Every 4th January the world celebrates World Braille Day with an aim to make Braille more conscious of its value to connect with blind and partially-sighted people in their complete implementation of human rights. In November 2018, the date for the event was selected by the General Assembly of the United Nations via proclamation which marks the birthday of the creator of this writing system, Louis Braille. On 4 January 2019, the First World Braille Day was celebrated.
For people who are blind or visually impaired, World Braille Day is a reminder of the value of accessibility and freedom.
What is Braille?
A tactile representation of numerical and alphabet symbols, Braille uses six points, representing every letter and number and even the symbol of music, mathematics and science. Braille (named after its founder in France in the 19th century, Louis Braille) is used to read the same books and periodicals by blind and partially sighted individuals as those written in a visual font.
A Frenchman, Louis Braille, who lost his sight after an accident in his childhood. He invented a French alphabet code at the age of fifteen in 1824, improving the writing of the night. In 1829, he published his system which subsequently included musical notation.[1] The first binary type of writing that evolved in modern times was the second revision, published in 1837.
World Braille Day offers an opportunity for the people blind or visually disabled in our community to become more aware of the issues involved. The invention of braille has made visually disabled people visible and encourages equal opportunity. It is hoped that the world will make greater efforts to encourage inclusion by emphasising the approaches we can use to help blind people.
Swikriti Dandotia
