January 4th is Braille Day and celebrates the birthday and legacy of Louis Braille! At age 3 Braille injured his eye and ultimately became blind. Even though he was incredibly bright, he could not read or write. At the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, Braille developed his own written language composed of dots, this is today known was Braille!
As an adult Braille published books about the language and taught at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth. Without Braille’s persistence and hard work, so many blind people would not be able to navigate their lives as easily as they do. Braille provides those with reading disabilities another way to obtain information. Braille is a common language for blind and vision impaired people and has stayed pretty much the same even though Louis Braille was born over 200 years ago! Braille can be found everywhere from Mall elevators or even DD Ombuds Business cards!
Despite the fact that most understand the importance of Braille, there are still some who argue that in our tech-dependent society Braille is no longer important because apps and devices can help people with blindness.
In this video from the Perkins School for the Blind, people who depend on Braille talk about the importance of the language even with technological tools that can also help them.
Is Braille Still Relevant in a High-tech World?
Braille Day is important because it celebrates the hard work and positive impact Braille has on its community. However, Braille Day also demonstrates the significance and impact accessibility has on people with disabilities as Braille has allowed millions to live more independent lives.
Even though most people know of Braille, many public establishments such as restaurants and shops do not have Braille. This makes it harder for people with reading disabilities to be more independent. Every person has the right to live an independent and happy life which is why on Braille Day many also advocate for there to be more Braille in public establishments.