Days to remember in January 2024

 

Days to remember in January 2024

Tactile street sign at Albert Street and Alice Street, Brisbane

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 January 4^th is World Braille Day.

Louis Braille was born on January 4^th, 1809, in Coupvray, France. Until he was three he had perfect sight. He was accidentally blinded in one eye in his father’s harness making shop by a stitching awl, a sharp-pointed instrument used to punch holes in heavy materials like leather and canvas. An infection set in in the damaged eye and spread to his other eye, causing total blindness.

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.

There is more information here and here.