Have you ever wondered how relevant braille is in today’s world? Does it make a difference for individuals who use it compared to those who do not use it? This course addresses these questions and describes why braille is still important for those who have vision loss. It also provides an overview of how the code works, equipment used for reading and writing braille, and barriers faced by those who want to learn and use braille. Professionals will find valuable information for sharing with consumers and supporting them in learning braille.

This course is available for 1-hour CRC, ACVREP, and NBPCB credit.

Course Objectives:

1. Learn the importance of braille throughout the lifespan for individuals with vision loss
2. Learn how braille works, including patterns, basic rules, and different codes
3. Describe tools and techniques for reading and writing braille
4. Understand barriers to learning braille
5. Understand how braille can contribute to successful outcomes in education, employment, and independence.

The following are recommended screen reader and browser combinations.

Mac: Voiceover with the latest version of Safari,

PC: JAWS or NVDA with Firefox

Note that currently, course quizzes are not functioning properly for Microsoft screen reader users with Chrome or Edge.

The course shows a start date, but this is simply the date the course was made available to the public. They are self-paced. So, there is not an end date. You can enroll at any time.

This course was developed by the National Research & Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University. We are the only national center funded to conduct research related to employment for people with blindness or low vision, and training and technical assistance for the federal Older Individuals who are Blind program. As a national center of excellence, we offer resources on a variety of topics for service providers, businesses, and persons with vision loss on our websites:

For daily content relevant to the field of blindness and low vision, connect with us on social media: