Meet the Founder of Dotty About Braille

Meet the Founder of Dotty About Braille, Hayley Kellard.

Hayley is the visionary founder of Dotty About Braille, a multi-award winning company that has gained recognition for its commitment to accessibility and inclusivity in the world of greetings cards and gifts. Hayley’s personal journey is a testament to resilience, compassion, and a dedication to creating a positive impact in the lives of others.

Born with a rare genetic eye condition and with family members who are blind, Hayley was taught Braille at school but she didn’t find a fondness for it at that time as it wasn’t interesting to her at that age. 

In 2023 Hayley found herself in between jobs and she began to explore Braille as a genuine interest. Delving into the world of organised dots, Hayley was inspired to create something meaningful for those who are blind. This journey resulted in the launch of Dotty About Braille, a play on words as Braille is a series of raised dots which form cells. Each pattern in the cell represents a letter and this tactile alphabet enables a touch method to read without sight. The Braille system has special forms for numbers, capitalisation and also for music. It truly offers a world of possibilities for people with sight loss.

Hayley told us: 

“I knew the options for truly accessible braille cards was very limited, and often quite expensive, so I wanted to bring a range of cards to the market that were made just for blind people, that didn't have text, or patterns, or images, simply braille with a heartfelt message.”

By creating affordable, thoughtfully designed braille cards, Hayley is helping to enable inclusion in one of the simplest yet most meaningful forms of communication: sending and receiving a card. Many visually-impaired people report that their options are limited and expensive, or do not meet their accessibility requirements. 

Dotty About Braille changes that. Recipients can feel a Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas message but Dotty About Braille is more than just a business. Hayley is committed to community and connection. She believes that everyone should have access to meaningful ways to express their feelings and celebrate special occasions.  Recognising that many blind individuals have favourite colours, she thoughtfully includes a wide range of colours and adds that information in braille on the back of each card.

In addition to greetings cards, Hayley has expanded the product line to include sticky labels and an assortment of thoughtful gifts like Christmas tree decorations, advent calendars, memory boxes, flashcards, and affirmation cards. This allows customers to choose items that are not only functional but also meaningful, ensuring that every piece resonates.

The company’s greetings cards have quickly become the standout best-sellers and Hayley has developed braille transcribing services for event flyers, letters, award programs, and menus. 

After completing an advanced braille course, she is eager to expand these offerings further and make braille more widely available in various contexts and businesses can now order smaller quantities, making it easier for many to access this crucial form of communication.

Looking ahead, Hayley envisions a future where braille is taught in mainstream schools. She believes this shift will not only raise awareness among children about the existence and importance of braille but will also cultivate empathy and understanding toward the visually impaired community. 

While she acknowledges that technology has changed how people communicate and may have contributed to a decline in braille usage, she firmly believes there will always be a significant place for braille in our society. Braille is available in all different languages , and Hayley can offer Braille in French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, German and Polish, plus other languages.