World Braille Day | 4 January

World Braille Day is observed in order to raise awareness of the importance of braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people. The first official World Braille Day is celebrated on 4 January 2019.

What is Braille?

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 (named after its inventor in 19th century France, Louis Braille) is used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font. Use of braille allows the communication of important information to and from individuals who are blind or partially sighted, ensuring competency, independence, and equality. More than 1.3 billion people are living with some form of distance or near vision impairment and there is a need to raise awareness of Braille.