World Braille Day 2025: Louis Braille, blind at a very young age due to an accident, invented Braille.
World Braille Day 2025: The Braille system was invented in the early 19th century. (Photo: Shutterstock)
World Braille Day 2025: Braille is a writable reading and writing system designed for people who are blind or visually impaired. Developed in the early 19th century, this system consists of raised dots arranged in a rectangular cell, representing alphabets, numbers and even mathematical, musical and scientific symbols.
Braille characters are embossed in a line on paper and are usually read by moving the finger tips over the text. The Braille system was invented by Louis Braille, a French educator. He lost his sight due to an accident at a very young age.
Born in 1809 in Coupvray, France, Louis Braille was just 15 years old when he developed the Braille system inspired by a military night writing code invented by Charles Barbier de la Serre, a French military man. This system was further refined to be used for various purposes such as literature and mathematics.
World Braille Day 2025 theme
Every January 4th, World Braille Day Louis Braille is celebrated to pay tribute to his legacy and contribution and to spread awareness of its importance as a distinctive reading and writing system for the blind or visually impaired.
The theme of World Braille Day 2025 is to celebrate accessibility and inclusion for the visually impaired.
History of World Braille Day
World Braille Day is an international event celebrated every January 4 to spread awareness of Braille and the importance of individual freedom. The United Nations recognized this day for the first time in 2019.
The purpose of the event is to create awareness about the importance of Braille in promoting human rights for the visually impaired. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) chose the date for the event through a declaration in November 2018.
Facts about Louis Braille
- Louis Braille was not born blind.
- He lost his sight at the age of three when he stabbed himself in the eye while playing with tools in his father’s shop.
- At the age of 5, he was completely blind.
- At age 10, Louis attended the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, one of the world’s first schools for the blind.
- At the age of 15, Louis invented the Braille system using raised dots.
- At the age of 20, he published the first Braille book entitled Method of Writing Words, Music and Plain Songs by Means of Dots for Use by the Blind and Organized for them.
- He died on 6 January 1852.
- Two years after his death, Braille was finally introduced to the Royal Institution.
- Louis Brielle was also a musician, skilled at playing the organ and cello.
Importance of Braille
Braille is more than just a tactile script. It is a means of empowerment, inclusion and dignity for the visually impaired.
The invention of Braille opened up new opportunities for the blind or visually impaired. It enables them to read books, thereby helping them become literate as well as independent and increase employment opportunities.