World Braille Day commemorates the birth of Louis Braille, inventor of the reading and writing system used by millions of blind and partially sighted people all over the globe.Since visually impaired forms part of our community it's important to celebrate this day and bring awareness.Also to know the facts related to Braille and role of AI in transforming lives of visually impaired in future.
Legacy of Louis Braille
Louis Braille, the inventor of braille, was born in France on January 4th, 1809. Blinded in both eyes in an accident as a child, Braille nevertheless managed to master his disability while still a child.He developed a system of tactile code that could allow the blind to read and write quickly and efficiently widely known today as Braille.
Some Facts on Braille
1.Braille isn't a language, it's a code
While many people think of Braille as a language or as similar to sign language, it's actually considered a code. There are six dots in each Braille cell, and the different combinations of raised dots are used to show letters, numbers, punctuation, and similar. Almost all modern languages can be translated into Braille and it is used worldwide.
2.Braille started out as a military code
The origins of braille come from the French army in 1819. Soldiers created a military code called 'night writing' so they could communicate in darkness without speaking. As a young boy, Louis Braille learned about 'night writing' and at the age of 15 developed a more usable and streamlined version of the braille alphabet as the military code was too complex.
3.You can type using a Braille keyboard in your iOS device
The Braille keyboard, sometimes called a Perkins keyboard, has three keys on the left side, a large space key in the center, and three keys on the right side.To do this on your iOS device, enable "Braille screen input" within VoiceOver screen reader settings.
4.There’s an asteroid named Braille
In 1999, NASA’s Deep Space 1 probe flew past an asteroid while on its way to photograph the Borrelly comet. NASA named the asteroid “9969 Braille” in honor of Louis Braille.
5.There’s a Braille Olympics.
Known as the Braille Challenge, it’s a competition that is run annually at the Los Angeles Braille Institute for students who are blind.
How AI can transform lives of visually impaired in future?
Artificial intelligence is gaining popularity and it has a wide scope in near future.Its application ranging from E-commerce Applications,Robot Control,Remote Sensing,Medical Diagnosis and other wide range of activities.A team in Microsoft is working passionately on building a device to assist visually impaired in order to transform their lives.
The device will have capabilities like guiding directions to visually impaired,helping them recognize a person,giving them assessibilty to smart devices and many more services.
Conclusion
World Braille Day provides an opportunity for teachers, charities and non-government organizations to raise awareness about issues facing the visually impaired and the importance of continuing to produce works in Braille, providing the visually impaired with access to the same reading and learning opportunities as the sighted.
As an individual we can also raise awareness in various social media platforms about the issues concerning visually impaired and be a part of their celebration as they form an important part of our community.
Credits
Websites:
Youtube:
Microsoft's Initiative:https://youtu.be/u4C3l_7ZXK8
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