4 Things about Braille you probably don't know

4 Things about Braille you probably don’t know. Image credit: AdobeStock

4 Things about Braille you probably don’t know

(Partner Content) Louise Braille, a French educator, and inventor invented the language of braille and presented it to his peers in 1829 as a means of communication amongst the blind community. Since then, braille has become the universally understood language for the visually impaired.

4 Things about Braille you probably don't know

4 Things about Braille you probably don’t know. Image credit: AdobeStock

For those who may be wondering where the idea was born, Louise Braille, inspired by the German cryptographer, Charles Barbier successfully developed a reading and writing system that is still used by the blind to communicate effectively on paper today. Braille was blinded at the age of three in one eye because of an accident with his father’s stitching awl. An infection would later set in, resulting in the blindness of both eyes. 

With that fascinating fact in mind, here are four more things about braille that you probably don’t know. 

4 Things About Braille You Probably Don’t Know 

1. World Braille Day was created to celebrate the inventor of braille, Louise Braille, born in France on January 04, 1809. 

2. As unbelievable as it sounds, braille is technically a tactile code that can be translated into many languages and not just a language of its own. For instance, there are braille versions of Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, and many others. 

3. In case you’re wondering, there is a version of braille that specialises in numbers. The Nemeth Code is a special version of braille that deals with mathematics. The Nemeth Code, invented by Dr. Abraham Nemeth, can be used to translate math, calculus, and algebra for the visually impaired. 

4. The braille we know today initially started off as a French soldier military code called “night writing.” This military code was used among the French soldiers to communicate at night without having to speak. A fifteen-year-old French schoolboy named Louise Braille studied the code and later developed the version we know today. 

Is it just us, or did you find the third number on the list mind-blowing as we did? 
As the holiday season approaches, be sure to be mindful of the visually impaired by looking after your eyes. Schedule an appointment and have those long overdue eye tests that will not only improve vision but enhance your way of life!