The Misunderstanding of Braille’s Value
When we talk to organisations about accessibility, one thing comes up again and again: braille and other accessible formats are often overlooked. We have even heard people say that braille is outdated, niche, or no longer needed because of screen readers. This is not only incorrect but actively undermines the very idea of encouraging inclusion. In this blog, we will be outlining exactly why providing braille is so important, regardless of your industry or level of interaction with the public.
For the visually impaired members of the Direct Access team, Braille remains essential, not as a legacy format, but a living, relevant, and powerful tool for access, literacy, and independence. In addition to being used as a means of communication by our staff members, the format is used regularly by over 7% of the UK’s registered blind and partially sighted population, providing its users with the ability to engage with information privately and confidently, without having to ask for assistance. Simply put, braille allows individuals to make active and independent decisions based on the information that is already readily available to sighted people.
Who is Braille for?
Several laws insisting on the availability of Braille exist because accessible formats play a critical role in dignity and independence. Despite the critical importance of braille, our experience has shown that many organisations still view accessibility primarily in terms of the physical environment. Yet consider for a moment how your favourite coffee shop communicates with its customers. Most of the time, this happens through menus, signage, posters, or receipts. For staff, the list extends further to health and safety information, organisational policies, feedback letters, pay slips, and countless other documents. These are universal touchpoints where accessible formats such as braille, large print, audio, or accessible digital versions can make a real, tangible difference to disabled people who are looking to spend money, while also improving the quality of access for disabled staff and team members. Nearly every organisation we have worked with uses at least one of these formats in some form, highlighting the opportunity to enhance access and inclusion across both public-facing and internal communications.
Broadly speaking, our work across hospitality, education, public sector, and commercial environments has consistently highlighted the same issue. That due to the influx of customer interaction taking place online via email, apps, or on digital sign-up forms, providing information to customers in braille formats is seen as redundant somehow. To that, we should point out that while screen readers and audio formats are very valuable tools, they do not serve as a replacement to braille. This is especially the case for DeafBlind individuals, who rely on braille to use computers and their sense of touch generally to communicate with others.
Do I need to provide Braille?
For many people who are blind, braille is the only format that provides direct access to written information. If your organisation relies in any way on the internal or external relay of information in written formats, whether in the form of product or service menus, brochures, receipts, health and safety information, wayfinding signage organisational policies, entertainment timetables, booking forms, feedback letters, or consent forms, you are obligated to provide each of these in accessible formats to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 (for websites/apps). The Accessible Formats, alongside Braille, are Large Print, Easy Read, BSL, and plain English.
At Direct Access, we have been grateful to collaborate with some forward-thinking organisations that were (or became) acutely aware of the importance of Braille. Organisations like TransPennine are ensuring that disabled people can engage with their written information by providing our bespoke Braille menu on their trains, while English Heritage are implementing Braille-enhanced wayfinding information at sites like Wroxeter Roman City to enhance independent navigation. Working with our Accessible Media department, they are broadcasting a clear message that accessibility has been considered properly and has not been added as an afterthought, something that many organisations are still guilty of doing.
Beyond sectors like business, heritage, and transport, braille is also an essential tool in education. Across schools of all ages, providing braille ensures that students with visual impairments can fully participate in learning and feel included. It also establishes a standard of expectation for both disabled pupils and their families, reinforcing that accessible formats are a right, not an exception. This awareness naturally extends beyond the classroom, signalling to other organisations and services the student interacts with, whether after-school programs, clubs, or community providers, that accessibility is necessary. In this way, braille in schools not only supports individual learners but also helps drive wider inclusive practice across the broader community.
Through our audits and advisory work, we help organisations understand when braille is appropriate, how it should be implemented, and how it fits alongside other accessible formats. This ensures decisions are evidence based, defensible, and aligned with both legal duties and organisational values.
The challenge for most organisations is not intent but confidence. Accessibility can feel complex, and assumptions are often made without specialist input. At Direct Access, our role is to remove that uncertainty. We support organisations to move beyond assumptions and towards informed, proportionate accessibility solutions that are evidence based, defensible, and aligned with both legal duties and your organisational values.
If your organisation is unsure whether it is truly meeting accessibility needs, or whether braille and other accessible formats should be part of your provision, now is the time to seek expert guidance. We’ll work with you to ensure accessibility is meaningful, compliant, and effective. When accessibility is done well, it protects you, your staff, and your audience.