The dotted font was created by Louis Braille in 1824. Such an unusual development was supposed to facilitate the process of writing and reading for blind people.
Such a necessary invention was preceded by a tragic accident. As the son of a shoemaker, 3-year-old Louis spent a lot of time in his father's workshop. Once, he was injured with a knife, which subsequently led to the loss of the boy's eyesight.
As a teenager, Louis Braille came up with his own special typeface, which became an alternative to existing designs. The inspiration was the “night script” used at the time by gunners to transmit reports. Braille has transformed the ability to read in the dark for visually impaired people.
The work on the creation and improvement of his own typeface took the Frenchman for many years. The initial version was presented in 1829. But the proposed font was considered inconvenient for sighted teachers. And only eight years later, the consideration of Braille resumed.
There were many ways to use braille technology.
The first book to be printed with this font was related to the history of France. Braille was also used to print periodicals. Some examples of magazines and newspapers can be found in the "Books" section on Violity.
There was even a special typewriter with six keys, which, based on Braille, printed in a standard way. Its author was Frank Haven Hall, who presented his invention in the early 1890s.
In 1903, mechanic Henry Stainsby came up with an improved version of the Braille typewriter. It was based on a sliding carriage that moved along an aluminum plate with letters for the blind. However, it was put into operation only 10 years later.
The technological process even made it possible to create a Braille printer. This happened in the early 1950s. Ten years later, software was developed to automatically translate such an alphabet.
An electronic printing press for visually impaired people was created in the early 1990s. Ernest Bate equipped his device with the ability to process text, emboss and sound feedback.
Ford has developed an intelligent, smart cinema. This allowed visually impaired people to visualize images with touch.
Since 2019, the world has been celebrating World Braille Day every year.
