Happy World Braille Day!

Have you ever thought about what those strange raised bumps beneath elevator buttons are? No, they were not put there by accident. Instead, those bumps are what are called Braille, the language of the blind.

In 1824, French educator Louis Braille invented this kind of dotted language. It uses a system of six raised dots to represent the 26 English letters. Braille was himself blinded in an accident when he was three. That was why he decided to invent Braille, to help other blind people like himself. And he is honored for that annually on World Braille Day, which is today, Jan 4th.

“Nowadays, Braille is used everywhere, on road signs, telephone poles, and even restrooms,” says Tigger today. “Did you know that those yellow paths with long bumps on the sidewalk are to help blind people, too? Instead of reading and writing, they are used to guide the blind around obstacles, such as trees and lampposts.”