This year, the World Braille Day on 4 January is going to be observed with the theme 'COVID-19 and people with disabilities' to draw attention towards the
persons with disabilities who are ;less likely to access health care, education, employment and to participate in the community.' the observance is held '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.'
Braille, named after its inventor Louis Braille, is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font for education, freedom of expression and opinion and social inclusion of visually impaired persons.
"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," urged the UN on it's website.
It added, "COVID-19 has also emphasized the need to intensify all activities related to digital accessibility to ensure digital inclusion of all people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many good practices have been implemented by parts of the United Nations system to promote a disability-inclusive response to the COVID-19 and disseminate information in Braille."
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