Tsunami Safety in Braille

Tsunami Awareness Materials > Tsunami Safety in Braille

Tsunami Safety in Braille

 

As of 2020, there were more than 26 million people with visual disabilities, including 3.2 million totally blind in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). (http://sgp.orbis.org/en/about-orbis). Noting this reality, and recognizing that safety is a right of all and for all, an initiative was developed aimed at adapting educational and tsunami preparedness materials into accessible formats for blind and visually impaired people in the Caribbean and Latin America. This effort began in 2022, initially at the request of Saint Lucia, as part of the implementation of the UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Program.

ITIC-CAR participation in the White Cane International Day on October 15, 2025, in Lares Puerto Rico. Glorymar Gómez and Niwdé Rivera, from ITIC-CAR with Aleyda Ortiz, president of the National Federation of the Blind and Barbara Linares, leader of the  emergency management committee.  Braille Tsunami Safety Rules booklets were available for visually impaired people. 

The International Tsunami Information Center, Caribbean Office updated and adapted the brochures "Tsunami Safety Rules" into English and Spanish, incorporating Braille and enlarged print versions.. This material has been shared with countries and territories that have populations with visual impairments, including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Bahamas and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

With the support of the National Federation of the Blind in Puerto Rico, the material in Spanish was reviewed and updated following the accessibility standards of normative Spanish Braille, which differs significantly from the Braille used in English. This review was a direct outcome of ITIC-CAR's participation in the World Blind Convention held in São Paulo, Brazil, in September 2025. This event brought together more than 1,500 visually impaired people from more than 190 countries. At the convention, international participants validated the content and helped identify necessary adjustments in the Spanish version, allowing errors to be corrected and a new edition aligned with the official standards of Spanish Braille has been developed.

Today, this material is available in digital format to expand its reach and accessibility. The resources include color versions, enlarged print, accessible text files compatible with screen readers, as well as download options for regular printing and Braille printers. This initiative represents an important step towards inclusive risk management and the more prepared and resilient communities.