According to the WHO (World Health Organization), there are around 36 million blind people in the world and 216 million people who have some type of visual impairment ranging from moderate to severe. In this post we will tell you when is World Braille Day 2022 and why is it celebrated.
When is World Braille Day 2022
The World Braille Day 2022 is celebrated every January 4in order to generate greater awareness, and highlight the importance of this means of communication used by people who suffer from blindness or some visual impairment.
It was in 2018 when the United Nations Organization (UN) declared World Braille Day. During its celebration starting in 2019, every January 4, multilingualism is highlighted as a basic value of all the nations that make up the Organization.
Why is World Braille Day 2022 celebrated?
The date was chosen commemoration of the creator of the tactile reading and writing system Louis Braille, born in France on January 4, 1809. The story that surrounds said creation begins when Braille became blind after suffering an accident as a child when he was playing in his father’s workshop. Then he based his creation on taking as a reference an invention of a military man named Charles Barbier de la Serre. Braille reinvented the system, basing it first on an 8-dot matrix and later on a 6-dot matrix.
During the Covid pandemic, many visually impaired people have been limited in terms of independence and isolation. These people rely on touch to express their needs and access information. The pandemic has generated the need to produce information in Braille format and audible format. Also, to intensify activities aimed at digital accessibility and thus guarantee digital access to all these people.
How to celebrate World Braille Day 2022
With the World Braille Day 2022 celebration I know promotes human rights and the main freedoms related to access to the written language of blind people as a fundamental requirement for the respect of their human rights.
On this date you must promote the reading and writing of Braille through activities involving Braille cards. Braille story contests and digital tutorials can also be held to promote its use.
There are countless Braille objects, in addition to books, including: soda cans with expiration dates in Braille, tattoos, rings, baby clothes, bibs… all in Braille. In addition, there are certain curiosities of this system for the blind that are worth mentioning:
- There are studies that indicate that people who read Braille often do not read a word because they have previously recognized it.
- On the other hand, people who have lost their sight in adulthood find it easier to write than to read Braille. The reason is because they still do not have a very developed touch and the letters do not touch them as easily as children do.
Learn about the history and origin of Christmas, another very old event: