World Braille Day 4th January 2024

World Braille Day, celebrated since 2019, is observed to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realisation of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people (World Braille Day | United Nations). The date is significant as it marks Louis Braille's birthday in 1809, who presented his tactile system of reading and writing in 1824 when he was 15 years old and spent the rest of his life perfecting it. Braille continues to be used globally in many different languages, including music, and with accessible technology, Braille continues to thrive, allowing its readers to submerge themselves into language completely giving independence, knowledge and freedom.

According to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) there are around 20,000 braille users in the UK. Advances in technology like audiobooks and screenreaders have resulted in blind and partially sighted people having access to things like websites or texts, without the need for braille. However, former Home Secretary David Blunkett, who represented the Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency for 28 years and was Britain's first blind cabinet minister, remarks it is "a mix of braille and technology" that makes it possible for those without sight to “navigate daily life with equality” (World Braille Day: Has technology changed the way braille is used? - BBC Bitesize).

Making the workplace more accessible and inclusive for blind and partially sighted people

In the UK, there are around 84,500 registered blind and partially sighted people of working age. However, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) research, only one in four of these is in employment. Clearly, employers’ existing recruitment and retention practices are not encouraging people with sight loss to join and remain in the workforce (Sight or vision loss: Guidance for employers - Business Disability Forum).

People with visual impairments deserve the same standard of human rights as everyone else. It is crucial to allow visually impaired employees to have the same access to the workplace as their non-disabled colleagues by making reasonable adjustments including Braille signage or Braille display (on computer screen) or Braille embossers as well as investing in Digital Accessibility Tools including reading aids, screen readers or speech recognition software, colour contrast checkers, computers for people with low vision, video magnifiers and digital voice recorders etc. The RNIB have produced useful guides for staff and employers to improve accessibility in the workplace - Working with blind and partially sighted colleagues – An employer and staff guide (rnib.org.uk) and Let’s Work Together: Helping employers keep workers with sight loss (rnib.org.uk).

Access to Work is a government scheme that provides advice and practical support for people who have a disability or long term health condition. It also helps their employers to overcome work-related barriers resulting from a disability. It is provided where an employee needs support or adaptations beyond the reasonable adjustments which an employer is legally obliged to provide under the Equality Act. The Department for Work and Pensions reports that Access to Work helps over 5,000 people who have difficulty seeing, which is the second largest group who use the fund. Access to Work can pay for a range of support, from specialist equipment to a support worker or taxi fares (Access to work - supporting people with sight loss | RNIB | RNIB).

A charity called Blind in Business was founded in 1992 by three blind graduates, who initially found it difficult to gain work after graduating with good degrees, due to misconceptions and wariness from employers who were wary about visual impairments. Blind in Business help blind and partially sighted students and graduates prepare for and find jobs within their chosen careers and they also offer support to employers with their recruitment process to make it more accessible including making it possible for blind and partially sighted candidates to participate in an assessment centres. They offer training courses for employers to understand the logistics of taking on blind or partially sighted workers and courses on retaining staff who may be losing their sight. They also free job vacancy advertising (Blind in Business About Us - Blind in Business).

People with sight loss, just like any other worker, need the right tools to do the job – in this case additional tools that enable tasks to be completed with little or no sight.

Lizzy Turek

Client Research Associate