Louis Braille is remembered today as the father of Braille, the first system of writing for the visually impaired. His efforts led to the publication of the Braille system in 1854. ...read more

If you are determined and passionate, even life's challenges can't stop you from achieving your dreams. Louis Braille is a living example of this.

Louis Braille was a man who invented the Braille script at the age of 15. Born in a small village in France, Louis Braille lost his eyesight at the age of five.

Even though an accident robbed him of his sight, he persevered and became the light of sight for millions of blind people who were unable to read or write due to their lack of sight. Louis invented a six-dot script for the visually impaired, providing a system for independent reading and writing for all visually impaired people.

Who was Louis Braille?

Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, in the small French village of Coupvray, into a very modest family. His father, Simon-René Braille, worked in a factory that manufactured horse saddles and leather. He was the youngest of his parents' four children.

Then an accident happened and life changed.

In 1812, Louis was playing in his father's factory. A sharp tool in the factory severely injured his right eye. An infection spread, affecting his left eye as well, leaving him completely blind at the age of five. But he remained resolute, and soon began learning by hearing and touch.

Received scholarship at the age of 10

Louis completed his early education in his village. At the age of ten, he received a scholarship from the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, offering him the opportunity to study there. This was an institution where instruction was conducted using raised Roman letters. Louis studied music, history, and science at this institution.

Interestingly, Louis was later appointed as a teacher in the same institute.

How did the idea of ​​Braille script come about?

Louis got the idea of ​​creating Braille for the visually impaired when he met Captain Charles Barbier of the French Army at the age of 15. Charles told Louis about 'night writing' and 'sonography'. This was a script that soldiers used to study in the dark. Let us tell you, it was based on a total of 12 dots. When Louis understood this concept, he got the idea of ​​creating Braille script. He created 64 letters and symbols using 6 dots instead of 12. He also created punctuation marks and mathematical symbols from Braille script.

about:blank

The principal tested his skills

When Louis Braille completed the Braille script, he presented it to his principal for testing. The principal, to test his ability, read a newspaper article aloud. Louis immediately took notes of the article in Braille and then read the entire article aloud to his principal.

Principal Louis was very impressed by his work and it also became clear that Braille script is really effective for visually impaired people.

 PC:Jagran