Every year, on January 4, people all around the world celebrate World Braille Day, which also commemorates Louis Braille’s birth anniversary. The United Nations has declared January 4 as World Braille Day since 2019. He was the inventor of the Braille writing system.
The Braille Code is a type of written language that uses raised dots as its characters. Blind and visually impaired people all over the world may read and write on their own due to this tactile system.
Braille was born on January 4, 1809. He was only three years old when he suffered an eye injury and started losing his eyesight. By the age of five, he was completely blind. He later went to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth where an embossed print system was used to teach students to read books. This technique was slow and stressful.
Later, he learned of the French Army Captain Charles Barbier’s invention of “Night writing,” which made use of dots and dashes on thick paper that could be read by touch. Braille then modified it and figured out how to use six dots to represent letters by the time he was fifteen. Louis Braille published his Braille Code in 1829. After he died in 1852, it gained popularity and is still in use in several countries.
#WorldBrailleDay trends third on Twitter
#WorldBrailleDay trends third on Twitter on January 4.
“Ensuring equal rights & opportunities for all. #WorldBrailleDay recognizes the importance of the Braille for securing human rights and realizing the potential of blind and partially sighted people. Together, let’s #LeaveNoOneBehind,” wrote UNDP India.
“Happy #WorldBrailleDay! A quality #InclusiveEducation cannot be achieved without the use of braille & other assistive tools for visually impaired children & adolescents. This new year, let’s continue to work toward improving education,” stated UNICEF South Sudan.
Former MP Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar stated, “Remembering French Educator Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille system. Braille was determined to invent a system of reading and writing that could bridge the gap in communication between the sighted and the blind.”
“Today we celebrate the importance of Braille in education and its impact on the lives of those with visual impairments. Braille literacy is essential for equal opportunities in education and employment,” was another tweet.
