January 4: World Braille Day

Every Year January 4 is celebrated as World Braille Day in order to mark the birth anniversary of Louis Braille. Louis is the inventor of Braille, a written language for blind people.

Highlights

The World Braille Day is celebrated by the United Nations and also by other world organizations. In November 2018, the UN passed a resolution in order to celebrate the day. The day was first celebrated on January 4, 2019.

The World Braille Day spreads awareness about Braille script and other accessible forms of communication. Many establishments like banks, hospitals and restaurants fail to print their materials in Braille script. This creates difficulties for visually impaired people. The day marks such difficulties and spreads awareness of their importance.

Louis Braille

Louis Braille was born in Coupvray, France. He lost both his eyes at the age of 3. This was the prime reason behind Braille inventing the 6-dot language called Braille.

Challenges in the use of Braille

Many schools do not offer literacy in Braille. There are many countries in the world that have not included Braille in their educational curriculum. According to the WHO, there are around 2.2 billion people in the world with vision impairment.

Global steps

The 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities considers Braille essential for education. Also, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted in 2015 pledges that no one will be left behind.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2020