Louis Braille’s Birthday – January

The 4th January, marks the anniversary of Louis Braille, the man responsible for inventing Braille the raised dot alphabet. Louis Braille developed this tactile system of reading and writing when he was just 15 years old.

Braille continues to be very important and enables people who are blind to read and write independently. Braille readers can learn to read music, maths, foreign languages and graphics through Braille or other tactile pictures. It is also sometimes used by people with low vision who cannot read for a long length of time without straining their eyes.

Watch our video about how the NCBI Library and Media Service create a braille book.

Braille Essay Competition – February

NCBI Library and Media Centre and St Joseph’s Centre for the Visually Impaired will be promoting the European Braille Essay Contest run by the European Blind Union on behalf of Onkyo Co. Ltd. and Tenji Mainichi again this year. The aim of the contest is to promote the use of Braille as a key to people’s access to information and to their social inclusion. Information on the theme of the competition and the submission deadline are not yet available. Keep an eye on our website for more information.

World Book Day – March

For World Book Day, 3rd March, NCBI Media Centre are partnering again this year with O Brien Press. Log on to find out more about this event closer to the event.

International Children’s Book Day – April

International Children’s Book Day, on the 2nd April, is an annual event that focuses on the birth date of Hans Christian Andersen. Find out what NCBI Library is doing to mark this day, closer to the event.

Halloween Storytime – October

The annual halloween storytime will once again take place this year. Storytime is organised by library staff in NCBI for children who are blind or vision impaired children from the Dublin Area, aged between aged 5-10 years. Activities such as painting, music and crafts will follow storytime. Children are welcome to bring a friend/brother or sister along with them. It’s fun for all at Storytime, so if you’d like to attend, please contact NCBI Library at Tel: 01 8642266.

Braille Reading Fun Day – November

NCBI Library and Media Centre in partnership with St Josephs Centre for the Visually Impaired are holding their annual Fun Braille Reading Day this November. Now in its fourth year the Braille Fun Reading day promises to be an enjoyable experience for all. Each participant will read a selected article through Braille, with some also reading their own pieces. Those taking part will be given a small gift, with children receiving goody bags and young adults receiving a gift voucher.

Send your Christmas Card Greetings in Braille Project – December

NCBI Library and Media Centre can Braille Christmas card greetings for you. If you have a friend, family member or relative who is a braille reader, why not send them a Braille Christmas card greeting.

NCBI Gives Santa Claus a Helping Hand – December

You might not know this but Santa Claus is a proficient Braille reader! Santa and the elves are so busy responding to millions of children’s letters from around the world that he asks NCBI to help him send large print, Braille and audio letters to boys and girls who are blind or vision impaired in Ireland.

Children receive a beautiful card with large print and a lovely decoration to be cut out, coloured in and placed on the Christmas tree. A Braille insert is sent to children who are Braille readers, with a CD for those who prefer to listen to Santa’s response, along with an embossed image of the Christmas tree decoration.