What is Braille?LOUIS BRAILLE
Born in 1809, not far from Paris, Louis Braille invented the Braille writing method. Blinded by an accident when he was just three, Louis Braille joined the Royal Institution for Blind Youth, in Paris, at the age of ten. At age thirteen, he invented a new written language for the blind: the Braille system.
THE BRAILLE ALPHABET
The Braille alphabet is based on a maximum of 6 dots. There are as many different combinations as there are letters in the alphabet, as well as punctuation signs, numbers, arithmetical signs and other symbols.
L’Occitane’s commitments to the visually impaired
BRAILLE LABELLING
Since 1997, the packaging of most of our products has featured the name of the range and product in Braille – given in English so that it can be understood by the greatest number of people. On October 1, 2008, L’OCCITANE received the Helen Keller award from the American Foundation for the Blind for its help to the visually impaired by using Braille on its packaging. This award is given to individuals and companies who improve the quality of life of those who are visually impaired.
PROVENCE DANS TOUS LES SENS
In June 1998, L'OCCITANE employees created an association, "Provence dans tous les Sens" ("All the senses of Provence"). This school is designed to introduce blind and poor-sighted children and adolescents to the world of perfume. By sharing the fascinating world of perfumes, the institution aims to help the development of these young people's olfactory senses, and possibly inspire future careers. Every summer, L’OCCITANE sponsors a contest to send visually impaired students to our Perfume school in Provence.