Haben Girma

World Braille Day

Brailling on a beach in Alaska. A small, secluded island full of evergreens sits in the middle of Gastineau Channel, and on the far shore rise mountains. I'm smiling as I hold a cone on top of a large, snow-covered log. The log has twenty-five Spruce and Hemlock cones half submerged in snow. The cones spell: brrraille! Photography by Cameron Byrnes.

Happy World Braille Day! Louis Braille, a blind teacher, dreamed of a way for his students to enjoy books on their own. How would one read or write without sight? He invented a tactile reading system used by millions of blind people, and his birthday is now a day to celebrate this marvelous way to read!

Braille exists in multiple languages, from Amharic to Korean. It typically appears as raised dots on paper, but you can braille almost anywhere!