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EVENT DESCRIPTION

World Braille Day celebrates and honours the birth of Braille's inventor, Louis Braille. Braille was a Frenchman who lost his eyesight as a child when he accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with his father's awl. He spent a considerable amount of time at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in France, from age 10. It was there that he formulated and perfected the system of raised dots that eventually became known as Braille.  

Braille completed his work, in which he developed a code based on cells with six dots, making it possible for a fingertip to feel the entire cell unit with one touch and moving quickly from one cell to another. Eventually, Braille slowly came to be recognised and accepted all through the world as the main form of written information for blind people. Sadly, Braille did not get the opportunity to witness how useful his invention would become because he passed away in 1852, two years before the Royal Institute began teaching Braille.  

Braille invention created accessibility to the blind and visually impaired and was recognised by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In November 2018, January 4th was declared World Braille Day. The first ever World Braille Day was commemorated the following year and it was celebrated as an international holiday. The date for the event was chosen by UNGA via a proclamation, and marks Louis Braille birthday. It is a time when people celebrate events and good causes alike.  

LIKELY DATES

4th January every year.