# Law No. 4169 of December 4, 1962

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648438](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648438)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-4169-of-december-4-1962

## Summary
**Law No. 4169 of December 4, 1962** (Portuguese: *Lei nº 4169, de 4 de dezembro de 1962*) is a Brazilian federal statute that officializes Braille conventions for use in writing and reading for blind individuals, as well as the code of Braille contractions and abbreviations. Promulgated by President João Goulart and published in Brasília, it applies to all jurisdictions within Brazil and remains accessible through the official Planalto government portal.

## Key Facts
- **Full Title:** Lei nº 4169, de 4 de dezembro de 1962
- **Alternative Name:** Lei nº 4169/1962 (legal citation format)
- **Classification:** Statute (formal written document that creates law)
- **Country/Jurisdiction:** Brazil
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Publication Date:** December 4, 1962
- **Place of Publication:** Brasília
- **Promulgating Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **President at Promulgation:** João Goulart
- **Promulgation Method:** Promulgation
- **Law Digest (Purpose):** Officializes Braille conventions for writing and reading for the blind, and the code of Braille contractions and abbreviations ("OFICIALIZA AS CONVENÇÕES BRAILLE PARA USO NA ESCRITA E LEITURA DOS CEGOS E O CODIGO DE CONTRAÇÕES E ABREVIATURAS BRAILLE")
- **Main Subjects:** Determination, time limits (prazo), Ministry of Education (MEC), application/use
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-04;4169
- **Official URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4169.htm
- **Wikidata Project Membership:** WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs

**What is the purpose of Law No. 4169/1962?**
This statute officializes Braille conventions for use in writing and reading by blind individuals throughout Brazil. It establishes the official code of Braille contractions and abbreviations to be used nationally.

**Who approved and promulgated this law?**
The law was promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil under President João Goulart on December 4, 1962, through formal promulgation procedures.

**What government bodies are referenced or involved in this law?**
The Ministry of Education (MEC) is explicitly named as a main subject of the law, indicating its role in implementation. The law also references time limits (prazo) and application procedures as key subject areas.

**Where can the official text of this law be accessed?**
The full text is available at the official Brazilian government portal: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4169.htm. It is also indexed under the LexML Brazil system with identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-04;4169.

**What type of legal instrument is this?**
Law No. 4169/1962 is classified as a statute—a formal written document that creates law. As a federal statute, it applies to all jurisdictions within Brazil.

## Why It Matters

Law No. 4169 of December 4, 1962 represents a significant milestone in Brazilian accessibility policy and the rights of individuals with visual disabilities. By officializing Braille conventions at the federal level, Brazil established a unified national standard for tactile reading and writing systems, ensuring consistency in education, communication, and documentation for blind citizens.

The law's designation of the Ministry of Education (MEC) as a primary subject underscores its importance in the educational context. Standardized Braille conventions are essential for literacy instruction, textbook production, and examination materials for blind students. Without such standardization, regional variations in Braille usage could create barriers to educational equity and professional opportunities.

This statute also demonstrates Brazil's early commitment to disability rights, predating many international accessibility frameworks. The formal promulgation by President João Goulart during a period of significant political change in Brazil highlights the bipartisan recognition that accessibility infrastructure was a legitimate function of federal governance.

The law's continued availability through official government channels and its maintenance in the WikiProject Brazilian Laws initiative indicates its ongoing relevance in Brazilian legal and accessibility frameworks.

## Notable For
- **Early Federal Accessibility Legislation:** Enacted in 1962, this law represents an early example of federal-level legislation specifically addressing the needs of blind citizens through standardized communication systems
- **National Braille Standardization:** Established a single, official code of Braille contractions and abbreviations for all of Brazil, preventing regional fragmentation of tactile literacy systems
- **Presidential Promulgation:** Signed into law by President João Goulart during the politically significant period of the early 1960s
- **Ministry of Education Mandate:** Explicitly involves the Ministry of Education (MEC) in implementation, connecting accessibility standards directly to educational policy
- **Ongoing Digital Accessibility:** The law remains accessible through modern digital infrastructure (Planalto portal, LexML Brazil), ensuring continued public availability

## Body

### Legislative Classification and Nature

Law No. 4169 of December 4, 1962 is classified as a **statute**—a formal written document that creates law. In the Brazilian legal system, statutes serve as the physical or formal expression of legal rules, functioning as manifestations of statutory law. This law exists as an instance of a legal term and concept, categorized as a subclass of written work, document, and rule.

The statute was created through formal legislation processes and constitutes a legal act within Brazilian federal law. It is written in **Brazilian Portuguese**, the official language of Brazil, and applies to the entire national jurisdiction.

### Promulgation and Authority

The law was promulgated on **December 4, 1962** by the **Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**. The promulgating head of state was **João Goulart**, who served as President of Brazil from 1961 until the 1964 military coup. The determination method for this law was formal promulgation, signifying its official entry into the Brazilian legal framework.

The law was published in **Brasília**, which had been established as Brazil's federal capital in 1960 (replacing Rio de Janeiro). This places the law among the early legislative acts promulgated in the new capital city.

### Purpose and Subject Matter

The law's digest provides its official purpose: to "officialize Braille conventions for use in writing and reading for the blind and the code of contractions and abbreviations Braille" (Portuguese: "OFICIALIZA AS CONVENÇÕES BRAILLE PARA USO NA ESCRITA E LEITURA DOS CEGOS E O CODIGO DE CONTRAÇÕES E ABREVIATURAS BRAILLE").

The statute identifies four main subjects:
- **Determination** (Determinação): Establishing mandatory standards
- **Time limit** (Prazo): Temporal aspects of implementation or compliance
- **Ministry of Education** (Ministerio Da Educação - MEC): The government body responsible for oversight
- **Application/Use** (Aplicação): Practical implementation guidelines

### Legal Identifiers and Access

The law is indexed through multiple official identification systems:

**LexML Brazil Identifier:** `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-04;4169`
This Uniform Resource Name follows the LexML standard for Brazilian legal documents, encoding the jurisdiction (federal), document type (lei/law), date (1962-12-04), and law number (4169).

**Legal Citation Format:** Lei nº 4169/1962
This format combines the law number with the year of promulgation, serving as the standard citation reference in legal documents and scholarly work.

**Official Digital Access:** The full text of the law is available at the Brazilian Presidency's official legislation portal: `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4169.htm`

This URL places the document within the Civil House (Casa Civil) section of the Planalto website, categorized under laws from the 1950-1969 period.

### Jurisdictional Scope

The law applies to the **Federative Republic of Brazil** in its entirety. As a federal statute, it has jurisdiction over all states, federal districts, and municipalities within Brazilian territory. Brazil, spanning approximately 8.5 million km², is the largest country in South America and had a population of approximately 213 million as of 2025 estimates.

The statute's application is nationwide, meaning all educational institutions, government bodies, and organizations serving blind individuals throughout Brazil were required to adopt the officialized Braille conventions.

### Historical and Political Context

The law was promulgated during the presidency of **João Goulart** (1961-1964), a period marked by significant political tension in Brazil. Goulart had assumed the presidency following the resignation of Jânio Quadros and governed during a time of intense debate over economic policy, land reform, and Cold War alignments.

Despite the political turbulence of this era, the promulgation of Law No. 4169 demonstrates that accessibility and disability policy continued to receive legislative attention. The law represents part of the broader Brazilian legal framework established prior to the military period that began in 1964.

### Connection to Statutory Framework

As a statute, Law No. 4169 shares characteristics with all formal written laws in the Brazilian system:
- It is a formal written document that creates law
- It functions as a manifestation of statutory law
- It contains legal norms as part of its composition
- It is part of the broader concept of law and legal acts
- It follows the legislative process that begins with draft laws

Statutes in Brazil, as in many jurisdictions, are generally considered public domain documents under the "edict of government doctrine," ensuring that citizens have unrestricted access to the laws that govern them.

### WikiProject and Scholarly Attention

The law is listed on the **WikiProject Brazilian Laws**, indicating its inclusion in systematic efforts to document and organize Brazilian legislation within Wikimedia projects. This classification ensures the law receives attention from editors and researchers working to maintain comprehensive coverage of Brazil's legal heritage.

The Wikidata description for this entity is "Brazilian law," placing it within the broader category of Brazilian legislative acts. References for the law's metadata come from both the LexML Brazil system (accessed January 28, 2021) and the Presidency's legislation portal (accessed February 17, 2021 and April 6, 2021).

### Related Legal and Governmental Entities

**Ministry of Education (MEC):** As a named subject of the law, the Ministry of Education holds responsibility for aspects of the statute's implementation. The MEC is Brazil's federal ministry responsible for educational policy, curriculum standards, and oversight of educational institutions at all levels.

**Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil:** As the promulgating authority, the Presidency exercised its constitutional role in the legislative process by giving formal effect to the statute.

**Brazilian Federal Government:** The law exists within the framework of Brazil's federal republic system, established by the Constitution and operating through the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-04;4169)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=4169&ano=1962&data=04/12/1962&ato=a55ETSE5kMVRVT6b2)
3. LexML Brasil