World Braille Day

World Braille Day

In remembrance of the birth of Louis Braille, the inventor of Braille, January 4 is marked as World Braille Day. The day also recognizes that people with visual impairments should have the same access to human rights as everyone else.

The UN General Assembly proclaimed January 4 to be World Braille Day in November 2018. The following year, the first-ever World Braille Day was commemorated and recognized as a global holiday.

The UN mentions: "In November 2018 (Resolution A/RES/73/161), the General Assembly decided to proclaim 4 January as World Braille Day, recognizing that the full realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms relies on an inclusive written promotion."

Interesting Facts on Braille

• Developed in 1819 by the French army, soldiers used Braille to communicate at night without speaking or using candles.
• In 1999, NASA’s Deep Space 1 flew past an asteroid on its way to photograph Borrelly’s Comet and named it ‘9969 Braille’ in acknowledgement of Louis Braille.
• Braille is an alphabet that can be used to write almost any language and versions are available in Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Spanish, and more.
• Uncontracted Braille spells out every word, whereas contracted Braille is a shorthand version that abbreviates familiar words.
• There’s a unique version of Braille specifically for mathematics and science, called the Nemeth Code.
• Family classics, such as Uno, Monopoly, and LEGO are available in Braille versions.
• An annual competition for students who are blind, the Braille Institute hosts more than 1,400 students from the U.S. and Canada to test their braille skills. 
• While a sighted person can read 300 words per minute, some fast braille readers can whip through a book at a speed of 400 words per minute.
• According to the Vision Foundation Organisation, "Braille takes up more space in literature."