Braille : Chapter -6

Long ago, in France, a little boy named Louis Braille was playing outside his home. He was three years old. His father, a blacksmith, was working nearby. Louis started playing with the tools around him. Suddenly, a sharp tool pierced his eye. He cried out in pain. Within a few days, he became blind in one eye. The other eye also got affected, and he became totally blind.

In 1819, Louis, who was ten years old, got admission in the Royal Institute for Young Blind Persons in Paris. He learnt letters by using wood, cloth or pins arranged in pincushions. Around this time, an army man named Capt. Charles Barbier de la Serre had invented something called ‘Night Writing’. It was an alphabet of raised dots and dashes that soldiers could ‘read’ with their fingers in the dark. However, it was too difficult and, therefore, not a success. But Louis, now a teenager, became interested in it and simplified it. He gave the world the Braille alphabet.

Thus, a blind person taught the world to see.

Braille is a method of reading through touch. As you can see in the figure, there is one Braille symbol for each of the twenty-six symbols (letters) of the English alphabet.

But Braille requires more space. This is because the letters cannot be written too close together. Since Braille requires more space, a Braille book is thicker than a regular printed book.

Also read this: The Old Stag : Chapter -5

Let us Think

A. Answer the following.

1. Describe the Braille alphabet.
Ans. The Braille alphabet is a system of raised dots that can be read by touch. Each letter of the alphabet has a special pattern made up of these raised dots.

2. Why was ‘Night Writing’ not a success?
Ans. ‘Night Writing’ was not a success because it was too difficult to read and understand.

3. What did Louis Braille do to make reading easier for the blind?
Ans. Louis Braille simplified the system of raised dots from ‘Night Writing’ and created the Braille alphabet, which made reading easier for blind people.

B. Think and discuss.

1. You may have seen people with blindness walking with a white cane. Why is the cane always white-coloured?
Ans. The cane is white so that others can easily recognize that the person using it is blind and help them when needed.

2. Imagine that the world becomes dark for a day and there is no light. What difficulties might one face on such a day?
Ans. If the world becomes dark for a day, people might face difficulties in moving around, recognizing others, reading, writing, and doing daily work safely.

Let us Speak

Close your eyes. Pick an object. Keep the object back. Now complete the sentences and share them with the class.

1. The object in my hand was  round  in shape.

2. The object in my hand was  shorter ( longer/shorter) than my forefinger.