Braille Adventures

I had an amazing two weeks in France, where I got to attend the Braille Revolution, a three-day celebration for the bicentennial of the invention of braille.

On the return flight I organized the footage that I took in Paris and Coupvray. I have a lot of all-things-braille I want to share with you. But first I need my voice to return (I caught a cold).

Thank you to everyone for your support! I couldn’t have made it to the Braille Revolution without your donations and encouraging words!

It is 4:45am local time, so I will sign off now. I am jet lagged needless to say. I will post more soon.

Image description:
View out of airplane window of the runway and the plane’s shadow. Text on screen says, I am back in California, but I have more footage of France to share. Stay tuned!

1 month ago | [YT] | 4

Braille Adventures

Day 1 of the Braille Revolution was unparalleled.

I am still processing everything that I heard during the presentations. Of course I took notes, which are annotated with stars and hearts for things I want to reflect on.

I’m heading out the door to go to the school for the blind for cocktails and a jazz concert.

Tomorrow I will catch you up on the symposium. Bonne soirée !

Image description: nine people stand in a line on stage, posing for a photo. In the background there is a projection screen that says the speaker for the session is Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture. In the foreground are the attendees sitting in red velvet chairs.

1 month ago | [YT] | 6

Braille Adventures

Quick recap of the day:

Walked around the exterior of the Panthéon where Louis Braille is buried. I brought with me a 3D printed model of the building by Evengrounds.com. They have an Etsy shop!

In the morning, I went to a market to pick up fruit, flowers and food for an epic charcuterie board. It has been a long time fantasy of mine to buy flowers in France. You only buy flowers if you’re staying a while. This is me, pretending I am a local.

And yes, I am eating cheese with a fork. I tend to go too long without eating because I cannot stop looking at everything around me. It’s like my feet have a mind of their own and I must keep exploring.

I was hoping to get my haircut at the school for the Deaf, but they didn’t have any openings. Back when the school for the blind and the school for the Deaf were first sponsored by the nation, they shared a building. I’m going to make a video about the school for the Deaf, since some of my viewers are deafblind and/or work with people who are deafblind.

I saw way more interesting things than I photographed. When I travel, I remind myself to capture most of the images with my eyeballs so that I can be present. I did take a photo of these two buildings that seem to be from different centuries; one was entirely covered in geometric square windows with floating floors and the other appeared to be made from stone from an old quarry.

Before I left for the trip, I 3D printed a Euro coin holder. It is metallic rose and it has individual slots for each of the denominations. It has a lid that closes nicely and it is a little larger than a wallet. It makes me feel chic, even though it cost nothing to print this at my library.

The last two photos are of Notre Dame. The work continues on this impressive cathedral. I like the giant poster next to the cathedral that highlights four of the jobs essential to restoring the building. I was surprised there was a line after the sunset to get into Notre Dame. It is free to enter and much faster to get inside if you make a free reservation. Just a “local” insiders tip: whatever possible make a reservation online for wherever you are going.

It’s 10pm local time. Bonne nuit !

Image descriptions:

Elizabeth holds a metallic red/blue model of the Panthéon, in front of the real Panthéon.

Charcuterie board with sardines in tomato sauce, brie on a fork, persimmons and olives soaked in pesto. There’s a glass of red wine and flowers on the table.

Several people walk by a tall wall with a quote in French. The mural is on the wall that circles the school for the Deaf.

A building covered entirely with square glass windows next to a much older building that is made of stone.

A 3D printed, metallic rose Euro coin holder. There are slots for each denomination that hold up to four coins each. There is a lid and a hinge for the coin holder.

A giant crane is next to Notre Dame with a poster that is almost as tall as the cathedral highlighting for essential jobs.

Notre Dame at night with a long crowd waiting to go inside. The three doorways are illuminated by spotlighting as well as the tower on the left.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 5

Braille Adventures

There are two BIG events coming up in France to celebrate the bicentennial for the invention of braille.

Everyone is invited!

The first will be in Coupvray, September 20, 2025. Coupvray is Louis Braille’s hometown, where his home has been turned into a museum, and he has a grave in the village cemetery. To get there, take a short train ride from Paris.

Then in Paris, November 13-15, there will be events at different places around the city that relate to braille history, such as the school where Louis Braille taught.

More than anything I want to live and work in France, particularly doing something braille related, so I am going to try to make it to both of these events.

For more info:

Bicentennial of Braille
September 20, 2025
www.coupvray.fr/actualite/le-gip-musee-louis-brail…

The Braille Revolution
November 13-15, 2025
www.revolutionbraille.org/en

Image descriptions:

Image 1- Text on the official advertisement poster says, “November 13-15, 2025. The Braille Revolution! Join us in celebrating 200 years of Braille!” Background image is a pop art version of Louis Braille.

Image 2- Official advertisement poster for the bicentennial of braille, September 20, 2025. Coupvray, France. The poster is Google translated from French to English.

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4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 16

Braille Adventures

It is mind blowing to me that we don’t know how many people read braille in the USA.


Check out the paper yourself! It is an interesting and shocking read.


Contact your public library and request an inter-library loan. Give them the information below. If they have access to the journal, the library will email you a PDF of the article.

Sheffield, R. M., D’Andrea, F. M., Morash, V., & Chatfield, S. (2022). How Many Braille Readers? Policy, Politics, and Perception. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 116(1), 14-25. doi.org/10.1177/0145482X211071125 (Original work published 2022)


Image descriptions:
1. MYTH. 10% of people who are blind or have low vision read braille in the USA. The background image for each slide is the same, which is a dark background with text and a lime green, plastic slate with a purple braille eraser.
2. According to the paper, "How Many Braille Readers? Policy, Politics, and Perception," the 10% statistic is completely made up.
3. After conducting a systematic literature review, the paper reveals that we don't know how many people who are blind or have low vision, who: a) live in the USA, or b) who read braille.
4. There is a lack of data on whether braille literacy rates are increasing or decreasing in the United States, which has implications for funding and policy decisions across the country.
5. Where to read the paper: 1. AER members can access the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness through the AER portal. 2. Contact your public library and request an inter-library loan. Read the caption for more details.

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5 months ago | [YT] | 9

Braille Adventures

I’m excited to announce I have finished sewing super cute Perkins Brailler dust covers!

Check out my Etsy shop and please tell your friends. Clickable link in bio. Etsy.com/shop/BrailleAdventures

⬇️New video! youtube.com/shorts/_1vxG3FFjQ...

Image description: Side view of flannel dust cover. The fabric has rows of colorful hands signing in ASL.

7 months ago | [YT] | 7

Braille Adventures

Coming soon to my Etsy store:

Double sided Perkins Brailler dust covers!

New video about these dust covers for your braille typewriter ⬇️
youtube.com/shorts/47PSrU6AWq...

8 months ago | [YT] | 2

Braille Adventures

The grades came in last week, but I have been hyper focused on launching my Etsy store, that I was going to wait to check my grade.

But then tonight, I decided to take a peek at my grade. I passed!

I have officially completed college! It doesn’t feel real.

I have a Master of Arts in Special Education with an emphasis on visual impairment from San Francisco State University.

Image description: Elizabeth has a huge smile on her face while standing in the rain with a rainbow behind her. This photo was taken after touring the Louis Braille Museum, which was also a perfect day. Text says, I passed my Masters exam!!!

8 months ago | [YT] | 15

Braille Adventures

Want to learn braille? And enjoy the process?

Sign up for our newsletter ⤵️

brailleadventures.com/newsletter


Image description: close up of a postcard of the Little Prince. He is standing on his planet and next to him is his suitcase and a red fox. The store bought postcard has a line drawing with ink text and an embossed braille message to the recipient.

8 months ago | [YT] | 6

Braille Adventures

New mini series!
Which iOS apps teach the alphabet in braille:

youtube.com/shorts/6vCugtk7r3...

9 months ago | [YT] | 1