Louis Braille

Louis Braille was born to Simon-René and Monique Braille in Coupvray, a small village near Paris. His father was a harness maker, and his mother was a homemaker.

At the age of three, Louis accidentally injured his eye with an awl in his father's workshop. The injury led to an infection that spread to both eyes, causing total blindness.

Louis was awarded a scholarship to attend the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, where he received an education and began to develop his skills and interests.

Louis was introduced to Charles Barbier's 'night writing,' a code used by the French military for nocturnal communication. This sparked his interest in creating a tactile writing system.

At the age of 15, Louis Braille developed his own tactile writing system, which used raised dots to represent letters and numbers. This system would later become known as Braille.

Louis Braille was appointed as a teacher at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, where he taught music and other subjects. He continued to refine and promote his writing system.

Louis published the first book in Braille, titled 'Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plainsongs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them.'

Louis Braille demonstrated his writing system at the World Fair in Paris, where it received significant attention and interest from educators and the public.

Louis published a second book, 'New Method for Representing by Dots the Form of Letters, Musical Notes, Geometric Figures, etc., for Use by the Blind,' further expanding the Braille system.

The Royal Institute for Blind Youth officially adopted the Braille system for teaching and communication, marking a significant milestone in its acceptance and use.

Louis Braille passed away from tuberculosis in Paris. His legacy as the inventor of the Braille system continues to impact the lives of visually impaired individuals worldwide.