World Braille Day - dedicated to the braille system
Today, January 4th, Braille Day is celebrated worldwide.
Where does the name come from?
Typically, Braille's name comes from a Mr. Braille. Frenchman Louis Braille lived from 1809 - 1852.
Story
At the age of 4, Louis Braille injured his eye in his father's workshop so much that he became completely blind. At the age of 16 he invented his own writing system, with which letters could be represented by a combination of 6 points.
It must be admitted that the French captain Charles Barbier had already invented a nighthand that worked with tactile dots.
The introduction of Braille gave many blind people access to education. As a result, blind or visually impaired people could now also be found in higher professions.
Less than 50 years after the invention, the first blind associations were founded and numerous libraries and braille printers followed. Since not everyone has such a library in their home town, the books can be borrowed via interlibrary loan.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the rule was created that the extensive books in Braille could be sent free of charge. Associations for the blind have to fight again and again to maintain this regulation.
How does this font work
The basic form of this typeface is based on six dots, which are arranged next to each other in two vertical rows of three dots each and can be felt.
Top left is point 1, below it is point 2, below it is point 3. Top right is point 4, below it is 5 and bottom right is point 6. This makes 63 point combinations possible. There is not every letter in upper and lower case, it is actually a lower case font, an auxiliary character in front of the letter can indicate that the following letter is capitalized.
It's the same with numbers. The letters a – j are used for the digits 1 – 10. Before the respective digit comes the number sign, so that you know that a digit and not a letter will follow.
There is also a great explanation on youtube: https://youtu.be/fU0vmOUlswM
What does braille have to do with geocaching?
Louis Braille would certainly be surprised if he knew that around 200 years after his accident, people, especially geocachers, were using his developed font for puzzles. It is not uncommon for Braille to be used as a form of riddle in Mysteries or at stations in multinationals. There are plates that are punched with holes, puzzles or simply texts. There are boxes in which we geocachers have to feel the points and it is not always obvious that Braille is involved.
Once you have recognized this, there are numerous tools and apps that offer translation assistance.
Why a World Braille Day
Die Weltblindenunion hat ein Interesse an diesem Aktionstag. Dieser soll auf die zentrale Bedeutung der Brailleschrift für blinde und stark sehbehinderte Menschen hinweisen.
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