Supporting Braille systems

JAN 4 was declared annual World Braille Day by the United Nations not only to appreciate the contributions of the man who invented the Braille system of reading for the blind, Louis Braille, but also to mainstream the relevance of Braille codes in the lives of blind and visually impaired people.

The year 2021 concluded with two pieces of positive news for such people: First, the Malaysian Intellectual Property Organisation, through cooperation with various stakeholders – including organisations of persons with disabilities, particularly the National Council for the Blind, Malaysia (NCBM) – prepared amendments to the Copy-right Act 1987 to introduce several new provisions that will clear the path for Malaysia’s accession to the Marrakesh Treaty. Recently, the House of Representatives approved the amendments.