Sensory charity celebrates 200 years of revolutionary Braille reading system
Forth Valley Sensory Centre logo.
A local sensory charity helped celebrate 200 years since the introduction of Braille with a fun-filled and educational event to mark the bicentenary.
Forth Valley Sensory Centre (FVSC) hosted the event on Thursday 23 January 2025 with people coming from across the Forth Valley to find out more about the impact and use of the system.
A room full of men and women of various ages talking to each other. At the front is Christine with a woman and her daughter looking at a display on a table. Behind them Jacquie is speaking to Trustee Campbell Chalmers,
Braille was first introduced in 1824 and uses a tactile alphabet of raised dots as a tool for those who are blind or have sight loss to read.
Invented by Louis Braille in France, it had a revolutionary impact on blind people being able to read and participate in society. At the event there was a presentation on the creation of Braille, detailing its beginnings as ‘Moon’, a writing system that used embossed symbols derived from Latin, up until the system used today.
FVSC ‘s popular group unveiled a piece of new collaborative Braille artwork, a depiction of a tree and a leaf, to mark the anniversary. The group participants also shared their personal journeys of learning Braille and the impact that learning the method has had on them. There was also a cake decorated in Braille which was cut by FVSC’s Braille tutor, Christine Moroney.
Forth Valley Sensory Centre has supported people with sight and hearing loss, and their families, who live in central Scotland, for more than 15 years. It is a community hub, offering support, practical help and social opportunities, supporting more than 20,000 users across the centre each year.
In collaboration with Forth Valley College, the centre has hosted Braille classes since 2006. These fully funded classes are held at the centre in Camelon every Thursday during term time between 10am and 12pm and are open to anyone who would like to learn the Braille system.
Christine is standing in front of the Forth Valley Sensory Centre banner, cutting into a cake with Braille on the top. She has short grey hair and is wearing a a blue and white striped shirt.
Christine Moroney, FSVC Braille Tutor and Braille 200 event host“Hosting the Braille 200 event was a great way for me and my Braille class students to showcase how important Braille is to us in many aspects of life. Despite advances in technology, Braille remains an essential language for blind people and it will always be close to my heart.”
Jacquie Winning MBE, Chief Executive of Forth Valley Sensory Centre“We are delighted that we could celebrate such an important milestone for those who are blind and those with sight loss. Braille is a huge part of many of our centre users lives and we are pleased we were able to share its influence and celebrate its importance with extended members of our community. I was incredibly impressed with the artwork completed by our Braille group. New members are always welcome to join and learn Braille at your own pace in a fun and supportive environment.”
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