Braille Teaching commenced at the Morecambe Branch of Galloway's on the 23rd February 1998. At that time there were four teachers, one sighted and three blind. It soon took off and is still up and running in January 2003.

I personally became involved in Galloway's on the 24th January 2000. I was so fascinated and inquisitive as to how on earth you could make words out of six tiny dots, which are arranged rather like the dots on a domino. I became a student there and learnt to read and write Braille over a period of 18 months which at the beginning was very very hard. At times I thought of giving up but I was so determined to carry on and see what six tiny dots could create, I eventually 'cracked it' and guess what, yes I too became a teacher in 2002.

What is Braille?

It is a code which enables blind and partially sighted people of all ages to read and write and is read by running your fingertips from left to right over the raised dots.

	Perkins Brailler

A blind Frenchman by the name of Louis Braille invented it way back in 1829 and by 1990 Braille was being used in almost every country in the world and had been adapted for almost every language.There are two grades of Braille Grade 1 and Grade 2. Grade 1 only uses the letters of the alphabet, the numbers plus a few puctuation marks and is used mainly for beginners. Grade 2 Braille goes a step further and introduces contractions (abbreviations) which take up less space, as Braille uses three times as much space as the written word. Braille is comprised of a rectangular six-dot cell on its end. It is possible to use up to 63 combinations of one or more of the six dots. It can be embossed by hand using a frame and punching indentations into thick paper with an implement called a 'style', this forms a series of dots on the reverse side of the paper. Another method is using a machine called a 'Perkins Brailler' similar to a typewriter, except that it has only six keys plus the spacebar. A combination of keys is pressed at one time creating an entire cell with each press. The Perkins Brailler was created by a man by the name of David Abraham and the first Brailler was produced in 1951.

Braille like print, enables a person to make notes and do such things as take down your friends' telephone numbers etc. By using an attachment on the Brailler, Braille can be embossed onto dymo tape and used to label things around the home. Braille markings can now be found on lifts, cookers and washing machines etc. The list could go on and on.

We all know that technology is wonderful, but it will never be a substitute for basic literacy skills. Braille also gives you independence, as we cannot entirely depend on computers with voice synthesizers or audiotape recording neither of which is useful in every situation, bank and visa statements for instance. Yes, you can ask at your local bank for your statements to be transcribed into Braille.

I hope you have found my page useful and I hope I have managed to whet your appetite, maybe you would like to learn Braille. Just remember whatever age you are, visually impaired or sighted, we at Morecambe Social Centre can help you to read and write Braille at your own speed. There is no certificate at the end; it is not a course, just come along and give yourself a challenge on a Monday morning between the hours of 10.00 a.m. and 12.00 mid-day and you may surprise yourself and your family, because one day you may be able to read and write Braille just like myself.

The Social Centre has all the equipment that you will need, Braillers, special paper, Primers etc. which are fully available to all members.