FOR the able-bodied, January 4 may go by unremarked but for the blind, World Braille Day celebrates the importance of Braille as a medium of communication for people who are blind and visually impaired.
The day aims to promote awareness of the braille language, which strives to bridge the big divide between ordinary and specially-abled people.
World Braille Day commemorates the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, who is popularly known for inventing a tactile language used by blind and visually impaired people.
The inventor of this widely used touch system of reading and writing for blind people was born at Coupvray, France.
Permanently blinded at the age of three by a leatherworking awl in his father's saddle-making shop, Braille developed a system of writing that used, ironically, an awl-like stylus to punch marks in paper that could be felt and interpreted by people who are blind.
The system was largely ignored until after Braille died in poverty, suffering from tuberculosis, in Paris, on January 6, 1852.
It was the United Nations which, in its proclamation in 2018, decided to observe the event of World Braille Day on January 4. 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.
Braille, with its various six dotted raised configurations, is used in everyday life to interact with people with visual impairment – from buttons on lifts to skincare and shampoo bottles, medication packages, and payment kiosks as well as automated banking machines.
Advances in technology have enabled audiobooks and text-to-speech integration into smartphones and laptops to enable the visually impaired to access resources online and messages without braille.
Recently, the National Council for the Blind Malaysia (NCBM) announced that the year 2021 concluded with two positive news on the relevance of braille codes in the lives of persons who are blind or visually impaired.
First, the Malaysian Intellectual Property Organisation, through cooperation from various stakeholders, including organisations of persons with disabilities, particularly the NCBM, has prepared the amendments to the Copyright Act 1987 to introduce several new provisions as the preparation for Malaysia’s accession to the Marrakesh Treaty.
Recently, the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara have approved the amendment. The Marrakesh Treaty enables the production and sharing of information in accessible formats for those who are blind, visually impaired or with print disabilities without infringing the intellectual property rights of the publishers.
Secondly, the Special Education Division, Ministry of Education has adopted Unified English Braille (UEB). A circular about the adoption has been disseminated to all relevant stakeholders.
However, a few issues remain to be advocated for. Concerning the Marrakesh Treaty, NCBM hopes that the Malaysian government will swiftly sign and ratify the treaty. For the record, Asean member states that have signed and ratified it are Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
In addition, NCBM would like to stress the urgency for the Ministry of Education to produce a circular for all stakeholders on the adoption of the Kod Braille Bahasa Melayu Pindaan 2020.
In 2022, NCBM will continue their advocacy on the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty, accessible books production, and competency training relating to Unified English Braille and the Kod Braille Bahasa Melayu Pindaan 2020 to special education teachers.
Moving forward, NCBM says they are committed to expanding collaboration with more stakeholders for the betterment of the blind and visually impaired community in particular, and the broader disabled community in Malaysia.
NCBM endeavours to empower the blind and visually impaired to be fully included in the “Keluarga Malaysia”. – The Vibes, January 3, 2021
