World Braille Day is celebrated annually on 4th January, the birthday of Braille inventor, Louis Braille. Born in 1809 in France, he became blind after a childhood accident at age 3 and he quickly mastered his new way of living. On this day 4th January 2022 marks the 212th birthday of Louis Braille, the extraordinary man who was blinded by a tool in his father's workshop as a 3 years old child, just 12 years later used that very tool, an awl, to create the system that allows the blind and visually impaired community to read and write. At the young age of 15, Louis Braille developed the tactile reading and writing system that has changed the lives of so many people who are blind or visually impaired. Braille is the universally accepted system of writing used by and for blind persons. This day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in November 2018. The first world braille day was celebrated on 4th January 2019. World Braille Day is an internationally celebrated day to raise awareness of the importance of braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for people who are blind or partially sighted.
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. It is a form of writing in the form of dots, which people who are blind or visually impaired can read using their hands. Translating information into Braille is important for education, access to information and social inclusion. It is the tactile system of six raised dots on a grid that enables persons who are blind to read and write. Ever since, both embossed and electronic braille have empowered millions of visually impaired people around the globe. But just 1 in 10 books is accessible to them. Globally, 1.3billion people are living with some form of distance or near vision impairment.
World Braille Day is a day where we celebrate the creation of a tactile code called braille, created by a young man named Louis Braille who wanted a way for blind people like himself to be able to read and write. Today, braille can be digital print, contracted or uncontracted, and there are other accompanying codes like Nemeth that some people use for mathematics. Technology companies should develop and build braille enabled devices that supports braille. Technology giant like Apple supports braille, which allows visually impaired people to have access to technology. I hope more digital services start supporting braille to enhance the productivity of visually impaired at the work place. Braille is critical tool for a blind person's path to literacy and l love celebrating 4th January every year with the world, and its Louis Braille's birthday too. The day recognises the contributions of Louis Braille in helping blind and visually impaired people to read and write. It reminds us of the importance of accessibility and independence for people who are blind or visually impaired. Louis Braille brought literacy, independence and productivity for the visually challenged. On this day, let us spread awareness and make our workplace and society more accessible for people with blindness. On 4th January every year, the world celebrates lnternational Braille Day, which is a six point writing system that has been adopted in almost 120 countries worldwide. This enabled the idea of helping the blind to participate in their own community and to be in a state of positive interaction with thanks to Louis Braille, who have left a great impact till today.
LOUIS BRAILLE - (4TH JANUARY 1809)
World Braille Day is observed annually to emphasize and promote the place of braille in the lives of the blind and partially impaired as a tool for their self actualization and promotion of their voice and place in the world. Today, 4th January 2022, as we celebrate this day, a system that enabled millions of visually challenged people to educate themselves and to achieve their goals. Let's join our hands to raise the awareness of the importance of braille as a means of communication. The day is a reminder to raise awareness of the importance of braille. But it is disheartening that in Nigeria, the visually impaired still face problems due to highly expensive braille books for various subjects and their insufficient availability. Accessibility is an important step towards independence. The government must ensure that all books are available in accessible format. Today as we celebrate world braille day, a reading and writing system that allows millions of blind and visual impaired people around the world to realize their human rights. It opens the door to literacy, education, equal opportunity and inclusion, and is key to leaving no one behind. And as part of my support to literacy and education programmes, l recognize the importance of braille as a means of communication. Braille enables the blind and visually impaired to realize their rights of expression and access to information. Braille is essential in the context of education, freedom of expression, opinion and social inclusion. That is why at children and young people living for peace (CYPLP) where l work as the program manager, our disability accomodation policy aims to promote the equal participations of persons with disabilities and creates an inclusive culture.
In conclusion, on World Braille Day, let us break the barriers of reading for the visually challenged people. Let us also honour the contributions of Louis Braille towards empowering the visually impaired across the globe. Today, let us take a step towards addressing blindness and recognizing the significance of braille as a medium of communication. Let us also take this day to increase braille literacy in our society.
QUOTES (WORDS ON THE MARBLE)
"Access to communication in the widest sense is access to knowledge" - Louis Braille.
"Braille is knowledge and knowledge is power" - Louis Braille.
"ln our way, we, the blind, are as indebted to Louis Braille as mankind is to Gutenberg. It is true that the dot system is very different from ordinary print, but these raised letters are, under our fingers, precious seeds from which has grown our intellectual harvest. Without the braille dot system, how incomplete and chaotic our education would be! The dismal doors of frustration would shut us out from the untold treasures of literature, philosophy and science. But, like a magic wand, the six dots of Louis Braille have resulted in schools where embossed books, like vessels can transport us to ports of education, libraries and all means of expression that assure our independence" - Helen Keller.
#GlobalGoals #SDGs #WorldBrailleDay2022 #LeaveNoOneBehind #DisablilityInclusiveEducation #QualityEducation #SDG4 #UNDP #UNESCO #WorldBank #UN.
BRIEF PERSONAL PROFILE OF ENOBONG EKWERE - SOCIAL ACTIVIST/ DEVELOPMENT EXPERT IN NIGERIA.
Comrade Enobong Ekwere is a social influencer, blogger, vlogger, environmental/ human rights activist, peace practitioner, grassroot social mobilizer, SDGs advocate and a global citizen. Enobong Ekwere also have vast knowledge and professional expertise in copy writing, content creation, online and offline media campaigning. He is the program manager of children and young people living for peace (CYPLP), an organic, volunteer of experts, youth focused and a think-tank non-governmental organization based in Kaduna state, Nigeria. A Higher National Diploma (HND) graduate of Public Administration (Upper Credit) from the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria. Enobong Ekwere holds a proficiency certificate in management from the Nigerian Institute of Management, Chartered (NIM) Lagos, Nigeria. He is also a graduate member of the institute (Associate member in view). He works with young people in local communities across Nigeria localizing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) (SDG16+ SDG4 and SDG5 in particular) and positive peace frameworks in Nigeria, accelerating action online and offline, engaging duty bearers and policy makers to be accountable for it's implementation by 2030. He is a strong advocate of peace, good governance and democracy, accountability in government, freedom of information, freedom of expression, access to information, free press, social justice and social inclusion. As a youth advocate and a global leader who loves to see social reforms in the society, he uses his personalized blog to write compelling stories on developmental and topical issues on national and global concern that shapes and transform people's lives and impact the larger society for knowledge transfer and lifelong learning. He engages in community service and volunteerism, community outreach, social mobilization and advocacy tours to hard to reach local communities in Nigeria advocating and advancing the cause of the SDGs (SDG16+ SDG4 and SDG5 in particular) so that no community and youth in Kaduna state and Nigeria at large would be left behind. CYPLP as an organization works primarily in serving vulnerable population of children, youth, elderly persons, people living with disabilities (PLWD's) and women in unserved, underserved, underrepresented and marginalized local communities in Nigeria.
My areas of competence in peace education and peace building process includes;
1. Conflict mapping, sensitivity and analysis
2. Negotiation, mediation and reconciliation
3. Interreligious and intercultural dialogue
4. Protection of civilians
5. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR)
6. Security sector reforms (SSR)
7. Mainstreaming gender in peace keeping
8. Mainstreaming gender in peace and state building
9. Crisis management/resolution
10. Media and conflict
11. Conflict and natural resources
12. Conflict prevention
13. Peace support operations (PSOs)
14. Post- conflict reconstruction and development
15. Humanitarian action
16. Transnational organized crime
17. Piracy and maritime security
18. Preventing violent extremism (PVE) etc.
Enobong Ekwere has an extensive professional working experience in projects such as;
1. PRELT (Prevention of radicalization and extremism leading to terrorism)
2. BRAVE (Building resilience against violent extremism)
3. iDOVE (Interfaith dialogue on violent extremism) in local communities across Kaduna state and Nigeria at large.
I have initiated two projects to counter religious and violent extremism among the youths in local communities in Nigeria, and one empowerment program, these are;
1. CAARE ( Countering Attitudes Against Religious Extremism)
2. CAAVE (Countering Attitudes Against Violent Extremism)
3. NEET (Not in Education, Empowerment or Training) an empowerment training program aimed at training vulnerable population of young people in local communities in Nigeria with leadership skills, entrepreneurial and vocational skills acquisition.
He can be reached via:
Tel/WhatsApp: +2347082558952
Email: julyenobong2020@gmail.com
: enobongekwere825@gmail.com
MY PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/enobong.ekwere.372
TWITTER:
http://www.twitter.com/Enobongekwere2
INSTAGRAM:
http://www.instagram.com/enobongekwere825
LINKEDIN:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/enobong-ekwere-3271b116b
MY ORGANIZATION'S SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/cyplp.net.ng/
TWITTER:
http://www.twitter.com/youngpeoplefor/
INSTAGRAM:
http://www.instagram.com/cyplp/
WEBSITE:
www.cyplp.net.ng
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