In the September edition of our newsletter, the leader of our Braille working group, Reiner Delgado, from our German member DBSV, gave a detailed update about the process of recognising the usage and learning of Braille as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Please find his article at: https://www.euroblind.org/newsletter/2025/september/en/usage-and-learning-braille-road-becoming-intangible-cultural-heritage
Momentum
Since then, further steps towards the inscription at UNESCO were taken, and we are now literally one month away from the submission of the file. As a reminder, the preparation of the application is done by France and Germany since both countries have already recognised Braille in their respective national register of intangible heritage. In both countries, Braille users and the blindness movement are contributing to the UNESCO application, so it truly reflects the aspirations of the community. For example active contribution takes place by user groups discussing the content of the nomination form, by sending photos to show Braille in active use, by taking part in an application video recording and by sending supporting letters. These activities show the great engagement of active braille users in the nomination and in keeping braille modern and alive.
Title
Without going into the technical details of the submission, one of the key questions in the last weeks was the title of the dossier. Several questions helped to make that important choice: What makes Braille really special? What do Braille users want to convey as key message? What simple language (without jargon) can express that message? Obviously, the title also needed to sound good in English, the language of the application, but also make sense in French and German. The result equals the title of this article; Braille: Reading and writing by touch. By emphasising reading and writing, we underline the importance of Braille literacy, a key feature from an EBU point of view. The translations into French and German are as follows: “Le Braille: lire et écrire par le touché” and “Braille: Lesen und Schreiben durch Tasten”.
Evidence
Besides the title, the final weeks of the application process focus on compiling evidence for the usage of Braille in many areas of life. The aim is to showcase the multiple use of Braille, both on paper and digital, and how it plays a critical role for the inclusion and participation of blind and partially sighted citizens in a wide range of fields. This gathering of evidence is done in the form of pictures, personalised testimonials, and an accessible video, in addition to the actual UNESCO submission form, of course.
Endorsement
Once submitted end of March, the inscription process is obviously not over! The various pieces submitted will be assessed by an UNESCO evaluation committee. It is difficult to predict when a result will be announced, but this can take up to 18 months. During that period of time, countries other than France and Germany can support the application at the UNESCO level. To do this, they need to include Braille in their national register of intangible heritage. We know that in many European countries you are working hard to achieve such national inscription, and Slovenia has recently been successful with this! All these continuous efforts at the national level will come in great support to the Franco-German initiative. Let us all keep-up the push for the promotion and the further development of Braille at all levels!
Lars BOSSELLMANN