Remembering Louis Braille: Key Facts To Celebrate World Braille Day 2026

World Braille Day is celebrated every year on January 4. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Louis Braille (1809-1852), the French inventor of the tactile reading and writing system.

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Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, France. World Braille Day is observed on his birth anniversary.

Braille lost his eyesight at the age of three after an accidental injury to his eye, followed by an infection that spread to both eyes.

Louis Braille developed the Braille reading and writing system when he was just 15 years old.

The Braille system uses a six-dot pattern arranged in two columns, allowing countless combinations for letters, numbers, and symbols.

He adapted an existing military communication method called “night writing”, making it simpler and more practical for the blind.

Braille’s system was not immediately accepted and faced opposition from educators who preferred raised letters.