Braille Literacy Canada endorses the Global Declaration on Braille Literacy in Education

The Global Declaration on Braille Literacy in Education is a joint initiative of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) and the World Blind Union (WBU), calling on governments, education systems, organizations, and communities to recognize braille literacy as a fundamental human right and an essential component of inclusive education.

Grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Declaration advocates for equitable access to quality braille instruction, accessible learning materials, trained teachers, and assistive technologies. ICEVI and WBU have invited organizations and individuals worldwide to endorse the Declaration and support the global advancement of braille literacy.

On August 17, 2026, Braille Literacy Canada submitted its endorsement of the Declaration, the text of which is reproduced below. The Declaration can be downloaded in multiple languages from https://icevi.org/global-declaration-add-your-voice/.

Global Declaration on Braille Literacy in Education

We, the undersigned representatives, organisations, and advocates, present this Declaration to the attention of Ministers, Ambassadors, Government Officials, development partners, education authorities, and other relevant stakeholders worldwide. We do so in the conviction that ensuring access to the teaching and learning of braille literacy is an obligation under international human rights law and a strategic investment in the human capital of every nation.

Legal Foundation

This Declaration is grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD positions braille as essential to the full realisation of human rights for persons who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision, ensuring access to information in both public and private spheres. We draw particular attention to Article 9 (Accessibility), Article 21 (Freedom of Expression and Opinion, and Access to Information), and Article 24 (Education). Access to braille, as the primary literacy medium for persons who are blind, constitutes an essential component of these obligations.

Braille literacy is also integral to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Advancing braille literacy is therefore both a human rights obligation and a development priority.

The Enduring Significance of Braille

For more than two centuries, braille has served as the foundational system through which persons who are blind have accessed written language, participated in education, and engaged in civic and professional life. Critically, braille enables independence by allowing individuals to read and write autonomously, improving their confidence, self-determination, and overall quality of life.

It is recognised that a range of complementary modalities exists for persons who are blind or visually impaired, including text-to-speech technology and narrated audiobooks. These modalities have an important role. However, they are supplements to braille, not substitutes for it. Listening to spoken content does not confer the same linguistic, cognitive, or academic competencies. The importance of braille, far from being diminished by the digital age, has been enhanced by it.

The Evidence Base: Literacy, Employment and Human Potential

The case for braille is not founded on tradition alone. It is supported by a substantial and growing body of research. Research consistently demonstrates that persons who are blind and braille literate achieve significantly higher levels of educational attainment, greater rates of employment, and higher earnings than persons who are blind and do not read braille (Bell & Mino, 2015; McDonnall et al., 2025; Ryles, 1996). These differences represent a measurable return on the public investment in inclusive education and a measurable indicator of the cost of its absence.

Braille provides learners with direct, unmediated access to spelling, punctuation, grammatical structure, mathematical notation, scientific symbols, and music notation. These are competencies that audio-based alternatives are unable to replicate with equivalent depth or precision (Clark, 2014; Tobin & Hill, 2015). They constitute the foundational literacy skills upon which all subsequent academic achievement and professional capability depend (Emerson et al., 2009). Children who are blind and who do not have access to braille are, in effect, without access to the fundamental tools of literacy.

Contrary to assumptions that digital technology renders braille obsolete, the evidence points in the opposite direction. Proficiency in assistive technology is positively associated with stronger braille reading ability (McDonnall et al., 2025). Furthermore, purposefully designed technological tools, including braille note-takers and dedicated braille practice applications, have been shown to enhance braille literacy outcomes (Hoskin et al., 2022).

Affirmations

We, the undersigned, affirm the following principles, and call upon all States and institutions to recognise and uphold them:

• Every child who is blind has a right to learn braille;
• Early access to braille is essential, as the acquisition of foundational braille literacy skills in childhood is strongly determinative of lifelong learning, employment, and social participation;
• Braille and digital technologies are mutually reinforcing and should be deployed in a strategically coherent manner. Digital advancement and braille literacy are complementary, not competing priorities; and
• Families should be comprehensively informed of the importance of braille literacy and accorded a meaningful role in the planning and delivery of their child's education.

Call to Action

We respectfully call upon Governments, Ministries of Education, legislative bodies, and all relevant stakeholders to undertake the following commitments:

1. Enshrine braille literacy within national education legislation and policy frameworks, in alignment with CRPD obligations;
2. Guarantee equitable access to qualified and appropriately trained specialist teachers, evidence-based instructional materials including braille textbooks, tactile graphics, and other braille resources in national languages, delivered in a timely manner, together with current assistive technologies for all learners who are blind;
3. Establish systematic and transparent processes for the timely assessment of braille literacy needs and the delivery of structured, high-quality braille instruction across all phases of education;
4. Ensure that no learner who requires braille is denied access to it on grounds of resource constraints, geographic location, institutional capacity, or other barriers within the purview of the State to address, and that blind learners can access, study, and engage with the same curriculum, assignments, and assessments as their sighted peers on an equal basis;
5. Allocate sustained and sufficient public investment in the national infrastructure, professional workforce, and institutional systems necessary to support braille literacy at scale.
6. Promote international cooperation and partnerships to strengthen braille literacy systems and expand equitable access to braille education and resources worldwide.

The investment in braille literacy is, ultimately, an investment in human flourishing, one with returns that extend beyond the individual to benefit families, communities, and nations as a whole.

Issued by the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment and the World Blind Union and endorsed by the undersigned organisations and advocates committed to the universal realisation of braille literacy.

Issued by:

S.K. Rungta, President, World Blind Union (WBU), and
Susan LaVenture, President, International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI)

Released at the Nineteenth Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP19), New York, 12 June 2026.