Announcement

Should the word “braille” be capitalized?

The word "braille" should not be capitalized when referring to the braille code.

Many people are unsure whether or not the word “braille” should be capitalized.  The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has a specific position on this (adopted in 2006), which should clarify it for the field.  Their position states:

“BANA recommends that the word “braille,” when referring to the code developed by Louis Braille, be written with an initial lowercase letter. When referring to the proper name of Louis Braille, the inventor of the reading system, the initial letter should be capitalized.”
 
They add:  “Most agencies and organizations in the blindness field throughout the world follow the practice that does not capitalize the word “braille” unless referring to the name of Louis Braille or to a proper name such as Braille and Talking Book Library (agency); Braille ’n’ Speak (product name); or Braille Formats: Principles of Print to Braille Transcription (book title).”
 
Paths to Literacy follows BANA’s position that “braille” should NOT be capitalized when referring to the code.
 
To read the full position paper, see: http://www.brailleauthority.org/capitalization/capitalization.pdf
 
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