Marks and Spencer are rolling out a braille Happy Birthday gift card along with some braille greetings cards. Bringing braille into high street stores helps raise awareness of the needs of people with visual impairments, as well as providing family and friends options for when buying for a loved one.

• The gift card joins a range of three braille greetings cards
• The range has been developed in consultation with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
• Rollout accelerated by a colleague idea submitted through the retailer’s CEO suggestion scheme - ‘Straight to Stuart'
• Move part of M&S's commitment to being an inclusive and accessible retailer for every customer it serves

My wife can attest to the lack of braille cards available on the market, recently opting to add braille by hand to a card for our wedding anniversary. Not everyone knows Braille or has a Braille frame and stylus to be able to create their own card, so having more options is very welcome.

The presence of braille products in store raises awareness of braille and the value it provides to the visually impaired community.

In addition to high street stores, there are boutique businesses like Dotty About Braille who create cards, letters, and labels on demand for a more personal touch.