In Chile, a country where 1 in 20 people has some form of visual impairment and where 80,000 people are totally blind, having this condition is a challenge, especially since studies show that 94% of people with visual impairments feel mistreated or overlooked.

For this reason, Fundación Luz, in its 100 years not only showcased the work they do every day for people with visual impairments but also aimed to bring visibility to this issue, positioning them as protagonists in our society with a campaign that conveys an inclusive message, generates impact, and leaves a lasting impression. A creative campaign that transcends and impacts a large number of people, raising awareness about the abilities that people with visual impairments possess.

Fundación Luz, along with a group of musicians with visual impairments and composers, wrote a song in braille and transferred the chorus words to a staff in the E scale, turning each braille letter composed of up to 6 dots into a musical note.

This song, performed by an orchestra composed of musicians with visual impairments, was launched at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games, becoming the anthem of the most important sporting event of the year, delivering a message of inclusion to people in Chile, the Latin American region, and the Americas.

In Chile, music is part of everyone's daily life. 52 million songs are played weekly on Spotify, which equates to 188 million minutes. With music we wanted to deliver a message of inclusion that helps build a much more inclusive community.

So, various musicians with visual impairments wrote a song in braille and on a musical staff, transforming each letter of this song, originally in braille, into musical notes. Then, this song was performed by an orchestra composed of musicians with visual impairments and was recorded in an interactive music video where people can see how braille sounds.

In addition, different musicians performed the song in their homes, reading from an experimental musical staff.

This strategy allowed us to deliver a message of inclusion to men and women of all ages, residents of Chile, the Latin American region, and the Americas.

For the first time in history, musical notation and the braille system come together to convey a message of inclusion through an experimental work.

Hernán Barrales, orchestra director, says that by transforming braille into musical notes, a sonic phenomenon occurs that changes the traditional way music is interpreted. Meanwhile, producer Alejandro Lyon states that this work holds great value in wanting to convey a message of inclusion through music.

With this anthem, written and composed in braille, and performed by an orchestra entirely composed of musicians with visual impairments, a message of inclusion was delivered not only to one country but to the entire region.

"Sound of Braille" allowed visually impaired people to be heard in a different way, this time with an anthem that allows all of us to open our eyes.

The song became an anthem for the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games, being heard by over 1900 Paralympic athletes from the Americas, in addition to those who played the song on digital platforms.

Fundación Luz is still a leading in the topic of building a better society for people with visual disabilities, so much so that 79% of Chileans agree with giving greater visibility to minorities. This contribution was also reflected in the evaluation of the 2023 Parapan American Games, where 90% had a positive opinion, and 88% indicated that the campaign contributes to inclusion.

The orchestra successfully conveyed the message in various public and private activities, and even on television. Today, Sound of Braille is used as a learning tool at Fundación Luz and schools, motivating children every day and bringing braille closer to the community.