World Braille Day is January 4th, the birthday of blind inventor and teacher Louis Braille. Help us spread Braille accessibility around the globe!
Descriptive Transcript
Two women sit in red chairs on the lower deck of a ferry. Haben Girma, a Black woman in her thirties, types on a wireless keyboard while Nessa Vlajkovic, a white woman in her twenties, reads on a Braille computer. Haben’s guide dog Mylo rests peacefully at her feet.
Haben (voiceover): We’re both Deafblind, but I don’t know Australian Sign Language and she doesn’t know American Sign Language.
The camera switches to an extreme close-up of round white dots rapidly popping up and down as they form characters on a BrailleNote Touch.
Haben (voiceover): We’re able to chat and form a friendship through Braille.
Haben and Nessa are now standing by a small cocktail table inside the Sydney Opera House. Nessa is typing on a keyboard and Haben is reading on a Braille computer, touching Nessa’s hand to sign reactions intermittently. Panoramic windows show the Sydney harbor bathed in late-afternoon sun. Mylo is at Haben’s feet looking around alertly.
Haben (voiceover): A lot of people who would benefit from Braille don’t have access. It’s World Braille Day, and we want to encourage all of you to ask your communities to invest in Braille. Ask your communities to have Braille classes available for everyone who needs it.
A photo of a tactile 3D model of the Sydney Opera House appears. On all four sides of the Opera House are print labels with Braille under them. The labels say: North Facing Harbour, East Facing Botanic Gardens, South Facing City, and West Facing Circular Quay.
Haben (voiceover): Ask your communities to have Braille signage around buildings.
Haben and Nessa are again seen by the cocktail table inside the Sydney Opera House. Nessa has the keyboard and is laughing as she types to Haben.
Haben (voiceover): And make sure websites and apps are also accessible in Braille.