World Braille Day 2023: What is it and why is it celebrated?

World Braille Day is celebrated every year on January 4 to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication for blind and partially sighted people, and helps advocate for their equal rights and opportunities. The day was recognised in 2019 by the United Nations and marks the birth anniversary of Louis Braille - a French educator who lost his eyesight at the age of 3 due to an accident with a sewing machine.

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Named after its inventor in 19th century France - Louis Braille - the writing system is used by the blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font, the UN said.

Louis Braille developed the Braille system by modifying Charles Barbie’s Night Write system.

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According to the UN, braille is a “tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical, and scientific symbols.” It involves raised dots that can be read with fingers.

The first Braille system was published in 1829 - and was adopted by the National Institute for Blind Youth.

The day is celebrated by learning Braille, promoting the work of blind or partially sighted people, and artists.