Respected Sir, Thanks for such a good article, Can you please tell me the website? Is it afb.net or is it the website of RNIB? Please let me know if I am rong it is my guess only. Because I want to keep this site in my best sites's folder because you coppied good things from this website and I will be glad to see the updates. With Best Regards,
On 1/3/08, raju <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 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 > -- AMAR JAIN. MOBILE:+91 99298 79006. EMAILS:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [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
