Your blind friends may not be able to see, but that doesn’t mean you can’t let them feel how much you treasure them with a DIY Braille card.

 

Braille is a writing system that uses raised dots to allow blind people to feel the characters in lieu of seeing them. Originally created to let soldiers “read” code messages in the dark (called “night-writing”), it was later adapted by Louis Braille to create a writing system for him and other blind people to use.

 

The messages are written using grade 1 Braille, where each cell represents a letter, a number or a punctuation mark. In grade 2 Braille, a cell can represent a shortened version of a word.

 

Materials

Card stock

Scissors

Pencil

Glue (in a bottle with a nozzle)

 

Procedure

1. Choose a message you want to give your friend.
2. Cut the card stock into any shape or size, just make sure the message you’ve selected will fit in it.
3. Cut out your chosen message from this page and position it squarely on your card.
4. Using a pencil, trace the dots onto the card, pressing hard to create depressions.
5. Carefully drop tiny globs of glue on each depression. Don’t let the glue globs touch each other.
6. As the glue dries, some dots might flatten. Simply reapply glue.
7. Optional: Decorate with a ribbon. Write the translation in the English alphabet using colorful pens.
8. Give the card to your blind friend to show how much you appreciate them.