six dots in two columns containing three dots. Dot 1 is atop the first column followed by dots 2 and three. Dot four tops the second column followed by dots five and six. The first ten letters of the Braille alphabet are composed from dots 1, 2, 4, and five as follows: A is just dot 1, B dots 1 and 2, C dots 1 and 4, D dots 1, 4, and 5. E dots 1 and 5, F dots 1, 2, and 4, G dots 1, 2, 4, 5, ,H dots 1, 2, and5, I dots 2 and 4, J dots2, 4, and 5. If , using coins or buttons, or better still, a Perkins Brailler, the first ten letters are composed as above in a straight line, then by adding dot 3 to the above patterns, gives the second ten letters of the Braille alphavet:e,g, K is dots 1 and 3, L dots 1, 2, and three. The last six letters are composed by adding dot six to the second ten Braille letters, except for the W as there is no W in French. Example: U is dots 1, 3, and six, V is dots 1, 2, 3, and6, W is dots 2, 4, 5, and 6. X is dots 1, 3, 4, and six, Y is dots 1, 3, 4, 5, and six, Z is dots 1, 3, 5, and six. As seen, W does not follow the same pattern as the rest! If your friend can beg, borrow, or . . . a Perkins Brailler, touching the dot patterns will aid the learning of the touch for reading. Kind regards, Gerry. ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq