United Nations defines braille as a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. The observance of World Braille Day was officially recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018.

What is World Braille Day?

World Braille Day is celebrated yearly on January 4, which is the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, the one who invented the communication device. In 2009, the World Blind Union celebrated the 200 th anniversary of Louis Braille’s birth. This, therefore, led to World Braille Day. The United Nations then made it an official observance in 2018.

Why is this Day Celebrated?

Globally, at least 2.2 billion people suffer from eye conditions, half of which are preventable or curable. According to the UN, persons with disabilities are less likely to access health care, education, employment, and full participation in the community. In most communities, persons with disabilities are marginalised. Blind and visually impaired people have limited access to proper communication tools in places such as schools, workplaces, restaurants, and in their communities at large.
World Braille Day recognises the struggles of blind people and persons with visual impairments and brings about awareness of the importance of braille as a communication tool. The day celebrates Louis Braille’s achievements, further advocating for the rights of blind people.

Blindness in Africa

Approximately 15.3 per cent of the world’s blind people live in Africa, according to the World Health Organisation. The majority of blind cases in Africa are either preventable or treatable.
According to a study, the leading cause of blindness in Africa is cataracts, the second causing factor being trachoma. Other main causes are glaucoma, onchocerciasis, trauma, diabetic retinopathy, childhood blindness and other diseases. Blind people face a high degree of discrimination and marginalisation.
A study conducted in sub-Saharan Africa shows that most children with visual impairments do not have access to quality education, most of whom do not go to school at all. In 2021, in commemoration of World Braille Day, scores of blind people in Cameroon protested, blaming their low performance in school on the lack of braille books and teachers. Cameroon and other African countries, such as Rwanda, continue to call for
braille awareness in Africa.
In conclusion, it is hoped that governments across the globe, especially in Africa, will find the plight of people with disabilities a necessary and non-negotiable cause to ameliorate.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2023 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with Malagen to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.