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Web-based
service enables users to send free Braille letters and learn Braille
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You want to get in touch with a friend who is
blind, but your friend doesn’t have email and you aren’t
able to print in Braille. You’re blind and you’ve been trying
to persuade some of your friends and relatives to learn Braille.
A web-based service at http://hotbraille.com can solve both problems. Users who enter the hotbraille.com website are invited to write a short letter to any individual in the world. Letters that are 250 words or less will be printed into Braille and mailed to the recipient for free. Recipients can be in any country and usually receive the Braille letter within five to 20 days. Neither the person writing the letter or the recipient needs to pay anything to use this service at any time; however, voluntary donations are welcome. The hotbraille.com site is not able to translate from one language to another. However, users are able to write their letters in 23 languages or variants of Braille systems, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese. English users may choose between the American, British, or South African Braille systems, while Spanish users may choose between the original, reducida, and uncontracted Braille systems. Portuguese is available in the Brazilian Braille system. Other languages available hotbraille.com users include Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Irish, Italian, Kishwahili (Swahili), Latin, Malay, Nguni (Xhosa/Zulu), Norwegian, Russian, Sotho (Sesotho), and Swedish. Individuals who work with blind people, or who have blind friends and relatives, or who are merely curious, are able to use the hotbraille.com service to learn Braille. The web site teaches basic Braille and includes quizzes that enable users to test how well they remember what they have learned. In addition, users can meet other individuals who share their interest in Braille or browse through information on further Braille-related or blind-related resources. |
