Bhopal RPO Becomes India's First Passport Office with Braille Services

The Regional Passport Office (RPO), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (MP) has introduced Braille script and sign language services, thereby becoming the first office in India to provide these accessibility facilities for differently-abled applicants.

This initiative was inaugurated by Joint Secretary (Passport Seva Programme) and Chief Passport Officer B.S. Mubarak at RPO, Bhopal in the presence of Regional Passport Officer Shitanshu Chaurasia.

Braille booklets have been introduced for visually impaired applicants, explaining the complete passport application process along with important instructions (do’s and don’ts). Braille signage plates have been installed inside the office to help applicants navigate easily.

Information videos in sign language (SL) guide applicants with speech and hearing impairments about types of applications, required documents, and procedures; QR codes (Quick Response codes) have been placed near queues and counters to enable easy access to these videos.

Key Braille and sign language services

The new services include Braille booklets outlining the complete application process and detailing required documents for both ECR and Non-ECR categories.

Along with this, a series of videos in sign language has also been launched for applicants with speech and hearing impairments.

These videos provide detailed guidance on application types, document requirements, and the entire passport process.

They also include information about processes at Counter A (biometric registration), Counter B (document verification), and Counter C (granting of application). QR codes are also provided in these videos, enabling applicants to directly access relevant online resources.

Braille script

Developed in 1824 by Louis Braille, it uses cells of six dots to represent letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and even musical notations. It is used worldwide and has been adapted for more than 133 languages.

The history of Braille dates back to the early 1800s. A man named Charles Barbier, who served in Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army, developed a unique system called "Night Writing" to enable soldiers to communicate safely at night.

Braille is a system of reading and writing through touch for visually impaired persons, where raised dots represent letters of the alphabet. It also includes symbols for punctuation and groups of letters.

People read Braille by moving one or both hands from left to right along each line. The reading process generally involves both hands, and the index fingers mainly perform the reading.

The average reading speed is about 125 words per minute, but speeds of up to 200 words per minute are also possible.