World Braille Day

To raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of education, communication, and the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people, the World Braille Day has been observed since 2019 on Louis Braille's birthday, January 4th.

Instituto Benjamin Constant, created by imperial decree in 1854, provides education, clinical and surgical care for blind or partially sighted persons. Funded and maintained by the Brazilian Government, it has a braille press and offers a broad range of publications and courses.

Brazil has a special policy of accessibility regarding textbooks and other printed materials used in public schools and universities. The National Program for Textbook Accessibility has provided almost 100 thousand braille copies of 648 different books, since 2019.

The editions delivered have the exact same content as the regular school books used in the Brazilian public schools. Those books can also be passed on to new students in the future, since they are grade-specific and made of durable material.