The story of Louis Braille's life, told in a lively style
Louis Braille www.afb.org Louis Braille (1809-1852) Six dots. Six bumps. Six bumps in different patterns, like constellations, spreading out over the page. What are they? Numbers, letters, words. Who made this code? None other than Louis Braille, a French 12-year-old, who was also blind. And his work changed the world of reading and writing, forever. Louis was from a small town called Coupvray, near Paris-he was born on January 4 in 1809. Louis became blind by accident, when he was 3 years old. Deep in his Dad's harness workshop, Louis tried to be like his Dad, but it went very wrong; he grabbed an awl, a sharp tool for making holes, and the tool slid and hurt his eye. The wound got infected, and the infection spread, and soon, Louis was blind in both eyes. All of a sudden, Louis needed a new way to learn. He stayed at his old school for two more years, but he couldn't learn everything just by listening. Things were looking up when Louis got a scholarship to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, when he was 10. But even there, most of the teachers just talked at the students. The library had 14 huge books with raised letters that were very hard to read. Louis was impatient. Then in 1821, a former soldier named Charles Barbier visited the school. Barbier shared his invention called "night writing," a code of 12 raised dots that let soldiers share top-secret information on the battlefield without even having to speak. Unfortunately, the code was too hard for the soldiers, but not for 12-year-old Louis! Louis trimmed Barbier's 12 dots into 6, ironed out the system by the time he was 15, then published the first-ever braille book in 1829. But did he stop there? No way! In 1837, he added symbols for math and music. But since the public was skeptical, blind students had to study braille on their own. Even at the Royal Institution, where Louis taught after he graduated, braille wasn't taught until after his death. Braille began to spread worldwide in 1868, when a group of British men, now known as the Royal National Institute for the Blind, took up the cause. Now practically every country in the world uses braille. Braille books have double-sided pages, which saves a lot of space. Braille signs help blind people get around in public spaces. And, most important, blind people can communicate independently, without needing print. Louis proved that if you have the motivation, you can do incredible things. Where Can I Find a Picture of Louis Braille? We hear this question a lot-why are there no photographs of Louis Braille on the Braille Bug site? We looked long and hard for a photograph of Louis Braille. But he died in 1852, and at that time photography had been around for only 13 years. It was still a relatively difficult and rare process. Also, Louis Braille's code for reading wasn't adopted by the school where he taught until eight years before he died. France didn't officially adopt Braille's system until two years after he died. It wasn't until 1890 that the code was adopted in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, Germany, Spain, and Scotland-and it took even longer to reach the United States. Louis Braille really became more famous after his death! Maybe people didn't think of taking a photo of him while he was alive because they didn't know how famous he would later become. But someone did think to take an old type of "photo" called a daguerreotype shortly after his death. Here is a portrait of Louis Braille that was based on the daguerreotype. You can see this image, as well as others, in a new biography from National Braille Press entitled Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius . As the author notes, "This is the visage of a dead man; in life, he kept his eyes open." The only other image we have of Louis Braille is a sculpted bust, which can be found at the school in Paris where he taught, the Royal Institution for Blind Youth. It's hard to remember in these days of digital cameras and instant pictures how young photography actually is. Sculpture has been around for thousands of years-photography for only 165 years! - The Braille Bug - What is Braille? What When you first look at something written in braille, all you see (or feel) is a jumble of dots! However, like any other code, braille is based on a logical system. Once you understand it, you'll be able to read and write braille easily. That's because braille is not a language, it's just another way to read and write English (or any other language, such as Japanese). Learn more in "Braille: Deciphering the Code" and check out the other links below. Braille: Deciphering the Code Trivia Braille Technology Printable Braille Alphabet Key braille alphabet card ...Overview of the Braille Bug Site... table with 2 columns and 44 rows Six tiny raised dots, ingeniously arranged by a fifteen-year-old boy nearly two hundred years ago, have brought literacy to thousands of people with visual disabilities worldwide. Louis Braille, the inventor of the braille code, was born on January 4, 1809, so January is celebrated as Braille Literacy Month. The Braille Bug web site for children was launched in January 2002 to commemorate the achievements of this remarkable young inventor. The information, activities, and games found on the Braille Bug web site are designed to teach children in grades 3 through 6 about braille. As they explore the site, children will be able to: list of 6 items . develop an appreciation for the efficiency and versatility of braille; . learn why and how Louis Braille invented the literary braille code; . understand the importance of braille for another famous blind person, Helen Keller; . learn to recognize braille letters and numbers; . describe different ways to read and write braille, including the use of technology; . use suggested resources to learn more about braille, blindness, and related topics. list end About Braille Literacy Braille enables people who are blind or visually impaired to develop literacy skills comparable to those of sighted people who read print. Those who know braille can perform tasks as varied as jotting down a phone number, writing a shopping list, solving a long division problem, reading a musical score, or composing a doctoral thesis. Sighted elementary students initially are fascinated by braille as a kind of "secret code." However, as they learn more about braille and its many uses, they expand their knowledge of people with disabilities and the accommodations they use to lead full and successful lives. Accessibility Children who are blind or visually impaired can enjoy the activities on the Braille Bug website right along with their sighted classmates. However, they will need special software and/or hardware on their computers. . Those with low vision have the option of changing the color of the site to increase contrast and make the text easier to see. They also may use screen magnification software to enlarge the text and pictures on the screen. . Those who do not learn visually may access information and participate in the games & activities by listening. To do this, they need to have a screen reader installed on their computer that will read everything that appears on the screen, including text, menus, icons, and alt tags. All the games and activities are designed to be completely accessible. However, the objectives for children who participate by listening are somewhat different from those for children who access the site visually. Although they will not be learning to recognize simulated braille letters and numbers, they will benefit from practice using their screen readers as they select menu items, listen to information, and play the games. Children with screen readers may access the games that have simulated braille characters by listening to the alt tags that give the dot numbers for each one. In this way, a player who is blind can work on the same questions with a classmate or friend who is sighted. This arrangement can promote the development of social interaction skills for both children. Children who would like more practice using their screen readers may also select the " Jumble Puzzle " game that provides clues in regular print letters and words, rather than in simulated braille. . Those who read braille may access the screen by using a refreshable braille display or by downloading and printing out a hard copy of the file on a braille embosser. Directions for creating a hard copy of any part of this website are found in another submenu item under " Parents and Teachers " entitled " How to Download Braille Files ." The Home Page The Braille Bug, a ladybug with the six dots of the braille cell on her back, welcomes children to the website on the home page. There are four menu items for them to choose from, in addition to the "Parents and Teachers" item: Change the Colors of the Site : Children have the option to change the color of the text and background based on their personal preferences for comfortable viewing. What is Braille? Five submenu items provide children with information about the Braille Code, tools used to read and write braille, and the life of Louis Braille. It is recommended that children read "Braille: Deciphering the Code" before attempting any of the games or activities under the next main menu item. list of 5 items . Braille: Deciphering the Code -An introduction to Louis Braille's systematic arrangement of dots in the braille cell to form letters, punctuation marks, and numbers. In this section children also learn about braille contractions and short-form words. These are special symbols or spellings that reduce the amount of space needed for writing words in braille. . Trivia -Interesting facts about braille . Braille Technology -A description of low- and high-tech tools used to read and write braille. . Printable Braille Alphabet -A copy of the braille alphabet that students can print out and use as a reference while playing the games, writing their own simulated braille messages, or decoding braille words and numbers they find in the environment. . Louis Braille -The story of Louis Braille's life told in a lively style. list end Games and Secret Messages: Children can explore a variety of interactive activities that challenge them to decode simulated braille letters, words, and numbers on the screen. All of the activities except the first one include a copy of the braille alphabet and numbers for reference. list of 7 items . See Your Name in Braille! -Type in any name or other word, and watch it appear on the screen in braille. . Trivia Mania -Decode braille words related to a specific category, such as "Insects." After a practice round, players earn points for correct answers. . Riddles -Read a riddle in print and decode the braille answer. . Braille Jumble -A more difficult version of Trivia Mania. The braille letters for each word in a specific category are scrambled. Players decode the letters, rearrange them, and type their response. After a practice round, points are awarded for each correct answer. . Jumble Puzzle -Games designed for use with a screen reader or refreshable braille display. . Countdown! -Decode the braille numbers, figure out the pattern (such as 2, 4, 6, 8), and type the next number in the sequence. After a practice level, players earn points for correct answers. . Secret Message -Send a coded message to a friend by clicking on the letters of the braille alphabet or typing in the text. When the message is sent via e-mail, the friend will receive instructions on how to see it in braille and decode the words. [EMAIL PROTECTED] list end Louis Braille : The story of Louis Braille's life, told in a lively style. Helen Keller Kids Museum Online : A fascinating timeline of Helen Keller's life and achievements. Includes photos, videos, letters, and more! We hope that the children who use this site will enjoy learning about braille and begin to understand its significance for people who are blind and visually impaired. During the coming year, the Braille Bug website will expand to include a Reading Club and Friends area. We welcome your comments and suggestions, which may be sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
