World Braille Day

World Braille Day is observed to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication for blind and partially sighted people.

What is Braille?

Braille is a tangible representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols in which letters and numbers are represented using six dots. It is even used in the depicting musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. Braille is named after Louis Braille, who invented it for blind and partially sighted people in 19th century, France.

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.

Significance of World Braille Day 2021

During the Covid-19 lockdown, visually impaired people who are dependent on the use of touch for communication have made realize the importance of essential infrastructure in terms of Braille and audible formats.

Alternatively, it can pose a higher risk of contamination due to a lack of access to guidelines and precautions to protect and reduce the spreading of a pandemic.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Nations have implemented many good practices in order to promote a disability-inclusive response to the Covid-19 and disseminate information in Braille.