ELLABraille
ELLA turns a document into braille files that you can emboss or read on a braille display. It writes English in Unified English Braille (UEB), the code used across the UK.
What ELLA supports
- UEB grade 1, which is uncontracted.
- UEB grade 2, which is contracted.
- UEB technical notation, for maths and science.
- Files as BRF, PEF or eBraille.
ELLA does not write Nemeth code. If you ask for it, ELLA tells you it cannot. For Welsh, its braille engine has Welsh grade 1 and grade 2 tables that you can ask for by name. See Welsh-language documents. For any other language, ask first.
What you can choose
Write it in your request, or save it in an accessibility profile.
- Grade: 1 or 2. See grade 1 and grade 2.
- Cells per line: 25, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 or 42.
- Lines per page: 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30 or 40.
- File format. See BRF and PEF and eBraille.
If you do not say, ELLA uses grade 2.
Braille in the app
BRF and PEF results are files you download. You can ask about the checks in the chat. eBraille is download only.
Check it before you use it
ELLA's braille can contain mistakes. The terms of service say to take special care with braille for embossing, braille for a named reader, and anything with maths or science. A braille reader or a transcriber should check the file before it is embossed or given to a student.
You can also ask ELLA to check a braille file you already have. See check a braille file.
- BRF or PEF: which braille file do I need? What BRF and PEF files are, how embossers and braille displays use them, and how to pick one. Includes page layout and eBraille.
- Check a braille file you already have Upload a BRF, PEF or eBraille file and ELLA checks its structure and layout. See what the check covers and what it cannot judge.
- eBraille: digital braille packages from ELLA What an eBraille file is, what ELLA needs to make one, and what to know before you rely on it. eBraille downloads as a package.
- UEB grade 1 and grade 2: which to choose Grade 1 braille spells every word out. Grade 2 uses contractions and is shorter. Find out which suits a learner, a reader or a document.
- Braille maths: UEB technical notation How ELLA writes maths and science in UEB technical braille, what source files work best, and why a braille reader should check every equation.
- Read a BRF file on a braille display Step by step: ask ELLA for a BRF file that fits your display, move it to the device and fix lines that wrap in the wrong place.
Still stuck?
Browse the help centre, or contact support and say what you were trying to do.