World Braille Day 2025

Rosie_Scope

World Braille Day 2025!

4 January marks World Braille Day. It celebrates the birthday of Louis Braille, and raises awareness of the writing system that has been used by visually impaired people for over 200 years.

Louis Braille was just 15 when he decided to simplify a complex tactile code he'd learned about in school. By simplifying the code and making it easier to use, Louis changed the way visually impaired people could access the written word. Over the years, new Braille code systems helped many visually impaired people access sheet music, mathematics and science too.

The Braille Code

Braille uses a system of six dots arranged in two columns of three. There are up to 64 combinations and different grades of code that can represent individual letters, groups of letters, numbers and punctuation. As Braille is a code not a language, it can be adapted and used by people across the world.

The Benefits of Braille

As newer audio technologies like screen readers become more popular, Braille is now only used by around one in ten visually impaired people. However, there are still plenty of benefits to using Braille over audio-only technologies.

Braille allows people to interpret different types of punctuation and grammar that might be lost when listening through just audio. It allows people to use their imagination while reading fiction and create their own ideas of what a character's voice sounds like rather than being read to. It's also a good skill for times when other technology fails or when screen-readers aren't able to help.

So while newer technology can be brilliant, there are still times where Braille can be a lifeline. It's one of those things that was designed by disabled people for disabled people, and that's definitely something to be celebrated!

If you're interested, you can find out more about Braille on the RNIB website:

Braille for blind and partially sighted people | RNIB | RNIB