Around 170 years ago, in a small town called Coupvray in France, there lived a young boy called Louis Braille. He was the son of a leather maker. From an early age Louis used to play with his father’s tools and one day he was injured in his eye with his father’s awl (a sharp tool used for stitching leather). His eye became severely infected and eventually he became blind. A naturally intelligent child, Louis continued to study in the local school till he won a scholarship to the first and only school for the blind at that time, the ‘Royal Institute for Blind Youth’ in Paris.
Here he found that books for the blind were rare. He set about inventing a code that could be used by the blind for a variety of purposes. Ironically, he used the same tool that blinded him, the awl, to punch out the code that he invented! His system went unused for many years but after his death was adopted for the visually impaired all around the world.
His contribution is commemorated every year on January 4, which is celebrated as World Braille Day.
Picture Credit : Google
