Recently, Louis Braille celebrated his 200th birthday. This event was commemorated by the U.S. Mint by creating a silver coin with his name and likeness on it. But, who was Louis Braille and why are we remembering him after all these years?

The short answer is, if Louis had not perfected his system that allowed the vision impaired to read and write for themselves, millions of the blind would have had to give up their dreams of independence for a life of dependence.

Who was Louis Braille?

Louis Braille (1809-1852) was born in France a bit over 200 years ago, Because of a childhood accident that took Louis’s sight, he began attending a school for the blind in his home country.

Louis Braille was dissatisfied with the system of reading tactile markings used by the school because it was difficult to read with any speed. In addition, the tactile system used by the school was impractical for taking notes. Louis came across a soldier who told him about a system of non-visual writing used by the military which enabled soldiers to read their orders in the dark. This system was called Night Writing. Louis took night writing and modified it to work for students at the school for the blind. Because of Louis’s work, the system for quickly and easily writing for the blind – Braille was invented.

Braille has Evolved

Braille has gone through many changes over the years adapting it to writing and reading in different languages, music notation, mathematical notation, and much more. One thing has not changed, Braille is still one of the most effective methods for the vision impaired to read and write.

How Effective is Reading and Writing Braille?

If Braille is taught early enough, a vision impaired student can read faster than her fellow students. It is not unusual for blind students reading Braille to read over 300 hundred words a minute. The average reading speed for her peers is about 250 words-per-minute. But what if you aren’t a child and want to

Is it ever too late to Learn Braille?

Even though an adult Braille learner may not reach the reading speeds as someone who learned Braille while younger, Braille reading speeds of over one-hundred-words-a-minute are common for those who practice daily. Being able to read Braille at any speed opens up opportunities for the vision impaired. Having a rudimentary Braille ability means that you can label things, make your own shopping lists, take notes for yourself, and read what you want when you want for pleasure. In the pre-Internet days, Braille readers, if they wanted to read a recent novel, had to order it and wait till it was delivered in the mail. Now, millions of Braille documents are downloadable for free and it can take less than a minute to get the title you want.

Braille is a Tool for Independence

Being literate and being able to take your own notes is essential for independence. There is a term I use called “Competitively Literate”. What this means is, in school or the workplace, being able to keep up with your peers. Competitive literacy means you are prepared for full participation. Braille (no matter what speed you can read) allows you to compete for the best education and the jobs you want. Thank you, Louis and happy birthday!

John Bailey is the “Guy Who Sees Options”. He is an international speaker, author, and Tedx presenter. And, he happens to be blind. John has over 20 years expertise coaching young people and adults with physical challenges on how they can have the lives and education they want just by seeing the opportunities they are missing.

Call John to find out how he can make your next event entertaining, exciting, and full of memorable content.

To see John’s TEDX video, go to ReadingInTheDark.biz and click on the video.