World Braille Day 2021 - Traveling The Extra Mile

[Tushar_Suradkar]

4th January is World Braille day and time to reflect on the various places in Delhi that have traveled that extra mile to make the life of the blind and the visually-impaired easier by exhibiting features that would aid them.

Here's a summary of such places and the features.

1. Braille Board at Safdurjung Tomb

Caption: Information Board at a Monument in Delhi with Braille Script Embossed, photo by local guide @Tushar_Suradkar

The foremost is the monument information that is embossed in the Braille script at the Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi. Such information is normally painted on a huge board in large letters to ensure that it is visible from far also for the visually-impaired. This one in Safdarjung Tomb travels that extra mile to ensure that the blind too can read it.

2. Braille Menu at Chungwa Restaurant

Braille Menu for the Visually-Impaired in Chungwa Restaurant in Delhi

This restaurant in Delhi has traveled that extra mile to ensure that the blind are not left out when it comes to dining out or are at the mercy of others when ordering food. The Braille menu ensures that they feel at ease and can lookup through the menu and order food just like everyone else at the hotel. Read the complete story.

3. Tactile Maps at Old Fort

The Old Fort complex in Delhi houses several palaces, gateways, medieval public baths, and museums and there are maps placed at every corner and turn to guide people with directions. These are special tactile maps that the blind can touch-sense and get to know the location of the various places around.

4. Braille Letters on Voice ATM Machines

Throughout Delhi and the NCR region that also includes Gurugram where I live currently, there are numerous ATM machines that are Voice-Enabled allowing the blind to carry out complete transactions like checking balance and withdrawing money using voice commands over a head-phone. The special feature of these ATMs is many of them have Braille numbers embossed on the buttons so that the Blind can easily access the same ATM machines as the general public and do no feel left out. Read the meetup recap here.

5. The Wall of Tactile Miniature Monuments 

This is a special feature in the Lodi Road area of Delhi where besides murals painted on the walls there are also special walls that have tactile miniature monuments carved on them. The blind and the visually-impaired can touch-sense these tactile monuments at a smaller scale and easily come to know the shape of the actual full-scale monuments. Another intelligent feature is the texture of the material used in the miniature tactical monuments. Read the full story here...

6. Tactile Scientific Exhibits

Caption: Tactile Exhibits at the National Science Center in Delhi, photo by local guide @Tushar_Suradkar

The tactile scientific exhibits at the National Science Center in Delhi are specifically of those objects that are either too large or too small to handle in real life for the blind. These include a factory chimney, DNA strand, transmission towers, to name a few. Read the complete story here.

7. Braille Usage at Metro Train Stations

Finally, here's an impressive perspective that can be seen at every metro station in Delhi where there are tactile paths leading to an accessible elevator that has buttons embossed with Braille letters and numbers to ease the movement of the blind to their destination hassle-free. Read Recap 1 and Recap 2 of the accessibility check meets of Delhi metro stations.

Conclusion

The tactile art walls, metro stations, monuments, museums, and such places highlight that Delhi on this day 4-January-2021 is all geared towards realizing the goal of Accessibility for All.

Regarding the use of Braille in public places, what is the story in your part of the world?

BR,

Tushar Suradkar

Delhi

[Tushar_Suradkar]

For the attention of the Accessibility for All movement.

@PritishB, @KalyanPal, @MdNahidIslam, @kunal_gajewar, and @Rohan10 

[kunal_gajewar]

The people and the place who made that extra mile for the blind people so that they can read and experience those things which other can are really praiseworthy. Since Delhi is capital and metro city, people are more aware about accessibility,but in rural part we have to make more awareness about this movement. You have done a great job as always by writing about this places who have made extra effort. @Tushar_Suradkar 

[Tushar_Suradkar]

Thank you @kunal_gajewar and agree with you - the situation about accessibility features and also the awareness among people in rural areas could differ from those in the metros and as responsible local guides we can make a difference here.

[Zafermdjaved]

thanks @Tushar_Suradkar  bringing all the information in one place, many a time we come across with such information but could not collectively put together. 

[Tushar_Suradkar]

Thank you for the appreciation @Zafermdjaved 

When visiting paces I carry a checklist like accessibility, toilets, parking, and so on.

Later it becomes easy to compile such specialized lists.

[Rohan10]

Thank you @Tushar_Suradkar for highlighting of availability such features at various places on the day of Braille. Your efforts are very much appreciated buddy. Its great post.

[Tushar_Suradkar]

Thank you for the appreciation @Rohan10 

[PritishB]

A great post to share for today. Kudos to you @Tushar_Suradkar for your effort.

It is great to know that the places of Delhi has such much needed basic features. Hopefully one day in Kolkata the same will happen, and definitely will share it with you all.

Stay safe and happy.

Have a great day ahead!

[Tushar_Suradkar]

Sure @PritishB Till then we can keep searching for such features.

Thank you for the appreciation 👍