A Celebration of World Braille Day (Episode 22)

On 4 January, people across the world celebrated World Braille Day. This day, which marks the birthday of Louis Braille, is an important one for blind people and those connected to the blind community, so the Braillists Foundation couldn't let it pass without recognising it and the significance of braille. The Foundation hosted a panel discussion, inviting three braille users to speak about their lives with braille. More importantly, perhaps, they also shared their thoughts on how braille may adapt to the changing needs of the blind community in future. The session also included a short audio presentation sharing the voices and perspectives of braille users from around the world, from the UK all the way to New Zealand. We would like to extend our thanks to the Braillists Foundation for allowing us to publish this recording, and to the three excellent panellists for giving up their time to be part of the session: Saima Akhtar, recent graduate in English and Creative Writing from Birmingham City University Gary O’Donoghue, Washington Correspondent at the British Broadcasting Corporation Dr Fred Reid, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Warwick