Braille class brilliance

The Braille class running at our Old Trafford centre is the only one of its kind in Manchester – and students say it's given them a new focus in life. 

Pat Howie from Salford says, “I can now make simple things like labels for bottles of tablets. It doesn’t sound much, but to a blind person it gives you real peace of mind to know you are taking the right pill.”

It's given Tony Chorley from Eccles a new sense of independence and freedom too. “At first it was like going back to school. But now I can read Braille menus in restaurants without having to ask for help. I’m now more of my own man, just like everybody else.”

There are two types of Braille. Grade 1 is a basic alphabet where words are spelled out literally. A Harry Potter book printed in this basic Braille would amount to 12 volumes. Grade 2 is more advanced. Words are condensed and abbreviated, almost like ‘text-speak’. There are also new rules on grammar to learn.

Braille tutor, Gary Cassidy says, “I’m proud of how much the group has achieved. It is a confidence boost for them and now some students are progressing to job skills training. Learning Braille can open all sorts of doors for blind people.”