CODET Celebrates World Braille Day

January 4 is the annual celebration of World Braille Day, a day set aside to honor the birthday of the inventor of this literacy system, Louis Braille. The Braille system is an important tool in providing improved quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Braille is a literacy instrument that utilizes raised dots on flat surfaces that spell out letters and numbers. The composition of the dots allows people with a vision impairment to read and write.

The Story Behind the Braille System

Louis Braille was a French teacher who lost his vision at a very young age due to an accident in his father’s workshop. During his student days, Braille was inspired to develop a code made up of raised dots to allow fast and efficient reading and writing for the visually impaired. Using just the fingertips, gliding across an embossed surface, various texts can be read through the Braille system.

Over time, the Braille system was adopted by the world as a way to convey information to people who are blind or visually impaired. Many languages ​​have adopted this system including Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, and more.

A Day to Raise Awareness

World Braille Day was not only created to recognize the achievement of its inventor but also to raise awareness and recognize the rights of people with blindness or visual impairment.

It seeks to emphasize that Braille should be recognized as a right as well as education since not all people with a visual impairment have the possibility of learning the Braille system if their economic situation prevents it.

World Braille Day seeks to raise awareness about the daily challenges of a person with blindness. People without visual impairments take for granted everyday activities, such as going out to take the bus, or reading or writing on a computer. However, there are people with physical disabilities who find this more difficult and their challenges and efforts should be recognized.

Source: National Today