BRAILLE-
200 Years of Touching and Reading

English Version:
Welcome! The museum and the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 present the exhibition wall “BRAILLE – 200 Years of Touch and Reading.” Use the fair’s Wi-Fi to read the accompanying texts online.

This year, Braille celebrates its 200th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the exhibition presents general information, explanations of how the system works, its inventor, and interesting facts about the script.

The wall is 2.25 m high and 5 m wide. You will find it in front of the large glass front in the foyer of Hall 4.1, booth no. A2. There is a red carpet in front of the wall. Two small benches are placed on the carpet at a distance from the wall. To the right of these is a wheelchair-accessible table with a game and several books in Braille. In the center of the table, there is also a display with information about our reading event on October 18, 2025. More information and a link to the event can be found below. The game will also be discussed in more detail below.

Information on barrier-free orientation at the book fair can be found at the following link: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/visit/accessibility

The design is rich in contrast, using black, white, and gray. The wall is black with white lettering. Red banners showing the bookfair’s logo and slogan span across the top and bottom edge of the wall. Fingerprints in black and white and gray dots of various sizes are scattered across the wall. Next to the text at the bottom left, we see a photo of a bust of Louis Braille. The text reads from left to right. The contents of the text paragraphs are listed below. In the center of the wall, the Braille system is explained in black lettering inside of two large white circles. The Dialogmuseum logo can be seen in the top right and bottom right corners. Its Instagram user name (@dialogmuseum) and a QR code that leads to this page are also displayed there. All of the wall’s content has been translated into English and can be found below the German text. The content is also available in Braille on the wall and online below. Have fun touching and reading!

Imprint

Concept
Maureen Ekizoglu

Curated by
Paula Steger, Laura Margielsky

Exhibition Design
Lizzy Jäkel

Press & Editing
Laura Margielsky

© 2025 Dialogmuseum Frankfurt

A cooperation with the Frankfurt Book Fair

Image credits
© Image BNF

© 2025 DIALOGMUSEUM Frankfurt

Here starts the exhibition text:

The titles of the text sections are not visible on the wall. Only the symbols are used there.

Symbol: Speech bubble / What is Braille? (Text block at top left)
Braille is a tactile writing system based on dots. Today, more than 6 million blind and visually impaired people in 141 countries use it for reading and writing. Braille is not a standardized international system: each country has its own variants, adapted to the respective language. In 2020, Braille was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. In 2025, the invention of the Frenchman Louis Braille celebrates its 200th anniversary. A good reason to celebrate – for more inclusion, which also enriches book culture!

Symbol: Book / How does Braille work? (Text block to the right of “What is Braille”)
Braille is based on a dot pattern that can be felt with the fingertips. The grid of 6 dots, arranged in 2 columns, looks like a domino tile. With different combinations, 64 characters can be created. At the beginning of the 20th century, a shorthand system was derived from Braille. It simplifies reading and writing. Frequent words and syllables are shortened. This saves up to 1/3 of the space. It is often used in books, newspapers, or notes.

LOUIS BRAILLE (*1809 Coupvray – †1852 Paris) (Text block at bottom left)
Louis Braille injured his eye while playing at the age of 3 and lost his sight in both eyes due to an infection. At the age of 10, the talented student entered the Paris School for the Blind, the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles. There he learned about a tactile writing system, which he simplified and further developed at the age of 16. After his death, his system spread worldwide. His invention enables blind and visually impaired people to access education, participation, and independence.

German Braille (Centered on the wall in two white circles)
The writing system is explained in a large white circle the size of the wall. The individual letters of the Braille alphabet are visually represented here with the correct combination of dots. The letters are grouped into four lines. Each line is preceded by the basic form of the Braille symbol.

Group 1 (letters A-J)
The first 10 letters of the alphabet use only dots 1, 2, 4, and 5.

Group 2 (letters K-T)
These letters use the same dots as those above, but also include dot 3.

Group 3 (U-Z and special characters ß, ST)
Points 3 and 6 are added to these letters.

Group 4 (AU, EU, EI, CH, SCH, and Ü,Ö,W)
Here, point 6 is added to the constellations of group 1.

The Braille symbols for numbers and punctuation marks are described and visualized in a smaller white dot at the top right of the large white dot.

Numbers are formed by the letters A-J preceded by a number sign.

The combinations for punctuation marks look like letters from group 1, offset to lower lines.

Symbol: Light bulb / Facts (Test block at top right)
Louis Braille’s grave is located in the Panthéon in Paris, the final resting place of important French figures. Only his hands remained in Coupvray.

Worldwide, less than 10% of blind people read or write Braille. Those who become blind in adulthood often have reduced finger sensitivity. In many countries, there are too few qualified Braille teachers or financial resources. Screen readers on computers or smartphones convert text into speech or tactile output. Voice assistants & AI further enhance independence in everyday life.

A person who is blind and cannot read Braille is not considered illiterate, but does not possess full written language competence.

Braille requires more space than the conventional script. The complete German edition of J. W. Goethe‘s “Faust I“ and “Faust II“ in Braille comprises 8 to 12 volumes.

Symbol: Puzzle piece / Game (text block at bottom right)
Match the Braille to the corresponding black print.

Philippines (in Braille) – DIALOGMUSEUM

Anne Applebaum (in Braille) – Philippines

DIALOGMUSEUM (in Braille) – Anne Applebaum

End of the exhibithion text.

Would you like to test your Braille reading skills now? Then try our game “Become a Braille pro!” on the table in front of the exhibition wall.

There are two game boards opposite each other on the table. The board is laminated and A4 size. Starting at the beginning, you can decipher words in Braille at various junctions, like in a tree diagram, and test your knowledge. The game instructions are also A4 size and can be found next to each game board.

Game Instructions:
Start at the bottom with the starting word “Buch.” Use the Braille alphabet to find out where this word is written in Braille on the right or left.
The correct translation takes you to the next level and leads you to a new starting word. And so it continues: with each correct translation, you move step by step to the next word until you have climbed all the way to the top of the tree. Please note: the words become more difficult with each level!

Can you decipher all the words correctly and become a real Braille pro?

Have fun solving the puzzles!

Event announcement:
Are you curious about how Braille is read? Then come to our Braille reading on Saturday!

When? Saturday, October 18, 2025, 3:30–4:30 p.m.
Where? CMF Spektrum
What? Reading for children (ages 9+) from the children’s book “Cool wie Bolle” (Cool as Bolle). Read by Petrine Waagö (team leader, guides).

You can find the event on the book fair website here: Reading Braille – A reading for children (ages 9+) in cooperation with the DIALOGMUSEUM.