A cleverly designed braille wall covering, developed with the National Federation of the Blind, delivers positive messages to the blind and people with low vision.
Our Louis commercial vinyl wall covering, part of the Lanark Vault collection, was designed by Lanark stylist, Kathy Wisniski. With World Braille Day on January 4 and February being Low Vision Awareness Month, it is a timely launch to bring focus to this amazing cause.
Initially inspired by the tactility of Braille letterforms, the range is available in 22 colourways. Each features 30 embossed words, representing qualities of the human spirit we all possess and strive to implement in our lives.
Independence, honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, devotion, love, honour, sincerity, integrity, virtue, goodness, warmth, grace, generosity, care, friendship, tenderness, joy, humanity, fairness, happiness, hope, trust, truth, courage, empathy, decency, freedom, respect.
The History of Braille
Braille is a system of raised bumps in cells consisting of two vertical rows of three, that can be read with the fingers. It was invented in the 1820’s by Frenchman Louis Braille and still used all over the world today, in many languages.
Blind & Vision Impaired
According to research conducted in 2014*, it is estimated there are over 575,000 people who are blind or vision impaired currently living in Australia. The estimation for New Zealand is 180,000 people.**
Braille literacy is an essential pillar of success for all blind and vision impaired. As Ella Edwards wrote in her article ‘A Case For Braille’^ it “has a role in education, orientation and mobility, communication and identification.”
When looking at US studies, only about 10 percent of students who need Braille are taught it in schools. To address this lack of appropriate education, the National Federation of the Blind offers numerous outreach programs to promote and increase Braille literacy. A percentage of Louis wall covering sales is donated to them to help with funding.
Louis – Braille Wall Covering
Louis is a 30oz, Type II vinyl wall vinyl perfect for commercial wall covering applications that demand a highly durable solution, such as corridors. It meets AS/NZS 3837-1998, Group 2 FR ratings.
Sustainability
Louis wall covering is low VOC and meets California Section 01350 indoor air quality standards. It can contribute to LEED® EQ 4.1 point for low-emitting materials, adhesives, and sealants if used with low VOC adhesives. In addition it can contribute to LEED® MR 5.1 point for regional materials.
Made with highly cleanable water-based inks it contains no cadmium or mercury-based pigments. Furthermore, the pigments are fade and alkali-resistant.
Like all vinyl wall covering, Louis braille is recyclable at the end of its use.
We hope this design brings awareness to the history of Braille, the beautiful simplicity of the code itself and how it can open up worlds for the blind and people with low vision all over the world.
You can see the collection and order samples here.
Notes & Credits
*Vision 2020 Australia, the Australian Blindness Forum (ABF), and National Disability Services (NDS) 2014 research
**Blind Low Vision NZ.
^A Case For Braille, by Ella Edwards, Blind Citizens Australia.
