Moon

Also called Moon type, Moon alphabet, Moon code

A raised-line reading system whose letters are simplified capitals, made for people who lost their sight after learning to read print.

What it is

Moon is a way of reading by touch in which the letters are raised lines shaped like simplified versions of the printed capitals. An L in Moon is a raised L; an O is a raised circle; a V is a V. Some letters are pared down further, but most keep enough of their printed shape that a person who once read print recognises them.

It was invented in 1845 by William Moon, a Brighton man who lost his sight in his twenties and found that the embossed systems of the day were too hard for the adults he was teaching. That problem has not gone away. Braille is a code of dots, and it is a superb code, but learning it from scratch with older fingers and no memory of what the dots mean is hard. Moon meets the reader halfway.

It has always been a small system next to Braille and is smaller now that audio and screen readers exist. But it has a specific job that nothing else does as well, and it is still produced.

Who it can help

People who lost their sight as adults, especially later in life, who already read print and want to read by touch without learning a code. The large group here is people with macular degeneration and other age-related sight loss whose fingertip sensitivity may also be reduced, because Moon's characters are larger and bolder than a Braille cell and easier to feel.

It also helps some people with a learning disability and sight loss, and some deafblind people, for whom the resemblance to print letters is a foothold. Children born blind are almost always taught Braille instead, because Braille is faster, more compact and what the world of tactile books and displays is built on.

Moon is not the right choice for anyone who wants to read a lot, quickly, or on a refreshable display, and it does not exist for most of what is published. It is a tool for labels, short letters, personal notes and the pleasure of reading a little for oneself.

How it works

The alphabet has 26 characters built from nine basic shapes, rotated to make the others. Because the shapes are large, a line of Moon takes about twice the space of the same line in Braille, and a Moon book is a big object. Text is read left to right like print, and in the original form the lines alternated direction, with a raised bracket at each end to guide the finger back; modern Moon reads every line left to right.

Moon can be written by hand with a stylus on special film, and produced in quantity by embossing. There is a Moon grade with contractions for common words, as in Braille, though most users stay with the plain alphabet.

Teaching is usually one to one, through a rehabilitation officer for people with sight loss, and takes weeks rather than months for a person who reads print.

Getting started

Ask your local sensory or rehabilitation team, through the council or the eye clinic liaison officer, whether they can teach Moon; not every team can, and it is worth pressing. RNIB is the source of Moon materials and has a helpline that can advise, and it is the organisation to ask about Moon books and labelling kits.

At home, the first practical uses are labels: a raised L on the lounge light switch, the initial of each family member on their mug, and the first letter of the contents on the tins. A Moon alphabet card and a stylus kit cost little.

If the person is also losing hearing, the deafblind manual alphabet uses the same idea of letter shapes on the skin and is a natural companion.

Where to get help

RNIB, the sight loss charity, is the main source of Moon materials, teaching resources and advice, and its helpline is the place to ask. Your council's sensory team and the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer at your hospital are the local routes. For deafblind people, Sense and Deafblind UK. The Health A-Z entry on visual impairment covers the clinical side.