Disability History and Awareness Month: Louis Braille Invents “Braille” Writing System in 1824
Office of the Governor Texas sent this bulletin at 10/05/2012 08:53 AM CDTCommittee on People with Disabilities
Disability History and Awareness Month: Louis Braille Invents “Braille” Writing System in 1824
Louis Braille (1809-1852), a young Frenchman living in the early nineteenth century, was the inventor of the system of reading and writing which bears his name, commonly used by people who are blind or visually impaired. Braille became blind after an accident as a young child. When he was a teenager, he encountered a system of writing called “night writing,” used by the French military. Night writing involved a system of dots and dashes drawn into thick paper that could be read through the sense of touch, allowing soldiers to read important communications on the battlefield even in the dark of night.
Louis Braille improved upon and simplified night writing. By the time he was just fifteen years old in 1824, Braille had largely completed his system of raised dots that we know today simply as “braille.” He later extended the braille writing system to include musical notation.
Today, braille is used all over the world. This young inventor’s insight into the importance of communication may well have changed millions of lives: “Access to communication in the widest sense is access to knowledge, and that is vitally important for us […] We must be treated as equals – and communication is the way this can be brought about.”
Sources:
- Louis Braille, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Braille#The_braille_system
- Braille, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille
October is Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month in Texas. Each workday in October 2012, the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities will post a daily Disability History Fact highlighting the accomplishments of people with disabilities or important dates and events related to the history of people with disabilities. These daily history facts will be presented to celebrate “Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month” in Texas. Learn more about disability history: http://governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/resources/disability_history/
The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (Committee) provides GovDelivery updates for informational purposes on a variety of disability related issues for a diverse audience. Updates may include information provided by external sources. The inclusion of this external information does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Committee or the Office of the Governor of any information, policy, product, or service offered by an external source.
Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support@govdelivery.com.