Louis Braille

inventor · accessibility · education · French history

Lost his sight young. Louis Braille went blind by age three after an accident with a leather-working tool in his father's workshop. Instead of giving up, he became determined to find a better way for blind people to communicate.

Created the dot system. In his teens, Braille developed a method using six raised dots arranged in different patterns to represent letters and numbers. Each pattern could be recognized instantly by touching it with a fingertip.

Changed the whole world. Braille's system was so effective that it spread from France to countries everywhere, and it's still used today almost exactly as he created it more than 180 years ago.

Opened new possibilities. Before braille, blind people had very few ways to read and write on their own. Braille's invention meant blind children could finally go to school and learn just like everyone else.

Taught others too. Braille worked as a teacher at a school for blind students in Paris and spent his life helping young people discover what they could accomplish with his system.