How Do Blind People Find Braille Signs?

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires most permanent signs in buildings to have tactile (raised) letters, along with Braille printing. I have run across these signs in lots of hotels and convention centers, and often wondered: How would a blind person find the signs in order to read them?

Tommy Edison, "The Blind Film Critic," made a video illustrating how this works. As a sighted person, I found this fascinating—and my favorite bit is when Edison comes across a typo in the Braille. Oops. I was also surprised at how the signage works around elevators and floor numbers; in retrospect, I had seen those signs but never realized what they were for.

Take a moment to learn how blind folks find and use these signs:

If you liked that, you'll love Edison's YouTube channel. You might also be interested in these placement guidelines for ADA-compliant signs around doors!