Days to
remember in January 2024
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
January 4th is World Braille Day.
When he was a student at the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, formerly the Royal Institute, one of the first schools in the world for blind children, he used and improved systems of raised letters designed by Valentin Haüy and raised dots by Charles Barbier. Louis Braille’s system, completed in 1824 when he was 15, simplified the code, using six dots in different permutations to represent the letters of the alphabet.
Although his fellow students applauded Braille’s work the system was not adopted until two years after his death. Haüy’s successor was afraid that its implementation would negate the need for sighted teachers. Now, braille is used throughout the world and continues to develop and be adapted to modern technology.
That's really interesting!
ReplyDeleteIt should be celebrated more than it is. It was such a breakthrough for blind people.
DeleteHow did blind children learn, before Louis Braille's clever introduction?
ReplyDelete. . . with great difficulty, I imagine.
DeleteI had no idea there was a Braille Day and I am very glad Louis Braille developed his method. Life without reading is unthinkable.
ReplyDeleteBraille Day should be more widely celebrated, I think.
DeleteThere is a pattern for numbers as well as letters. Our lifts have braille buttons and I've studied them a bit and I can see logical patterns in the numbering. Who would have thought braille would still have been around in the 21st century, yet it is and as you say, is adapting to modern technology.
ReplyDeleteThere's braille on common packets, too, like ibuprofen.
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ReplyDeleteHow amazing that Louis Braille developed the system when he was only 15! xxx
ReplyDeleteIt's extraordinary - he was a very clever boy.
DeleteWhat extraordinary talent. Thank you for sharing. May 2024 be your year.
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Thank you. I hope 2024 will be a better year than many of us fear . . .
ReplyDeleteWhenever I've tried to feel Braille dots on packets I can't feel a thing. The sense of touch must improve for blind people like the sense of hearing does
ReplyDelete20/20 vision for you, then . . .
ReplyDeleteHow interesting. I must admit to not having any idea about the backstory on the Braille system. What a shame that Louis Braille didn't live long enough to know how successful his invention was.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad when people are not recognised in their lifetimes
DeleteBraille is an awesome invention. Allowing people to use another sense to communicate and understand the world around them when they've lost one or more of their senses is a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteIt opens other experiences. Learning music must be a very long-drawn-out process.
DeleteI've always thought that Braille was a brilliant invention, I didn't know there is a World Braille Day and that it's today!
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
I didn't know, either, until I came across it . . . so many things to learn, so little time to learn them;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a remarkable story. Really braille opened up the world to so many people. His birthday SHOULD be a worldwide holiday.
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