World Braille Day is celebrated every year on 4th January across the world honoring the birthday of Louis Braille, the man who invented Braille language that helps blind people to read and write.
Braille has always been more than just a tool for blind people who use it. It symbolizes competency, independence and equality. Braille is not a code to be translated but is a way or a method of reading and writing, which is equal in value to print for sighted individuals.
In Louis Braille’s era, the code was used only at the Parisian school for blind people where he studied and later educated others. But at present, there are Braille codes for almost every written language in the world, so as to educate and provide literacy to all the blind people.
A little about the man behind it
Louis Braille was born and brought up in France. He met with an accident and became blind at the age of 3. Though, he had a great desire to be able to read and write properly, in spite of his disability. Being an attentive child at school, he invented a set of symbols by making raised dots on a piece of paper at the age of 15. The dots were made in such a way that anyone could feel it with his or her fingers.
Louis Braille was also passionate about music and therefore in the latter part of his life, he made Braille language for music. While developing the lingo for music, Louis Braille made a point to keep it supple so that it could be adapted to any musical instrument all over the world.
The World Braille Day is celebrated every year to recognize and respect the efforts of Louis Braille. It was his simple yet effectual invention that made it possible for blind people to read as well as write. Many people may not be aware of the World Braille Day and why it is celebrated all over the world. But the day is of great significance for people who are working for the blind or are somehow associated with them.
On this day, various NGOs and other organizations come together to raise awareness about the lack of concern towards blind people and to help them stand equally with the rest of the world.
