Julie Woods — known as ‘That Blind Woman’ — will be setting up at Queenstown’s arts and cultural hub, Te Atamira, tomorrow as part of her One Million Names in Braille project, launched in 2017.
The motivational speaker and adventurer — who’s also reffed a few nude touch rugby games in Dunedin — aims to transcribe a million names into Braille, a tactile writing and reading system for people who are blind or visually impaired, to foster awareness and connection.
Woods, who turns 59 next Saturday, has been partially sighted since she was 18, and lost her vision in 1997, when she was 31.
Inspired by an artist who painted 1million works to promote mental health, Woods’ idea for ‘One Million Names’ started when she added the Braille alphabet to her business cards, and started writing names in Braille during her travels.
As of 2023, Woods and her team, including volunteers, had transcribed more than 27,000 names.
Tomorrow, she’s hosting a workshop for 8 to 12-year-olds about Louis Braille (1809-1852), a French educator and inventor of the Braille system, which opened up access to literacy and education, transforming the lives of millions.
Meantime, anyone who wants to participate in her project can either visit Te Atamira tomorrow or on Saturday, or leave their name inside a stamped, self-addressed envelope in the folder — it’ll be typed in Braille and posted back.
