Free Online Resources to Learn Braille

Braille is everywhere this month!  January is National Braille Month, in honor of Louis Braille’s birthday, and World Braille Day is celebrated on January 4.  If you made a New Year’s Resolution to learn braille this year or you want to brush up your skills, check out these free resources for learning braille.

Dots for Families
These lessons are designed to help families of children who are blind or visually impaired to learn the basics about braille.

Braille Courses
Hadley School for the Blind offers courses 10 braille courses for those who are blind and 6 for those who are sighted. There are courses for Adult Continuing Education, Professional Studies, and Family Education.

BRL: Braille Through Remote Learning
Free online instructional program for families, teachers, and others interested in learning braille on their own.  The course is comprised of three parts:

• Introduction to Braille
• Braille Transcribers
• Specialized Codes

UEB Online
Free online course from the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) in Australia.

Introduction to UEB
Free course via YouTube videos from Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Additional Resources

UEB Quick Reference Sheet
This two-page document is a “cheat sheet” for those who know braille, but need a quick refresher on some of the changes in UEB.

The ABCs of UEB
This free resource from BANA (Braille Authority of North America) is designed for those who already know the braille code, but who would like to learn about UEB. There are many other resources and updated on the BANA site, so be sure to check there regularly!

See also Braille for Sighted Classmates and Family Members.