Eight-dot Braille was introduced by manufacturers of Braille displays, extending the traditional six-dot system. For the Dutch language, no official eight-dot Braille table existed until 28 October 2020, when the Braille-Autoriteit published the first version of a Dutch eight-dot Braille standard under its initiative.[1] This 2020 version was published on 28 October 2020 and came into effect on 31 December 2020.[2] The second version of the standard, was published on 8 February 2023 and came into effect on 1 April 2023.[3]
The digits 1–9 are formed by adding Braille dot 6 to the letters A–I. The number 0 is an exception, as J with dot 6 is already used for the letter W.[3]
Because the eight-dot Braille system allows for 256 possible dot combinations, it cannot represent all graphical mathematical symbols. In practice, Flemish and Dutch users rely on linear mathematical notation systems, such as those developed by Dedicon or the Flemish Mathematical Code (VWC), which replace graphical symbols with keyboard-friendly characters. These conventions are supported by the eight-dot Braille standard.[3]
References
12van Dijk, Don (2024-10-28). "Achtpuntsbraille"[Eight-dot Braille]. eduVIP (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2026-01-08. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
