Inventor of the Month
Louis Braille
Ilana Taieb Hagerty 7th grade
Louis Braille (4 January 1809 – 6 January 1852) was a French educator and inventor of a system of reading and writing for the blind or visually impaired people. His system remains known simply as braille.
Blinded in both eyes as a result of a childhood accident, Braille mastered his disability while still a child. He excelled in his studies and received a scholarship to France's Royal Institute for Blind Youth. While he studied there, he began developing a system of code that could allow blind people to read and write quickly and efficiently. Inspired by the military cryptography of Charles Barbier, Braille built a new method specifically for the needs of the blind. He presented his work to his associates for the first time in 1824.
Louis Braille self-portrait
Braille produced several written works about braille and as general education for the blind:
- Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs was written in 1829 and was revised and republished in 1837;
- His mathematics guide, Little Synopsis of Arithmetic for Beginners started to be used in 1838.
- Braille has also published his monograph New Method for Representing by Dots the Form of Letters, Maps, Geometric Figures, Musical Symbols, etc., for Use by the Blind, that was first published in 1839.
Many of Braille's original printed works remain available at the Braille birthplace museum in Coupvray, France.
photo credits :
nationalbraillepress.wordpress.com/tag/louis-braille-biography/
smilecastcommunications.com/braille.html
Fun Facts
Fun Facts
1. Braille is not considered a language. However, there is a Braille Code for almost every foreign language you can imagine! Even math, computer science, and music all have their own unique Braille systems.
2. In most elevators all around the world you will find the Braille writing. Not sure? Check out your building's elevator!
3. Even if you aren't blind, it could be an awesome code writing system!
patch.com/new-jersey/hasbrouckheights/5-interesting-facts-about-braille