fingerbraille anyone?

[inmate23]

does anyone use fingerbraille?

what is fingerbraille?

Communicating using braille on the hand.

Good braillists may like to use braille contractions for speed and some will indicate that words/sentences need not be complete because they have a good grasp of language.

Braillists may prefer to use dots 4, 5 and 6 for word signs if the deafblind person wishes and the sender knows braille.


Dot 4 - on the wrist at the base of the thumb.
Dot 5 - on the centre of the wrist in line with the middle finger.
Dot 6 - on the wrist in line with the edge of the little finger.
Dot 4,5,6 - stroke the wrist from under the thumb to under the little finger.
Dot 4,5 - stroke the wrist from its centre to under the thumb.
Dot 5,6 - stroke the wrist from its centre to under the little finger.
Dot 4,6 - touch both edges of the wrist simultaneously. The Deafblind Alphabet Manual Page Alphabet Card

how i found out about it?

I once had the great privilege of working with a Fingerbraille interpreter who was visiting the UK from Japan. She tapped my fingers as though they were the keys of a braillewriter, using all the abbreviations used in Braille. Because I can speak, a blind person in the same room didn't realise I was using a communication facilitator, the conversation had flowed so smoothly. I cried for joy afterwards.

When I've suggested Fingerbraille, people ridicule me. Though widely used in Japan, it's not common in the UK - possibly because it looks a little odd. But Japanese deafblind people can communicate much faster, almost as fast as speech. My colleagues think Fingerbraille is an absurd way to communicate. BBC - Ouch! (disability) - Features - Communication crazy