When is World Braille Day?
World Braille Day 2027 is on Monday
Monday, January 4, 2027
January 4 every year. That's in 79 days.
until World Braille Day begins, in your time zone
World Braille Day is a United Nations observance that raises awareness of braille as an essential way for blind and partially sighted people to read, write and take full part in education, work and public life. It falls on Louis Braille's birthday.
About World Braille Day
Braille is a tactile writing system in which each letter, number or symbol is a pattern of raised dots arranged in a cell of up to six. Readers move their fingertips across the dots, and the code has been extended to music, mathematics and science notation as well as many languages. The UN links braille to basic rights, including education, freedom of expression and access to information, and points to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which includes braille in its definition of communication.
The date honors Louis Braille, born on January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, near Paris. According to Britannica, he was blinded at age three after an accident with a tool in his father's harness workshop. While a student at the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris, he was inspired by a system of embossed dots shown at the school by Charles Barbier, and at about 15 he devised a simpler six-dot code. He began teaching at the institute in 1826, published a treatise on his system in 1829 and died in Paris in 1852.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed January 4 as World Braille Day in resolution 73/161, adopted on December 17, 2018, and the first observance took place in 2019. Blindness organizations, schools and libraries use the day to show how braille is used today, from books and signage to refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and phones, and to push for more materials in accessible formats.
Sources: United Nations: World Braille Day, UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/73/161, World Braille Day, Britannica: Louis Braille. How we check dates.
How to mark World Braille Day
- Look at a braille alphabet chart and try to read a short word or your name by sight, then think about how it would feel by touch.
- Notice the braille on elevator buttons, room signs and medicine packaging around you, and report any that is missing or damaged.
- Ask your local library what braille, audio and large-print materials it offers, and share that information with someone who could use it.
- Support an organization that produces braille books or trains braille teachers.
- Check whether your own website or documents work with screen readers and braille displays, for example by adding alt text to images.
World Braille Day dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Saturday, January 4, 2025 |
| 2026 | Sunday, January 4, 2026 |
| 2027 | Monday, January 4, 2027 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, January 4, 2028 |
| 2029 | Thursday, January 4, 2029 |
| 2030 | Friday, January 4, 2030 |
| 2031 | Saturday, January 4, 2031 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is World Braille Day 2027?
World Braille Day 2027 is on Monday, January 4, 2027. It falls on January 4 every year. In 2028, it is on Tuesday, January 4, 2028.
Why is World Braille Day on January 4?
January 4 is the birthday of Louis Braille, the French educator who invented the system. He was born on that date in 1809.
When did the UN create World Braille Day?
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution 73/161 on December 17, 2018, and the day has been observed each year since January 4, 2019.
Is braille a language?
No. Braille is a code for writing existing languages with raised dots, so there are braille versions of English, French, Arabic, Chinese and many others.
Is World Braille Day a public holiday?
No. World Braille Day is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.