Blind and partially sighted people to gather at Gateshead Central Library to share how braille has impacted their lives
Blind and partially sighted people who use braille – the system of raised dots which enables people with sight loss to read through touch – will gather at Gateshead Central Library on Wednesday 24 September to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the invention of braille.
The event is organised by leading sight loss charity The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Gateshead Central Library and Sense Ability Matters and marks the final stop on a year-long RNIB ‘Braille and Beyond’ UK tour of libraries to mark the landmark anniversary. It is made possible by the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Braillists from RNIB, Gateshead and surrounding boroughs have been invited along with children from local schools. They will be able to view a special braille exhibition, try out the very latest in braille technology, hear talks from RNIB and Sense Ability Matters and hear from people for whom braille has transformed their lives. Dave Williams, Chair of The Braillists Foundation will also speak about his lifelong association with braille.
James Bowden, RNIB’s Braille Technical Officer who is blind and a lifelong braille user, said: “Braille is reading designed for our fingers, just like print is designed for our eyes. It’s a vital tool that helps blind and partially sighted people lead fulfilled lives. Braille readers are more likely to be employed than blind people who don’t read braille, and this highlights a critical need to expand braille education, ensuring that more children with vision impairment and adults with sight loss can benefit from this powerful tool.
“Supporting braille education and resources is a crucial step towards an inclusive society. We’re doing the RNIB Braille and Beyond tour to celebrate the story of braille so far, and it will be up to blind and partially sighted people across the UK to write the next chapter.”
Denoise Envy from Gateshead Libraries said: “Gateshead Libraries are delighted to be hosting the finale event of RNIB’s Braille 200 tour. We are looking forward to welcoming a range of exhibitions and speakers, sharing the latest innovations, and inviting local schools to experience braille and technology which helps to better support the blind and partially sighted community.”
Notes to editors
All media enquiries including interview requests to 0207 391 2223 or [email protected]. For urgent enquiries out-of-hours, please call 07968 482812.
For more information about the Braille and Beyond tour contact RNIB’s Library Liaison Officer, Lara Marshall on [email protected].
For more information about the braille courses and resources RNIB offers, please go online to rnib.org.uk/living-with-sight-loss/education-and-learning/braille-tactile-codes/learning-braille.
About Braille 200
Louis Braille was in his teens in the mid-1820s when he began developing the six-dot tactile reading system that enables millions of blind and partially sighted people around the world to access the power of literacy. From September 2024, RNIB is leading a year of celebrations across the UK to recognise the bicentenary of the braille code; braille continues to unlock access to countless opportunities in education, employment and independent living.
Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, RNIB and its partners will highlight braille’s versatility for representing written language and technical subjects, enabling blind and partially sighted people to learn, work and play.
Despite its proven benefits, misconceptions about braille persist. Braille 200 affords us an opportunity to dispel some of those myths. Braille remains crucial in a world increasingly reliant on digital information. It complements audio technology and ensures independent and efficient access to detailed and personal information such as recipes, medication packaging and greetings cards. You do not have to be blind from birth nor super intelligent, braille can be empowering at any age.
About RNIB
We are the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Every six minutes, someone in the UK begins to lose their sight. RNIB is taking a stand against exclusion, inequality and isolation to create a world without barriers where people with sight loss can lead full lives. A different world where society values blind and partially sighted people not for the disabilities they’ve overcome, but for the people they are.
RNIB. See differently.
Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit rnib.org.uk