Quality Braille Matters

Does it really matter what a braille document “looks” like?

The short answer is: Yes, it matters a lot.

Braille documents should be accurate, easy to navigate, properly formatted, and readable by touch.

Identifying quality braille can be challenging for the person purchasing it, especially if they don’t read braille. A well-made document and a difficult-to-use document may look nearly identical.

So how can you tell whether your customers are receiving something they can actually use?

The answer lies in the people, standards, and quality checks that go into the finished document.

Why quality braille matters

For many organizations, visual communication is the main way customers access information. People read menus, statements, contracts, and other documents before making decisions or taking action.

When someone can’t read standard print, they need another way to access that information. Braille provides that access for many people. 

Braille or another accessible format must provide the same information as the standard print version and present it clearly so readers can find what they need.

For example, without an accessible menu, some customers may be unable to review their dining options and place an order independently. A restaurant employee could read the menu aloud, but that doesn’t provide the same experience. Restaurants are noisy. Hearing every option may be difficult. Having the menu read aloud can also draw unwanted attention or make someone feel rushed. 

Related: Things We Wish Restaurants Knew About Serving Guests With Blindness

Braille gives the people who read it the freedom to explore a menu and make choices independently.

However, simply having braille isn’t enough. If the document is poorly formatted, finding a section or understanding where one item ends and another begins can become its own barrier.

Providing no accessible format limits access. Providing a poorly formatted one creates a different problem entirely.

Quality supports privacy and accuracy

Reading information aloud may work in some situations, but it isn’t always appropriate.

Reading aloud can compromise privacy, especially when reasonable safeguards aren’t in place. It can also make it harder to review the information carefully, return to an earlier section, or confirm an important detail.

Quality braille allows the reader to access information privately and at their own pace. It should preserve the source document’s meaning, accuracy, and organization while adhering to braille standards.

Depending on the organization, the person, and the communication, braille may also be one of the formats needed to support effective communication.

Not all braille is created equal

To someone who doesn’t read braille, the raised dots may look fine as long as they cover the page. But the presence of dots doesn’t prove that a document is accurate or easy to use.

Braille is a code used to represent written language. Producing a quality document involves more than replacing print letters with raised-dot characters. The transcriber must consider headings, lists, tables, page numbers, visual information, section breaks, and the way a reader will move through the document.

You can learn more about how braille works, but you don’t have to become a braille expert to understand why formatting matters.

Consider the difference between these two print examples.

Clear formatting:

Account summary

Amount due: $125

Due date: March 15

Payment options:

• Pay online
• Pay by phone
• Mail a check

Poor formatting:

account summary amount due 125 due date march 15 payment options pay online pay by phone mail a check

Both versions contain the same basic information. Yet the first is much easier to scan, understand, and use.

Braille readers experience a similar problem when proper formatting isn’t done correctly.

Our co-founder, Lou Fioritto, has encountered poorly formatted braille throughout his life. He has several stories of being excited to learn that an organization has braille, only to be disappointed when the document’s lack of formatting makes it unreadable.

This happens when companies skip crucial steps like careful transcription and quality checks.

How can you evaluate braille quality?

You may not be able to proofread the dots yourself, but you can evaluate the process used to create them.

Here are several areas to review before choosing a provider or accepting a finished document.

1. Complete and accurate

The quality review should compare the source document’s information with the information in the braille file. Missing or incorrect content can create confusion and may have serious consequences for healthcare, financial, and legal documents.

Ask who performs this comparison and what happens when they find an error.

2. Easy to navigate

Formatting helps braille readers understand how information is organized.

Depending on the document, that may include:

• Clear headings
• Logical section breaks
• Usable tables
• Page numbers
• A table of contents
• Descriptions of important visual information

The appropriate structure will vary. A bank statement, restaurant menu, and healthcare notice should not all follow the same layout.

3. Correct braille code

Braille is not a separate language, nor is it universal. The correct braille code depends on the language and type of information in the source.

Ask the provider which code will be used and how the team handles specialized or multilingual content. If the provider cannot answer clearly, ask more questions.

4. Readable by touch

Accurate transcription will not help if the finished dots are faint, uneven, damaged, or uncomfortable to read.

Quality control should examine:

• Dot consistency
• Paper that holds the embossing
• Interpoint (double-sided) pages that remain readable
• Binding that allows the document to lie flat
• Finishing that protects the document during normal use

5. Qualified review

Software can help convert content into braille, but software output should not be treated as proof of quality.

People still need to make decisions about structure, formatting, visual content, and usability. A qualified review can catch problems that automated conversion may miss.

Ask who reviews the finished work, what qualifications they have, and whether independent auditing or certification is available when needed. 

What one client learned after switching providers

One of our clients learned the hard way that quality braille matters.

They decided to engage another vendor for their braille production. Soon after, their braille-reading customers started complaining. The client contacted us and questioned the complaints.

At first, our former client thought Braille Works had changed something about our production. We reminded them that the documents in question had been produced by another vendor.

The client quickly returned its braille production to Braille Works and hasn’t received any braille-related complaints since.

This experience shows why evaluating braille quality can be difficult for an organization. 

Price and turnaround matter, but they don’t tell you whether a braille document is accurate, readable, or usable.

That is why quality braille matters.

Need professional braille transcription?

Braille Works provides braille printing and transcription for statements, notices, healthcare materials, menus, contracts, and other business documents.

Tell us about your project or send us a sample document. We’ll review your needs and prepare a customized quote for professional braille printing and transcription services.