World Braille Day
World Braille Day is a worldwide celebration that takes place every year on 4 January. It recognises the incredible legacy of braille, the tactile code used by many blind and partially sighted people, which was developed 200 years ago.
Braille is a tactile code that replaces each letter of the alphabet with a rectangular “cell” of six raised dots. Braille cells can be read through touch and can be combined - in the same way as letters from other alphabets - to make words. Braille has removed barriers to communication and information for people with sight loss.
On this page
Some reader benefits of using braille include:
- Being able to read from notes while talking.
- Being able to read a story in the voices the reader creates rather than the voices of others.
- Being able to read along with peers rather than having to rely on others to read for them.
Many schools and community groups come together each year to celebrate braille. It’s an easy topic to explore but can be difficult to master, with different codes for the alphabet, maths, and music, as well as many countries having their own distinct braille lcode. Unified English Braille has recently started to beused in English-speaking countries across the world.
Interesting facts about World Braille Day:
- It’s relatively new - the first World Braille Day celebration was on 4 January 2019.
- Louis Braille was only 15-years-old in 1824 when he developed braille.
- The United Nations General Assembly picked the date to mark Louis’ birthday.
World Braille Day activities
There are many ways to get into the spirit of World Braille Day and explore braille further, including a number of exciting activities, such as a scavenger hunt!
The Braille Scavenger Hunt
The world is full of braille; on signs, on packages and products, in pamphlets and flyers, but when is the last time you noticed braille nearby? This activity is all about finding and capturing as much braille as you can find. Challenge your friends to see who can find the most!
What you’ll need:
- Paper
- A wax crayon
- A pen
Instructions:
When you find some braille, take a wax crayon rubbing of it and write down where it was. Here are some suggestions of places you could look:
- On public transport
- In your school or local library
- On boxes
Come back at the end of the day to compare your results, and (if you’re being competitive) the person or team with the most unique braille wax crayon rubbings wins.
Remember to be careful: some of the things you think are braille might not be e.g. tactile symbols found on bank cards.
Tactile mazes
Braille can be difficult to master – that’s why it helps to develop your sense of touch and improve your tactile skills.
Tactile mazes are a great way to enhance your sense of touch and have fun too. Create your own maze and challenge yourself and your friends to see how fast you can complete them and what you can learn about touch.
What you’ll need:
- A4 / A3 paper
- Tape
- String or twine
- A blindfold
Instructions:
- Cut three lengths of string that are two-to-three times as long as your piece of paper.
- One piece of string is one path in your maze. Put it on the paper in a squiggly path that starts at one end of the piece of paper and ends at the other, taping over the whole length of the string as you go. You could also put loops in your squiggly path if you want to make it harder.
- Number either end of the string with the number one or the same tactile shape.
- Do the same thing with strings number two and three, giving them different numbers or tactile shapes.
- Some of the string paths can overlap if you’d like them to, but this might make it too difficult the first time around! Try not to have more than three overlaps of different strings on each path.
- Ask your friend to put on their blindfold (and make sure they can’t see anything!)
- Put their finger on the start of one of the paths and see if they can find the right number or shape at the other end.
You can use materials other than string to make the paths if you’d like to make it harder, such as lining up trails of little foam shapes or sticking down particular shapes of sequins.
Covert Codes
Braille can be used to write messages and letters to each other as well as reading books or making notes for yourself. Not everyone can read it though, so just like with any code you could use it to send a secret (or covert) code to your friends.
What you’ll need:
For each person:
- A braille alphabet card like this one: Braille Alphabet Card | RNIB
- A piece of paper or card
- A pen
- Small, adhesive gems or raised stickers
If you already use braille, you could grab your nearest braille machine.
Small tactile sticky dots or tacti-mark might help to make messages tactile for those that need it but don’t have a braille machine.
Instructions:
- Decide on short secret messages you want to send to your friends.
- Ask your friends to do the same for you.
- Use the braille alphabet card to write that message in braille.
- Give it to them and see if they can decode it.
- Try to decode your friends’ messages to you.
Remember that if you’re using a pen to complete this task, you’re doing this by reading braille with your eyes. Braille readers can do this by reading the raised bumps through their sense of touch, on a special thicker kind of paper.
World Braille Day websites for children
There are many websites which explore braille, in a child-friendly way. Here are some links to get you started:
- BBC Newsround’s World Braille Day video and article.
- Check out our Lots of Dots resource on RNIB’s braille pages.
- Perkins School for the Blind’s 10 Fun Facts about Braille.
In 2024/25, RNIB is celebrating Braille 200 to mark the two hundredth anniversary of its invention. Find out more about this year-long celebration and how you can join in here: Braille 200 | RNIB
