Malta today joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Braille Day.
Braille is a system of alphabet symbols and numbers consisting of six dots to represent each letter and number as well as musical symbols. This international day is celebrated today because the man who invented braille, the Frenchman Louis Braille, was born on January 4, 1809. He had lost his sight in an accident when he was he was just 15 years old and this prompted him to do something to be able to live his life as normally as possible.
The United Nations has chosen January 4 to remind and raise awareness of the importance of using Braille as a means of communication for the visually impaired. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed this in November 2018 with the first World Braille Day being celebrated on 4 January 2019.
The Minister for Inclusion and Quality of Life Julia Farrugia Portelli said that the government is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that every person in Malta and Gozo does not feel disadvantaged due to some form of disability, including of lack of sight. “The way the government looks at people with disabilities is a guarantee that everything possible will be done to not only include people with disabilities in their daily life but to feel that they are. Braille is a means of communication for the visually impaired and a great help to be, and feel, less dependent on others, “said Minister Farrugia Portelli.
In Malta and Gozo there are 1,633 visually impaired people registered with the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Their ages range from childhood to over 90 years of age.
