World Braille Day is also acknowledges that people who are blind or visually impaired should have the same rights as everyone else. The history of World Braille Day may be traced back to November 2012, when the United Nations formally acknowledged the day.
Since then, the day has been observed annually around the world to promote awareness about the importance of braille literacy.
Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetical and mathematical signs in which six dots represent numbers and letters. It is used to depict musical, technical, and analytical signs.
World Braille Day 2023 Date
Every January 4, World Braille Day is observed to honor the birth of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille. Blind or visually impaired people worldwide are living better life because of Braille’s invention.
Braille is important in terms of literacy, freedom of speech and belief, and community cohesiveness, as stated in article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
World Braille Day History
More information about the history of Braille Day can be found below:
- In 1809, Louis Braille was born in Coupvray, France.. When he was three, he wounded his eye with an awl, which became infected and spread to his other eye. Louis was entirely blind within a year.
- Louis attended the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, where he became dissatisfied with the communication tools available to him.
- Braille invented his innovative approach at this school when he was just 15 years old, in 1824. A night watchmaker named Charles Barbier came to the classroom and revealed a code he devised for soldiers to converse silently at night without the use of light.
- Braille was inspired by his method and developed his own, which is still in use today.
Significance Of World Braille Day
There are several reasons why Braille Day is important, including:
- This day promotes literacy and alternative forms of communication.
- This day presents a chance to advance braille reading and rise the standard of living for the blind.
- World Braille Day is an occasion to honor Louis Braille, the man who developed the braille system of communication.
- It’s a time to recognize blind people’s challenges and to provide them with support.
World Braille Day 2023 Theme
Even 200 years later, braille is still used to translate books and make life easier for people with visual impairments. To communicate with persons who are blind, Braille is frequently utilized in common objects including payment machines, shampoo bottles, and prescription packets.
Blind persons can now read resources like Web Pages and communications without Braille thanks to the integration of text-to-speech and audio book technology into smartphones and laptops.
While the 2023 World Braille Day subject has not yet been revealed, it spread awareness of the significance of Braille in 2018.