Book of short stories now in Braille

Mary Ann Lamont and her grandson, Darcy Britton. Photo / Paul Brooks

Mary Ann Lamont’s book of short stories, Did You See the Love, has been printed in Braille.

Mary Ann’s grandson Darcy Britton is blind, and he approached the Blind Foundation, now known as Blind Low Vision NZ in Auckland to get the book printed in Braille.

“I wanted to read it,” he says.

Mary Ann says the foundation first checked with her if the book was suitable for adults — which it is — and told her that while the book is not in it Braille library, it was currently updating, so there is the possibility it could be included. In the meantime, it printed off a copy in Braille for Darcy.

Because Braille takes up so much space, the small printed book has become two large Braille copies.

“They were very quick,” she says.

Darcy learned to read Braille when he was at Whanganui High School.

“I had a resource teacher of vision come in from BLENNZ (Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ) ... and helped me learn Braille code.” That started in 2015.

“I went blind just before I turned 14,” he says.

“I had a brain tumour since I was 4 years old.”

It went undiscovered until it caused his blindness

“I had a tumour the size of a small apple and was given four months to live at the time. I was rushed off to Auckland to get it taken out.”

The tumour was benign but it had crushed the optic nerves.

Darcy has a stick and he says he copes pretty well.

“I’ve got no other choice, really. I just get on with it.”

He says a lot of books are produced in Braille and they can be obtained from the Blind Low Vision NZ library in Auckland.

“I can order them, if I want to.”

Darcy spent time in Auckland at the Homai Campus School, a specialist school for children and young people with sensory disabilities.

“I tried to stay there for a year, but it was during Covid, so I was up and down.”

Darcy has a Braille machine on which he can type, and his phone is Braille capable. He can type letters and the phone tells him what he is typing with a voice assistant. Determined to not let his disability define him, Darcy has been accepted into an automotive course at UCOL next year. He will be looking for a job afterwards.

Together, Mary Ann and Darcy are working through her book, story by story. There are 11 stories in the book.

“He is doing well,” says Mary Ann.

Darcy says Braille is letters using six dots.

“There is also Braille music and Braille maths,” he says.

Mary Ann gave Darcy a copy of his book for Christmas last year, assuming that she would read the stories to him.

“It was his idea to get it put into Braille.

“I had thought about an audiobook, but there’s something about touching, and that process we have of looking with our eyes and reading, there’s something that happens in your brain: you can form images.”

Because Darcy went blind at 14, he has the memory of sight, so he is able to form images when he reads in Braille. That he is able to read his grandmother’s book makes it more special.

Blind Low Vision NZ also printed a book of lyrics written by Darcy. It’s called Beautiful Birds.

“That [book] touched a lot of people,” says Mary Ann.

Mary Ann’s book in print is available from Paige’s Book Gallery, The Yellow House and Pukeko’s Nest