Louis Braille School

The Louis Braille School invites you to stop by the Edmonds Public Library during the month of January, which is National Braille Literacy Month. Visit the main lobby display case to see our exhibit.

You will learn about Louis Braille, the Frenchman who invented the raised dot system of reading and writing. January is his birth month. A slate and stylus, the primary means of writing braille during Louis’ time, are there for you to view along with a brailler and a chart of the braille alphabet and numbers.

Several tactile items are on exhibit including three pictures created especially for our school by the Seattle Area Delta Gamma Alumnae Group, a talking puzzle of the United States, a braille watch, a ruler, a measuring tape, and a popular children’s book in braille and print.

Beautiful tactile flags of the United States, Canada, and Mexico made by volunteers are proudly hanging for all to see. There is a talking world globe which is particularly popular at Louis Braille School summer braille camps.

The Edmonds Public Library is located at 605 Main Street, Edmonds, WA 98020. Visit the library website at http://www.sno-isle.org/or call 425-771-1933 for more information or directions.

When a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, adult new reader book club selected Out of Darkness, Russell Freedman’s biography of Louis Braille, to read little did they know the subject would lead to a study of the braille alphabet. Eager to learn more, members went online, discovered louisbrailleschool.org and our offer of a free braille alphabet card in exchange for a self-addressed, stamped envelope. We were pleased to fill their request and even more pleased to learn that the book club members studied the braille alphabet and translated some simple braille sentences. Hooray for Braille!

If you would like to receive a free braille alphabet card, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Louis Braille School, 10130 Edmonds Way, Edmonds WA 98020.

When Jesse selected Louis Braille as the subject for a school report, his parents visited the Louis Braille School for assistance. We were happy to give him a braille alphabet card and a braille calendar to share with his classmates. Jesse presented his report to the class but did not mention Louis Braille’s name. It was up to the students to figure that out. The class was puzzled until Jesse spoke of the six-dot system of reading that is read with the fingertips. That was the clue that brought the correct answer: Louis Braille.

The Louis Braille School website has information about Mr. Braille and the braille code especially for students working on school reports. Go to louisbrailleschool.org and click on Resources to explore FAQ about braille and Louis Braille, pictures of where Mr. Braille was born, and a braille alphabet chart.