Reflecting on Braille Literacy Month: Toward a Unified System

by Aaron Preece
Today the Unified English Braille system offers people who are blind (or whose sight exists within the spectrum of blindness) an effective reading and writing system. But the history of braille — which is more than 200 years old — is complex, including a "War of the Dots," international collaboration, and several alterations.

This list covers vocabulary from the "Toward a Unified System" section.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Introduction, The War of the Dots, Toward a Unified System, The Legacy of Braille
12 words 0 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. establish
    bring about
    In the early 20th century, efforts to establish a single tactile code for the United States gained momentum.
  2. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    In the early 20th century, efforts to establish a single tactile code for the United States gained momentum.
  3. respective
    considered individually
    Advocates of American Braille and New York Point fiercely defended their respective systems, but no consensus was reached.
  4. consensus
    agreement in the judgment reached by a group as a whole
    Advocates of American Braille and New York Point fiercely defended their respective systems, but no consensus was reached.
  5. debate
    a discussion with reasons for and against some proposal
    Even Helen Keller weighed in on the debate, supporting American Braille.
  6. determine
    reach, make, or come to a decision about something
    Eventually, a committee was formed to scientifically determine the best tactile system.
  7. evaluate
    judge; form a critical opinion of
    This study included evaluating the horizontal style of New York Point versus the two-column, three-cell style of American Braille, among other codes.
  8. horizontal
    parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line
    This study included evaluating the horizontal style of New York Point versus the two-column, three-cell style of American Braille, among other codes.
  9. supplement
    serve as an addition to
    Surprisingly, the system with the greatest efficiency and usability turned out to be the British Braille system, based on Louis Braille’s original alphabet and supplemented with contractions to save space.
  10. superiority
    displaying a sense of being better than others
    After recognizing the superiority of British Braille, the committee recommended abandoning both New York Point and American Braille in favor of what was called the Standard Dot System.
  11. recommend
    push for something
    After recognizing the superiority of British Braille, the committee recommended abandoning both New York Point and American Braille in favor of what was called the Standard Dot System.
  12. negotiation
    a discussion intended to produce an agreement
    However, this decision came with a condition: the system would only be adopted in the United States if it was also accepted in Britain. This requirement led to 18 more years of transatlantic negotiations.
Created on Thu Apr 09 17:38:50 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Apr 14 17:07:54 EDT 2026)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.