Before Louis Braille created the tactile reading and writing system used around the world by people who are blind or low vision—and before he was blind himself—he was already punching holes. When he was a toddler, it was one of Louis’s favorite things to do in his father’s harness shop. But then his world went dark.
A pointed tool slipped and plunged into his right eye as he played in the shop at age 3. Both eyes became inflamed, and without modern medical knowledge, doctors could do nothing to rescue his sight.
The outlook for Louis seemed bleak. In the early 1800s, before blind people had the rights and resources they have today, he could have spent the rest of his life struggling to read and write. He could have needed a sighted person to help him along at every turn. Maybe he could have worked as a church organist or piano tuner if he was lucky. Yet Louis would go on to defy the odds, shatter barriers, and make the world a more accessible and inclusive place for people who are blind or low vision.
Before Louis Braille created the tactile reading and writing system used around the world by people who are blind or low vision, he was already punching holes. He was doing this before he was blind. When he was a toddler, punching holes was one of Louis’s favorite things to do in his father’s harness shop. But then his world went dark.
A pointed tool slipped and plunged into his right eye as he played in the shop at age 3. Both eyes became inflamed. Without modern medical knowledge, doctors could do nothing to rescue his sight.
The outlook for Louis seemed bleak. In the early 1800s, blind people didn’t have the rights and resources they have today. He could have spent the rest of his life struggling to read and write. He could have needed a sighted person to help him along at every turn. Maybe he could have worked as a church organist or piano tuner if he was lucky. Yet Louis would go on to defy the odds, shatter barriers, and make the world a more accessible and inclusive place for people who are blind or low vision.