The World Braille Day, proclaimed by the UN in 2019, was observed amid COVID-19 crisis on January 4 in 2020 'to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people' and emphasize 'to produce essential information in accessible formats, including in Braille and audible formats,' stated the United Nations
According to the UN, even under normal circumstances, persons with disabilities —one billion people worldwide — are less likely to access health care, education, employment and to participate in the community as well as live in poverty, experience higher rates of violence, neglect and abuse, and are among the most marginalized in any crisis-affected community.
"For the visually impaired, life under lockdown has posed several issues in terms of independence and isolation, especially for people who rely on the use of touch to communicate their needs and access information. The pandemic has revealed how critically important it is to produce essential information in accessible formats, including in Braille and audible formats. Otherwise, many persons with disabilities could face a higher risk of contamination due to a lack of access of guidelines and precautions to protect and reduce the spreading of a pandemic. COVID-19 has also emphasized the need to intensify all activities related to digital accessibility to ensure digital inclusion of all people," informed the UN on its website and resolved to promote a disability-inclusive response to the COVID-19 and disseminate information in Braille.
The resource material of the UN ‘COVID-19: Considerations for Children and Adults with Disabilities’ addresses such issues as access to information; water, sanitation and hygiene; health care; education; child protection; and mental health and psychosocial support, as well as considerations for an inclusive workplace.
The UN also disseminated the following two aspects of Braille.
Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. Braille (named after its inventor in 19th century France, Louis Braille) is used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font.
Braille is essential in the context of education, freedom of expression and opinion, as well as social inclusion, as reflected in article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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