World Braille Day 2023: Marked on January 4, the day recognise and honor the life and work of Louis Braille, the inventor of the Braille system of reading and writing for blind and visually impaired people. The United Nations General Assembly established it in 2019 and it serves as the opening ceremony for Braille Literacy Month. The Braille system, which is based on a series of raised dots that can be read with the fingertips, has given millions of people who are blind or visually impaired the ability to read and write and has greatly increased their independence and ability to participate fully in society.
The purpose of this day is to increase public understanding of the value of Braille and Braille literacy.
What is Braille?
According to United Nations, Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. Braille is used by blind and partially sighted people to read.
Braille is considered important in terms of education, freedom of expression and opinion, as well as social inclusion, as reflected in article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
World Braille Day 2023: History
World Braille Day was formed in 2019 by the United Nations General Assembly. The day is observed on the birth anniversary of Louis Braille who was born on January 4, 1809, as the Braille approach was created by the Frenchman after he was accidentally rendered blind at a young age. An educator for the visually impaired, Braille developed his eponymous writing and reading system in order to help others. His writing system used six tactile dots in order to represent alphabetic, numerical, musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. Raised dots are used to represent the symbols that make up the code. To read the Braille code and continue studying or communicating, people use their sense of touch.
World Braille Day 2023: Significance
The aim of World Braille Day is to increase public awareness of the value of braille as a form of communication for the blind and partially sighted.
World Braille Day 2023: Quotes
- "Determination does triumph physical deprivation"
- "Braille is not a language but a code which can be translated into many languages"
- "Braille opens the door for thousands of blinds to become independent"
- "Live without seeing, but be what you are"
- "Braille is knowledge, and knowledge is power"
- "Access to communication in the widest sense is access to knowledge, and that is vitally important for us if we are not to go on being despised or patronized by condescending sighted people"
