The idea for this text came from a conversation where the main topic was money—how we manage it, how we multiply it, etc.
At one point, my interlocutor asked:
“What’s the deal with writing for the visually impaired, braille?”
He knew what it was called, which didn’t surprise me; I knew he was a smart guy. 😊
He continued, “I’ve noticed that on British pounds, especially the new banknotes, there are some dots. What do you think they might say? Because I think it’s Braille.”
I began to speculate, to think about what could be noted in braille on a banknote.
And I said, “I think it’s probably the value, maybe the initials used to denote the banknote (like: 20; GBP, etc.).”
What a sight, we were on the phone, trying to unravel the array of dots on the pounds.
I explained how a character in braille is formed:
On a braille writing tool, there are rows of cells, each cell containing six dots arranged vertically in two columns of three, with numbering starting from the right of the cell, from the top, as follows (right of the cell-123; left of the cell, from the top-456).
I don’t know what you understood, and I don’t know what he understood either 😊
But I continue: each character is made up of a combination of these dots.
Symbols can consist of a letter + a sign in front, as is the case with numbers. 😊
And it’s not that I doubted my friend’s ability to understand, rather, it was my *talent* at explaining. 😊
I tried to describe it visually as well, so we could figure out what’s written on the banknote.
So, the symbol for the numeral is made up of dots 3456 in the cell, and visually, it’s like an inverted ‘L’ from the regular alphabet.
We did this for each dotted feature and identified them.
I said it was great, Braille over the phone, and through this, my friend could also understand how I feel when he tries to explain things to me that I can’t perceive, like photos, videos, etc. 😊
And a new surprise, accessible banknotes, something wow!
I think things are moving.
But to gain momentum, we need to work together!
I need to be willing to explain to my friend or to you!
He and/or you need to have the patience to listen.
And all parties involved need to be open to understanding that being different doesn’t mean problems or insurmountable obstacles.
Let’s communicate in the languages we can perceive, and the world will surely be a better place!
What has surprised you recently?
Come join the discussion in the comments!
