Before braille raised print was the best hope. So even if they couldn’t use them exactly as citedpeople could it was the best hope to read or to try to understand literacy and to either follow along or use it as best as they could to obtain some more information otherwise he would have to do it in an oral fashion because I thatpoint there was no literacy systems for the blind. What is important and fascinating is that braille provides the best and at that point in Time a Revolutionary system for the blind to be literate and to be able to usea literate system. it remains and was the best hope for a literate system and so this way it created a more efficient and an actual way for blind people to also be literate. Before then the best hope was some sort of raise letter system which didn’t work as well but at least one people had a clue and was able to function at least as best as they could.

i’m really sorry about the rough post. I am currently using dictation on my phone and probably wasting a substantial amount of battery because I’m trying to hurry to an event.

Hmm, I know both sighted script and braille as well. The latter, very well actually, use to read with 1 hand, and copy it down on my paper with other hand in braille, on one of those braille slates, with stylous, Lol!

Any ways, Before braille, I think most of people did what suited them best. If raised letters or engraved stones worked, then they did that. If Massive letters on paper worked, then they used that. Reminds me of DIY computing in 1980s and 1990s, when most of people use to use DOS or something like that, and a bit of coding or scrypting knowhow was necessary if you wanted to use computers. Then the graphical user interfaces came, and computers became mostly mainstream. Braille was like this graphical user interface, as reading was very much possible with DIY solutions, but, braille provided a more standardized and more uniform solution, so braille became mainstream. The founder also advocated for it's usage as far as I know, and many school adapted it, leading to it's widespread use.

One interesting way to share knowledge could be found in the Apple TV plus show, "See". In this, they used ropes with nots at various distance or of various shapes to transfer knowledge. Not sure how effective or practical it would it be, but, it was never the less a very interesting way. And that makes me think, perhaps, some blind folkes used cloths with embroydory or croshay to read may be somewhere in ancient times. Clay would be also a solution, and even wax. In fact, I used Wikisticks, sticks made out of wax like thing, to learn diagrams and visual concepts in my college days.

Today, Braille is not the method of gaining knowledge I use. I might read it at accessible public markings, say in public washrooms, perhaps some accessible packaging on some commercial product, but, when it comes to reading, screen reading softwares on computers and phones, those are the ways I go for, simply because they are thousand times conveniant then braille. Anyone who disagrees have their right to opinion. But, I simply don't have the place, the patience, the money to acquire, store, and maintain collection of braille books. Braille displays are also very expencive, and not every government accross the world pays for these devices for it's blind population.

This doesn't mean I say Braille is useless. It's utility in teaching the language, the spellings, the maths, etc is very high. Besides, how will we read those accessible markings on toylet doors and packaging? So, it should be taught to everyone, it's usage should be taught to every blind person. It's a very good tool to have in our mind, to tackle those challenges in life.

hello, first of all thank you very much for the brief story you have shared with us. I lost my sight three years ago and I haven't learned to read Braille. Unfortunately less and less is taught because technology has displaced Braille. Additionally, I suffer from diabetes so my hands are not very sensitive to reliefs. I don't know if the same thing happens to all diabetics, but in my case I don't have much sensitivity and I don't distinguish the dots in Braille.