The invention of language is one of the great achievements among humans. Without language, it is next to impossible to carry out reading and writing work, considered the two pillars of education. It is easy for a normal human being to be part of the learning process while reading and writing in languages available to them.
However, many specially-abled people across the world follow a different method of reading. Millions of blind people across the world obtain education, training and carry out other learning processes in the Braille language.
Braille is a form of written language for blind people. In this language, characters are represented by raised dots patterns and that can be felt with the fingertips. World Braille Day is observed every year on January 4 to spread awareness about the importance of Braille language as a means of communication for blind and visually impaired people. The day serves as a reminder to authorities and people in power to understand the importance of accessibility for people who are visually impaired.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in November 2018 chose the date for World Braille Day via a proclamation in November 2018. The first world Braille Day was celebrated on January 4, 2019.
World Braille Day also commemorates the birth anniversary of French educator Louis Braille, the man who invented the Braille language in the year 1809.
Louis Braille’s invention of the Braille language is still considered a gift to humanity as it is the most widely used medium of reading for blind people around the world. At the age of 3, he met with an accident with a stitching awl in his father’s harness-making shop. After the accident, he became blind in one eye. While working in his father’s shop, he stabbed in another eye when he was trying to make holes in a piece of leather. This resulted in total blindness.
He finished his education in his new way of reading and communicating. He invented Braille language by using an awl-like stylus to punch dots in the paper that could be felt and interpreted by blind people. In this language, alphabetic and numerical symbols are represented using six dots.
