Louis Braille

Louis Braille

Louis Braille is a hero not only because he invented a coding system that is still used today, but because he did it while being blind himself. Louis Braille was a blind Frenchman who invented Braille. He was born in Coupvray, France and got accepted into the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (National Institute of Blind Youth)when he was 10.

Louis Braille was not born blind. He was blinded at the age of 3 in an accident with a sharp awl or knife when he was playing with the tools in his father’s workshop, and he would never have any memory of being sighted. (Cavendish, Richard). Louis was not the first person to think of a coding system for blind people. Long before Louis Braille’s time, attempts had been made to create embossed letters or shapes on wood or paper to enable the blind to read by touch. (Cavendish, Richard). He made a difference to millions of blind people around the world. He is the one who wanted blind people to be treated as equals and he made that possible by inventing something that allows blind people to read. In 1841 Braille had told Foucault that access to communication was vitally important for blind people, “If we are not to go on being despised or patronized by condescending sighted people. We do not need pity, nor do we need to be reminded that we are vulnerable; we must be treated as equals — and communication is the way we can bring this about.”(Cavendish, Richard). He reached out to even more people after that. He became a teacher in 1826. (“Braille, Louis (1809-1852)).

What he did was not an overnight process. It took a while for people to actually start using Braille. The system underwent periodic alteration; the standardized system employed today was the first used in the United States in 1860 at the Missouri School for the Blind.(“Braille, Louis (1809- 1852)). Louis never lived to see all of his hard work be put to use. The Braille writing system was not fully accepted until 1854, two years after the inventors death.(“Braille, Louis (1809- 1852)). At the age of 20 he published a monograph and grew seriously ill with incurable tuberculosis in 1835. 2 years later in 1837, he issued a 2nd publication.

He knew what it felt like to be blind and didn’t like to feel disabled so he did something about it. He did what he had to do and now he is known for making a difference. Most people didn’t believe in him because they thought that he would never make anything of himself because he was blind. He proved them wrong and will always be remembered for what he had to offer every blind person in our world.