Brandt was a judge for the 2012 Communication Arts magazine competition, which selects some of the best photography in the world each year.

CNN: Art photography: When 'reality isn't good enough'

The year 2009 will indeed, here and across the world, be a chance to recognise this form of communication as an essential liberator, a window on the world for children reading their books (under their bedcovers, as I did), or adults being able to go about their business with confidence - and with the certainty that very few other people will be able to read their secrets.

BBC: Why Braille is brilliant