Every girl with a visual impairment has the right to learn, participate and lead
Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day of the Girl Child is observed each year on 11 October to recognize the rights of girls and to highlight the inequalities they continue to face around the world. It is a call to governments, organizations and society as a whole to eliminate all forms of discrimination and ensure that every girl has the opportunity to reach her full potential.
On this International Day of the Girl Child, ICEVI calls on the global community to recognize the reality faced by millions of girls with visual impairment worldwide.
Far too often, they experience double discrimination: because they are girls and because they have a visual impairment. This combination of barriers limits their access to quality education, reduces their opportunities for participation and increases their risk of social exclusion throughout their lives.
This reality is incompatible with the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which promote inclusive, equitable and quality education, gender equality and the commitment to leave no one behind. Girls with visual impairment must be at the centre of these efforts.
Yet when a girl has access to an inclusive school, well-prepared teachers and the support she needs, her future changes.
Braille literacy is much more than learning a reading and writing system. It is a pathway to independence, learning, participation and empowerment. Braille enables girls to reach their full academic potential, build self-confidence and develop the knowledge and skills they will need to pursue higher education, access employment, assume leadership roles and live independently.
Every girl with a visual impairment should have the opportunity to attend school from an early age, learn Braille whenever it is the appropriate literacy medium, and receive an education that believes in her abilities rather than focusing on her limitations.
For millions of girls with visual impairment, Braille does more than open the door to education; it opens the door to participation, independence, equality and the full enjoyment of their rights. More Braille means more empowerment, from childhood and throughout life.
Investing in the education and Braille literacy of girls with visual impairment means building more inclusive, equitable and sustainable societies. Ensuring access to Braille, accessible learning materials and qualified teachers is not an act of charity; it is the fulfilment of a fundamental human right.
On this International Day of the Girl Child, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that no girl is left behind, and that every girl has the tools, confidence and opportunities she needs to become the author of her own future.
When a girl learns to read, she writes her future. When she learns Braille, she also claims her independence.