Glasgow man shares Braille journey at Mitchell Library event

The day-long event at the Mitchell Library brought together individuals with sight loss and the wider community to explore the power of braille as a tool for independence and knowledge. Speaking at the event, Matthew Clark, an Inclusive Design Consultant with RNIB, shared his personal journey with braille and its enduring significance in his life.

Born with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, a hereditary condition diagnosed during his six-month check up, Matthew’s path was shaped early on by his visual impairment. Reflecting on his early education, he recounted, “I first learned braille in primary school. I started with basic print and handwriting, but it became clear that braille was the best path for me. It wasn’t really a choice - I could never have seen anything on a blackboard or whiteboard. Braille was comfortable, effective, and empowering.”

However, Matthew's relationship with braille wasn’t without its challenges. He faced several barriers during his education, which caused him to drift away from regular braille use. “I first learnt braille in primary school. I recall starting the very basics of learning print, and handwriting, in my first year; but then I started to be removed from these classes, bit by bit, until that time was completely replaced by braille tuition in another room in my school, with a teacher from the VI unit. It wasn’t really a matter of choice - I could never have seen anything on any blackboard or whiteboard at school. I can strain myself to read very large print, but it isn’t comfortable, while braille is comfortable to read. The same goes for writing. I cannot see well enough to write print small, or without truly horrific posture. Learning braille was right. I’ve subconsciously learnt to read print better, by using computers with magnification over the years. But I do resent that my ability to even write my own name well in print, with well-made characters, to write a pretty greetings card, was neglected.”

He continued to struggle with societal barriers towards braille access as he progressed to higher education. “At university, delays in braille transcription and the struggle to access digitised text discouraged me from relying on it,” he shared. Yet, his desire to reconnect with physical literacy led him back to the Mitchell Library, where he found support in braille classes. “Those classes reignited my appreciation for braille’s personal and professional benefits.”

Matthew’s rediscovered use of braille has profoundly enriched his personal and professional routines. “At work, braille was the most efficient way to take and review notes during conversations with customers and colleagues,” he said. Whether using braille notes for public speaking or adapting his favourite games for personal enjoyment, Matthew explains how his braille use has evolved to meet his needs.

“Braille allows me to keep my eyes on the people around me while still accessing my notes. It’s practical, empowering, and irreplaceable.”

For Matthew, RNIB’s Braille and Beyond events represent a call to action. “Public sector austerity and misconceptions about accessible technology have limited opportunities for many blind and partially sighted people to learn braille. The library tour is a chance to cherish and promote braille again - to demand the right to literacy.”

He stressed the importance of braille as a foundation for independence and intellectual freedom. “Without braille, blind and partially sighted people are robbed of literacy. No one would ask a sighted child to skip learning to read and write. Braille gives us touch with the written word, with one of humanity’s greatest achievements, a foundation to our intelligence, individual agency, and liberty.”

As the Braille and Beyond library tour continues across the UK, Matthew hopes the events will inspire individuals and organisations to recognise the enduring value of braille. “To me, the library tour, and anniversary, is the perfect chance to cherish and promote braille, again; to demand of ourselves to use it, and to demand the rights to be taught and find it in our lives where it empowers us. Whether that be a braille guidebook at National Trust property, a Map For All at a bus station, or taking notes in our working or personal lives.”