Main Menu Back to Braille Adaptive Equipment Eye Disorders Eye Exams Eye Surgery History News Research & Clinical Studies Eye Diagram Glossary   Our Other Sites Bookstore Directory Other Resources Statistics Vision Health Resources Search All Sites Site Map Resource Links Third Party Links History of Braille Various other methods had been attempted over the years to enable blind people to read, many of them raised versions of print letters. It is generally accepted that the braille system has succeeded because it is based on a rational sequence of signs devised for the fingertips, rather than imitating signs devised for the eyes. In addition, braille can be written by blind people and can be used for any notation that follows an accepted sequence, such as numerals, musical notes, or chemical tables. The system of embossed writing invented by Louis Braille gradually came to be accepted throughout the world as the fundamental form of written communication for blind individuals, and it remains basically as he invented it. Braille (Grade 1) has undergone continuing modification, particularly the addition of contractions (Grade 2) representing groups of letters of whole words that appear frequently in a language. The use of contractions permits faster braille reading and helps reduce the size of braille books, making them less cumbersome. Several groups have been established over the last century to modify and standardize the braille code. A major goal is to develop easily understood contractions without making the code too complex. The official braille code, entitled English Braille, American Edition was published by the former Braille Authority, now the Braille Authority of North America (BANA). BANA represents many agencies and consumer groups and has been responsible for updating and interpreting the basic literary braille code and the specialized codes for music, chemical notation, mathematics, textbook format, and other codes in the United States and Canada. Other countries have similar authorities. All brands and product names are trademarked or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright of syndicated content belongs to it’s respective author or news organization. Original content (including "look and feel") Copyright © 2001-2006  •  Vision Loss and Blindness Resources  •  All rights reserved.