See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Helen Keller Story.
Life Lesson #47 – Take Charge of Your Life.
Louis Braille was born in France in 1809, and while he was still very young, he began going to work with his father who made saddles for horses.
One day when Louis was only three years old, he was trying to punch holes in a piece of leather just like his father did. What happened next would change Louis’ life forever, because the sharp tool he was using slipped and went right into his eye. Soon, his eye became infected, and it wasn’t long until that infection spread to his other eye, too, and he became totally blind.
Later, Louis went to a special school for blind people, where he worked very hard and made excellent grades. He also learned how to play the piano and the organ. He was sad, though, that he could not see, and he was especially upset that he could not read. But that did not stop him! He was determined to do something about it! While he was still a young man, Louis Braille invented a way for blind people to read — with their fingers! Each letter in the alphabet and each number was represented by a pattern of raised dots that people could feel. That type of writing became known as Braille, named after young Louis.
Today, many books are written in Braille. You can also find Braille in places like elevators where there are patterns of little bumps by the buttons and by the floor numbers.
Yes, young Louis Braille, was determined to make things better for himself and for other people who could not see. And for that, he became a HERO!
– Jim Lord