Visually impaired Kurdish woman teaches braille to students - in pictures

Daily life of a blind lady in Duhok, Iraq

Khabor Muhammed Ali, 52, a blind Kurdish woman, teaches braille to visually impaired students in Duhok, in the Iraqi Kurdish region. All Photos: Reuters

'Before we went to the school for the visually impaired, we thought that there is no one else who couldn't see in the world, only ourselves, the companions who live together,' a student said. 'We used to think like this.'

'My father is the one who motivated me. He said, "you must go to school and benefit, because the day will come when people will benefit from your experience,"' Ms Ali said.

When student Mustafa Ismail started to learn how to read using braille about a decade ago, his life changed.

'I used to be idle, I did not have anything to do. But when I started reading about 10 years ago, 12 years ago, my life changed. I started learning. I had something useful in my life. I had a goal,' Mustafa said.

Braille was created by Louis Braille in the first half of the 19th century. The system is based on a cell of six dots that can be felt by the fingertip with a single impression. This allows readers to move quickly from one cell unit to the next.

More from The National:

A look around Basra International Stadium - in pictures

Labourers working at a brick works in Baghdad – in pictures

Tunisian woman overcomes disability to become award winning Qanun player - in pictures

Beirut Museum of Art: what to expect when it opens in 2026

Cairo in bloom with 89th Spring Flowers Exhibition