To mark World Braille Day, Treloar School students have been learning about braille. World Braille Day is celebrated on the 4 January each year to mark the birthday of Louis Braille.
School students have researched the use of Braille and shared their learning in assembly:
- Braille is a tactile way of writing
- used by people who have visual impairments
- letters are made from raised dots placed in a grid of 2x3
- those who are visually impaired can learn to read these dots using their fingertips to feel the patterns
In assembly, students looked at a braille book and watched a short film about Clarke Reynolds AKA the Blind Braille artist, whose mission is to inspire the next generation of visually impaired children growing up. Clarke creates artwork that is accessible to everyone. His exhibitions invite the viewer to touch, feel and experience his art. Using the tactile language of raised circular dots, Reynolds expresses his journey as an artist, bringing to life the experience of those who are blind or visually impaired.
During school assembly, each student was asked to create their own initial in braille on a wooden circle. Each student had a paper grid to practice and learn their braille initial, before colouring in and arranging their wooden dots in the braille cells.
Inspired by Clarke Reynolds, the discs were then used to create a larger ‘braille within braille’ artwork, spelling out the words of the Treloar School values in braille.
When the artwork is completed, we hope to display it in one of the outdoor learning areas of the school.
Learning about World Braille Day is all about celebrating inclusion and diversity. At Treloar’s, our students use a whole range of different communication tools and assistive technology to support them with their education and independence. It is important for them to be aware of the similarities/differences and the challenges other people face whilst celebrating the determination that is shown by artists like Clarke Reynolds to advocate for disability.