Studying ancient languages such as Greek, Hebrew, Coptic or even Sumerian and Akkadian may seem particularly challenging for blind students. The Braille for Ancient Languages initiative shows that these languages can also be studied effectively through braille.
The resources were created as part of the Digital Accessibility for Blind Scholars of Antiquity project at Stanford University. Its aim is to improve access to ancient languages for blind, visually impaired and print-disabled students and scholars, particularly through the use of refreshable braille displays and accessible digital texts.
A key part of the project was the development of high-quality braille translation tables for LibLouis, the open-source braille translation engine used by a number of screen readers, including NVDA, JAWS and VoiceOver.
The Braille for Ancient Languages website brings these resources together in a practical form. It currently provides braille codes, sample texts and links to accessible digital resources for Sumerian and Akkadian transliteration, Classical and Biblical Hebrew, Classical and Koine Greek, and Coptic. It also includes guidance for activating multilingual braille tables in screen readers and introductory guides for both students and teachers.
The project also highlights an important principle: audio alone cannot fully replace braille when learning a language. Braille gives students direct access to spelling, word structure and other features of written language that are essential for serious linguistic study.
This is an inspiring example of how braille, digital technology and open-source collaboration can work together to make even highly specialised areas of education and scholarship more accessible.
Explore the project Braille for Ancient Languages (external link to Blind Scholar).