Legal framework

Decree No 18.373 of 22 May 1930 recognised the desirability of ‘uniforming in Portugal the method of reading and writing the Braille System for the use of the blind, in accordance with the new official spelling’, and approved the method of reading which forms an integral part of that decree.

It happens that the braillographical reality then decreed ceased to satisfy, long ago, the needs felt by users, who had to apply Braille not only to word writing, either in integral or stenographic mode, but also to writing, namely, mathematics, chemistry, phonetics, computer science, music.

The Braille System ceased to be just an elementary code of reading and tactile writing to become also at the heart of a vast problem today worthy of academic interest, giving rise to research developed in its various fields, served by an already wide and renowned bibliography.

Thus, it is necessary to formalize the signographic material and its various braillographical applications and define the appropriate conditions for the framing, structuring, normalization and orientation of the use of Braille, as well as its development as the natural means of reading and writing for people with visual impairment.

It is in this context that Decree-Law No 126/2017 of 4 October 2017 approves the Braille System, in force in Portugal, annexed to the same Decree-Law and of which it forms an integral part, as a matter for application to the different spellings of Braille and repeals Decree No 18.373 of 22 May 1930.

As stated in the aforementioned Decree-Law No 126/2017, the Braille System is a universal code for tactile reading and writing, used by blind people.

The signs of the Braille System apply to all spellings, namely the Portuguese Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Music and Informatics.

The Braille system is based on a 6-point matrix.

In order to allow the representation in Braille of each of the code points of the character encoding tables incorporated in information and communication technologies, points 3 and 6 of the Braille cell, respectively, shall be superseded by points 7 and 8.

The approval of the spellings shall be the subject of an order to be published by the members of the Government responsible for the areas of disability, education and science, technology and higher education, on a proposal from the public body responsible for the planning, implementation and coordination of policies to promote the rights of persons with disabilities, a proposal drawn up by the Braille and Complementary Reading Facilities Unit, within the scope of their respective competences.

After publication of the order, the spellings shall be published on the official websites of the National Institute for Rehabilitation, I.P., the Directorate-General for Education and the Directorate-General for Higher Education.

Graphics approved by the defunct Commissions of Braille

The Graphics that were in force at the time of the publication of Decree-Law No 126/2017 were approved by Commissions created for this purpose, the last of which ended its mandate in 2003.

Since these spellings were only made available to users on paper, in its two versions, the printed in ink and the printed in Braille, Núcleo Braille offers versions in digital format, so that they can be published here, as they are completed.

Therefore, each spelling will be made available in two formats:

• Braille Digital (BRF – Braille File Format), intended to be read and/or printed in Braille, using braille lines and/or braille printers and the 6-point American Braille table.
• Image File (PDF - Portable File Format) – resulting from the digitisation of ink-printed spellings, intended to be read with the eyes and thus also accessible to persons without visual impairment.

New spellings

As the new spellings or the revision of those currently in force are being prepared by the Braille Center, a need that is urgent in view of the scientific and signographic evolution that takes place in the various scientific areas, they will also be disclosed here, after publication of the Order approving them, as provided for in Decree-Law No 126/2017 of 4 October 2017.

Braille graphics available on this page

The following braille spellings can be downloaded via the links below.

Grafia Braille for the Portuguese Language (3rd edition) - Read and print version in Braille (BRF) (Zip file) - Ink Printed Version (PDF)

Braille Mathematical Graffiti - Read and print version in Braille (BRF) (Zip file) - Ink Printed Version (PDF)

Braille Chemistry Graphia - Read and print version in Braille (BRF) (Zip file) - Ink Printed Version (PDF)