In 1825, a 16-year-old blind boy named Louis Braille, at his school in Paris, invented the braille code for tactile reading. This invention has since spread across the globe enhancing the literacy, education and employment of millions of blind people around the world.
Many braillist organizations worldwide are promoting celebratory actions, framed on the 200th anniversary of braille.
In this regard, the European Blind Union, through its working group on braille, has designed an initiative aimed at involving braille users in a creative experience.
Therefore, we are delighted to invite you to join our project. Our aim is to collect samples inspired in our writing code, from blind and sighted users all over Europe.
We would like them to work on the production of any artistic or personal model: video, podcast, text, graphics or drawings based on braille signs or shapes, or any other samples they might creatively come up with. The pieces can be stories, poems, songs, reports, advice to other braille users, games with braille, software etc.
Here are some ideas:
• Reading braille texts as audio or video.
• Original texts with testimonials, fictional stories, or poems, submitted as text or recorded readings.
• Art projects involving braille, such as people standing with umbrellas to form Braille characters, filmed or photographed from above.
• Reports from beginner braille courses.
• Works of art, such as graphics or pictures made from braille characters, which are visually interesting. A monthly calendar for 2026 will feature 12 outstanding graphics, for which a separate invitation will be sent.
• Songs, sketches, radio plays, etc.
• Games, learning methods, and materials on braille or software.
• Advice for other braille users… And any other creative ideas you come up with.
We hope to receive 365 samples, one for each day of 2025. Every month, the EBU will award a prize of €100 to the best contribution of the month. All samples will be published on our European Braille forum: www.livingbraille.eu, and shared through various channels such as email newsletters and social media.
Requirements for contributions:
Send us one or more files of your contribution. Or if you have published it already yourself send a link to the public resource.
If you know a good sample created by someone else, please advise us and send a link to this and a contact to that person.
Include your full name, country, age, and whether you are blind or sighted.
Young persons under 18 should include a declaration from their parents agreeing to the publication.
Provide a text of up to 1,000 characters in English, explaining the content of your sample.
If submitting text only, please include a full translation in English if possible.
Photos and videos should be in landscape format.
Include a short description of what can be seen in any photos or videos.
We hope to have the opportunity to receive 365 samples, so that we can launch one per day, throughout the whole year 2025.
These samples we will publish on our European braille forum: www.livingbraille.eu and send out via many different channels like e-mail newsletter and social media channels. And we invite you to do the same in your country.
We are truly looking forward to the reception of these fantastic and original samples, straight from the users.
If you have questions or remarks or want to express your collaboration, please mail to 200braille@livingbraille.eu