WORLD BLIND UNION
WORLD BRAILLE COUNCIL
BRAILLE21 CONGRESS
GERMANY 2011
The World Braille Congress took place in Leipzig, Germany, on September 28-30, 2011. Over 400 delegates from 50 countries participated.
The Congress was convened to celebrate the role of Braille in maximizing independence in different walks of life, enabling access to information by touch and providing a platform for innovations which increase availability and affordability of Braille.
The congress concluded that Braille is an essential means of accessing information for blind people throughout the world and notes that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities incorporates the right to access information and the need for high quality Braille teaching.
The Congress calls on stakeholders to work together to increase the availability of Braille, enhance its visibility in society and positively improve its affordability for all.
The Congress calls on researchers and innovators to cooperate to achieve affordable solutions to support the use of Braille throughout the world with particular emphasis on affordable Braille technologies in the areas of Braille education, successful employment, independent living skills as also speedy transcription and reading of Braille.
The Congress calls on all countries to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to take steps to deliver its articles, including those which reference the right to access information and facilitate higher standards of Braille teaching.
