World Braille Day: January 4th

Though most of us know that visually challenged people use Braille for reading and writing, very few people are aware of the fact that it's not a language but a code. A 6-dot code system. Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with fingers by people who are blind or have low vision. It is used by thousands of people worldwide to read and write English, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Odia, and their native languages. Braille symbols are formed within units of space known as Braille cells. A complete Braille cell consists of six raised dots arranged in two parallel rows, each with three dots. The dot positions are identified by numbers from one through six. 64 combinations are possible using one or more of these six dots. A single cell can be used to represent an alphabet, number, punctuation mark, or even a word.

Today, worldwide, around six million people use Braille to read, write, and express themselves. To celebrate the importance of Braille and to raise awareness about this tool for inclusion in education and the lives of visually impaired people, UNESCO declared January 4, 2018, the birthday of Louis Braille, as World Braille Day. The first World Braille Day was celebrated on January 4, 2019.
 
Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, near Paris, France. Braille was blinded at the age of three in one eye as a result of an accident with a stitching awl in his father's harness-making shop. This was followed by an infection, which spread to both eyes, resulting in total blindness. At that time, very few opportunities were available for blind people. But that couldn't stop little Louis, and he continued his study. He was able to receive a scholarship to France's Royal Institute for Blind Youth. While studying there, Louis continued to work on a system or the development of a code that would help blind people read and write with the help of the 'touch' sensation. His work was inspired by Charles Barbier's (inventor of several forms of shorthand and alternative means of writing) "night writing (12-dot system) for blind people. In 1824, at the age of fifteen, Louis Braille presented his work on the 6-dot system to his peers for the first time.

Braille's system gained instant popularity among his fellow members. After completing his formal education, he served as a professor and as a musician as a hobby. But most of his life was dedicated to the development and progress of the dot system he invented. In 1839, a new method of dot representation called Decapoint was invented. The aim of developing this system was to enable sighted people to read, whereas blind people write with the dot system. Though Braille's system was widely used by people with impaired vision, it was not widely accepted. The system was officially accepted in schools in Paris in 1854, two years after Braille's death. A universal English-speaking code was adopted in 1932. In 1965, the Nemeth Code of Braille Mathematics and Scientific Notation was developed. This provides Braille representation of many special symbols used in advanced mathematical and technical materials.

There are also special Braille codes or representations for musical notes and shorthand. For writing Braille, a slate device is used, which consists of two metal plates. The plates are hinged together to permit a sheet of paper to be inserted between them. The upper metal plate, or guide plate, has cell-sized windows; under each of these, the lower plate has six slight pits in the Braille Dot pattern. A stylus is used to press the raised dots. People using Braille write from right to left; when the sheet is turned over, the dots face upward and read from left to right.

According to Laetitia Mfamobani, who serves as a Digital Accessibility Specialist, "Though many argue that with the invention and evolution of assistive technologies such as screen readers, Braille is no more relevant and has become needless, in my experience, that is not the case. Braille allows visually challenged people to make notes, select the right floor while using elevators, to reference materials, use the computer keyboard, and read room numbers. It eliminates the need to seek assistance to accomplish basic tasks such as reading personal bank statements when they can be delivered in Braille form. Braille literacy allows those with vision loss to learn the basic rules of writing and reading, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation, in such a way that auditory learning cannot convey."

Louis Braille once said, “Braille literacy is equal to print literacy, and literacy is what makes people equal." Today, Braille has not only enabled people with impaired vision to study various texts but also allowed them to study math and science. Braille education helps visually impaired children and adults increase their literacy, independence, and employability. It gives them a feeling of being an inclusive member of society, ready to take on a leadership position as well as practice social skills.