Javed Ahmad Tak
As per United Nations (Resolution A/RES/73/161), 4th day of January, is designated as World Braille Day in order to promote understanding of the importance of Braille as a medium of education & communication for persons with cent percent visual disabilities and severe reading difficulties. Thus Braille gives realisation of human rights for those who are partially sighted or completely blind thus devoid of educational activities. The UN General Assembly proclaimed January 4 to be World Braille Day in November 2018. The following year (2019), the first-ever World Braille Day was commemorated and recognized as a global holiday. The Braille day is celebrated under a theme. This year the theme is “the importance of making Braille accessible in all formats, especially in schools and workplaces, to ensure equal opportunities for everyone,”. This year’s theme emphasis on including persons facing visual disabilities in all educational institutions and ensure their equal opportunities, protect their rights and work for their full participation in all areas.
United Nations General Assembly chose the day for celebration in a proclamation, which actually happens to be Louis Braille’s birthday. Louis Braille in his single digit age accidentally stabbed himself in the eye in his father’s leather goods workshop while playing with an awl, which caused him to lose his vision. An army officer admitted him at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in France starting at the age of 10, where he brought perfection to the raised-dot system which was used as code system by the army during night hours. That eventually became known as Braille medium of education. With the innovation of Braille Slate by Louis Braille it has gradually gained acceptance as the primary written information format for blind people throughout the world. Two hundred years back persons with blindness were treated as illiterate, dropped out and there was no educational planning for children facing sight disabilities. But Louis Braille created a tool that broke all the barriers and opened the doors for education and communication. United Nations gave the boost to the innovation and purpose of the day is to promote understanding of the value of Braille as a communication tool and the full realization of human rights for those

World Braille Day
4th January2025

who are blind or partially sighted.
What is Braille & what is its working
Braille is a code system of raised dots that can be read with the sensation of fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision. Braille is not a language but a coded medium to read languages, such as English, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Chinese, and dozens of other. Braille is used by lakhs of people all over the world in their native languages, and provides a means of literacy for all. Braille symbols are formed within units of space known as braille cells. A full braille cell consists of six raised dots arranged in two parallel rows each having three dots.
The dot positions are identified by numbers from one through six. Sixty-four combinations are possible using one or more of these six dots. A single cell can be used to represent an alphabet letter, number, punctuation mark, or even a whole word. This braille alphabet and numbers page illustrates what a cell looks like and how each dot is numbered.
Among Persons facing severe visual Disabilities, (According to a World Health Organization report), have higher rates of poverty and face lifetime inequality. The issue has become more serious since the pandemic. The life of persons with blindness has been very much tough and miserable as they don’t get the quality Education. Since their childhood they get segregated from family play times, parks, neighbourhood and other recreational activities. They face discrimination in families and are forced to live a life in isolation and segregation. The children with blindness are not included in the inclusive Education. The braille books are not available as there is not a single braille press in Jammu & Kashmir. The students have to wait for the books and in most cases the student with blindness don’t know or have never seen the Braille Books in their life. The students with blindness have never practised Braille in their primary classes and they have very less concept about Mathematics, Science and Urdu or Hindi Languages. Persons with blindness can perform well in every field if they are given the opportunities, but due to lack of opportunities persons with visual disabilities are forced to remain away from inclusion and development. As per census 2011 around 38000 among population of J&K comprises of persons with Blindness but many nongovernment reports show that around 76000 persons in J&K have minor to measure sight disabilities. Around 2% of these people are employed and 9% of the population have completed class 10th. Thus the condition of the sector is highly miserable and full of hardships. There are huge number of women and men in J&K who couldn’t marry and lived a life in isolation for years. Women are not given trainings to live a life with dignity. They are not made part of social gatherings and more or less after loss of parental support they are confined to four walls and live a life without care and protection. The men with Blindness are out of work and no Job or work opportunities are available. But Persons with visual disabilities in Jammu & Kashmir neither get education nor they get gainful employment. There are hundreds of men with disabilities who are just waiting for the death.
World Braille Day offers an opportunity to promote conversations about the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and the prevention, identification, and treatment of sight impairments and create an awareness among masses to safeguard the Rights of Persons facing Blindness. The challenges that blind and partially sighted people face daily are also highlighted by World Braille Day, so that stakeholders could devisea developmental plan. Braille Day also draws attention to the disregard for blind people by the planners and implementing agencies. Today, World Braille Day serves not only as a tribute to Louis Braille but also as a platform to raise awareness about the vital role Braille plays in the lives of the visually disabled persons. Events, workshops, and educational initiatives are held around the world to promote braille literacy and inclusivity. But the main aim of celebrating Braille Day should be create a roadmap for overall development of persons with disabilities.
Recommendations
Braille press should be created on Divisional level as first instance and later in every districts.
School with Hostel facilities should be established in every district.
Special Educators with specialization in visual disability should be employed in J&K, so that education of students with visual disabilities are not dropped out.
The Braille Books Should be available for all classes round the year.
The students with blindness and other visual disabilities should be given mobility training in order to gain independence with dignity.
Braille Day should be celebrated all over Jammu and Kashmir every year as an awareness day for safeguard of Rights of Persons with visual Disabilities.
(The author is a Disability Rights Activist)

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