Blind and partially sighted people are invited to gather at Jersey library to share how braille and other reading technology has impacted their lives.
Blind and partially sighted people will gather at Jersey Library in St Helier on May 21 to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the invention of braille.
The event which runs from 9am-3pm is being organised by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and is a stop on a year-long RNIB ‘Braille and Beyond’ UK tour of libraries to mark the landmark anniversary.
Staff from RNIB and EyeCan, Guide Dogs, Jersey Library Service, and LEGO will be present to discuss the importance of braille, share tips and technologies and connect blind and partially sighted people from the local community.
RNIB staff will talk about the history and development of braille and how its use is being transformed by modern technology. Eyecan staff will talk about their vital support services and there will be a chance to check our sets of groundbreaking LEGO braille bricks. There will also be a tactile art exhibition in the library to coincide with the event.
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.”
Mark Coxshall, Chief Executive Officer for EYECAN, said, “We are delighted that partners from the RNIB will be travelling to Jersey to celebrate this fantastic milestone for braille. The event provides an opportunity to showcase the strong joint working with national charities such as RNIB, but also more locally with government teams and the third sector. Promoting inclusive social environments for islanders living with sight loss remains a priority, alongside being able to share information and support regarding our services available on the island.”
Ed Jewell, Chief Librarian at Jersey Library, said: “We are pleased to be part of the RNIB’s 200th anniversary of the invention of Braille, as we seek to provide a library service that is accessible to everyone who lives in Jersey, including those with vision impairments. To that end, Jersey Library has large collections of audio books on CD and online, free to borrow or download with a Jersey Library card. We also have books available in large print in our libraries and ebooks with adjustable sized print available via gov.je/library. Aside from books to borrow, our libraries are key hubs for community information and events like this are a great opportunity for us to work with partners in the third sector, like EYECAN and the RNIB, to help ensure their invaluable services and support are as widely promoted and appreciated as possible.”
For any inquiries about the event please contact EYECAN on 01534 864689 or email – [email protected]
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 www.rnib.org.uk/living-with-sight-loss/education-and-learning/braille-tactile-codes/learning-braille/#:~:text=RNIB%20braille%20resources%20can%20help%20anyone%20learn%20to%20read%20braille.
The Braille and Beyond events are made possible thanks to the support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery, which supports RNIB through funds awarded by Postcode Care Trust.
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 www.rnib.org.uk