Declaring the week of January 1, 2003 to January 8, 2003 as Braille Literacy Week to honor Louis Braille who was born on January 4, 1809 and to promote greater awareness of braille.

WHEREAS,

Braille is the system of touch reading and writing which utilizes raised dots to represent the letters of the print alphabet; and

WHEREAS, The system of braille was invented by Louis Braille who was born in France on January 4, 1809 and who lost his vision at the age of three in an accident. At the age of fifteen, Louis Braille created the system of raised dots which is now known as braille; and

WHEREAS,

Over the years, modifications and additions have been made to include symbols which represent punctuation, mathematic and scientific characters, music and computer notations, and foreign languages; and

WHEREAS,

According to the American Foundation for the Blind, approximately 85,000 people use braille as a regular method of reading and writing, and countless others use braille for a variety of daily activities; and

WHEREAS,

Braille provides a vehicle for literacy and gives the individual the ability to read and study the written word; and

WHEREAS,

The Braille Revival League -- a national organization -- was founded in 1981 and is comprised of over 1,000 members and several state and local affiliates, including the Jenny Beck Chapter in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS,

The Braille Revival League is dedicated to promoting braille and educating blind children and newly blinded adults in its use as well as promoting the awareness of the importance of literacy for all Americans; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we declare the week of January 1, 2003 to January 8, 2003 as Braille Literacy Week to honor Louis Braille and promote greater awareness of braille.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Jenny Beck Chapter in Philadelphia as a symbol of this legislative body’s sincere appreciation for its dedication to improving the quality of life for blind and visually impaired individuals by promoting the use of braille.

End