The Code That Changed the World

In 1818, a curious 9-year-old boy sat in school. His name was Louis Braille (LOO-ee brayl). 

The teacher pointed to words on a chalkboard. All the students read them aloud—except for Louis. That’s because he was blind and couldn’t see the words. 

Louis loved to learn and wanted to participate in class. Would there ever be a way for blind students to read?

In 1818, a 9-year-old boy sat in school. His name was Louis Braille (LOO-ee brayl). 

The teacher pointed to words on a chalkboard. All the students read them aloud. But Louis did not. That’s because he was blind. He couldn’t see the words. 

Louis loved to learn. He wanted to take part in class. Would there ever be a way for blind students to read?

Louis was born in 1809 in a town in France. He wasn’t born blind. When he was 3 years old, he had an accident in his father’s workshop. Young Louis was playing with a sharp tool. The tool slipped in his hand and jammed into his eye. 

The injury was really bad. There was little that doctors could do to help. Slowly, the boy’s vision in both eyes went dark. By the time Louis turned 5, he was blind. 

In the 1800s, many blind people weren’t given the opportunity to study or work. But Louis’s parents wanted him to keep learning. They thought about sending him to a special school for blind students. The school was far away in the city of Paris. If Louis were to attend, he would have to leave his town and family and go live at the school. 

Louis decided to go. He left home when he was just 10. He would miss his family, but this was his big chance to get an education.

Louis was born in 1809 in a town in France. He wasn’t born blind. When he was 3 years old, he had an accident in his father’s workshop. Young Louis was playing with a sharp tool. The tool slipped in his hand. It jammed into his eye. 

The injury was bad. There was little that doctors could do. Slowly, the boy lost his vision in both eyes. By the time Louis was 5, he was blind. 

Back then, many blind people weren’t given the chance to study or work. But Louis’s parents wanted him to keep learning. They thought about sending him to a special school. The school was for blind students. It was far away in the city of Paris. If Louis were to go, he would have to leave home. He’d have to live at the school. 

Louis wanted to go. He left home when he was 10. He would miss his family. But this was his big chance to get an education

Louis loved his new school. He excelled at his classes, winning prizes in history and math. And he learned to play the piano by listening to others play.

When Louis was about 12, a man came to the school. The man used to be in the French army. He had created a system of writing called “night writing.” It was a code of raised dots that you could feel with your fingertips. Different groups of dots matched different sounds. The man had invented night writing so soldiers could read notes in the dark. But he thought it could also help blind students read. 

Reading night writing, however, took a long time. It was challenging to match sounds with letters. Plus, there were no dots for punctuation or numbers. 

But Louis was inspired. He thought he could invent something better.

Louis loved his new school. He did very well in class. He won prizes in history and math. And he learned to play the piano by listening to others play.

When Louis was about 12, a man came to the school. The man used to be in the French army. He had invented a system of writing. It was called “night writing.” It was a code of raised dots. You could feel the dots with your fingertips. Different groups of dots matched different sounds. The man had invented night writing so soldiers could read notes in the dark. But he thought it could also help blind students read. 

Reading night writing took a long time. It was hard to match sounds with letters. Plus, there were no dots for punctuation or numbers. 

But Louis was inspired. He thought he could invent something better.

Louis started working on a new code. He also used raised dots that you could feel with your fingertips. But in Louis’s code, the dots stood for letters, not sounds. His code also included dots for punctuation and numbers. 

Louis worked on his code for nearly three years—in the evenings, on weekends, and on summer vacations with his family. He was determined to succeed.

By the time he turned 15, Louis had done it! He had invented a new kind of writing for the blind. Louis shared it with the other blind students at the school. They tried it out . . . and loved it! With Louis’s system, they could read much faster than before. They could also write much more easily.

Still, it took a while for Louis’s code to become famous. In the meantime, Louis kept studying, learning, and inventing. He devised special music symbols so blind musicians could read and write music. And he kept improving his code and sharing it with others. Eventually, the code was given a name: braille.

Louis started working on a new code. He also used raised dots that you could feel with your fingertips. But in Louis’s code, the dots stood for letters, not sounds. His code also had dots for punctuation and numbers. 

Louis worked on his code for nearly three years. He worked on it in the evenings, on weekends, and during vacations. He was determined to succeed.

By the time he was 15, Louis had done it! He had invented a new kind of writing for the blind. Louis shared it with other blind students at the school. They tried it. They loved it! With Louis’s system, they could read faster. They could write more easily.

Still, it took a while for Louis’s code to become famous. In the meantime, Louis kept studying, learning, and inventing. He devised special music symbols so blind musicians could read and write music. And he kept making his code better. He kept sharing it. Eventually, the code was given a name: braille.

Louis died at the age of 43 in 1852. Two years later, the government of France chose braille as the official system for blind people to read and write in the country. The United States followed in 1932.

Today Louis is considered one of the world’s greatest inventors. And his invention, braille, is everywhere. You can find it on elevators and signs. Hundreds of children’s books are available in braille. The code is used in more than 133 languages. 

In France, Louis’s childhood home is now a museum. There, a sign highlights Louis’s amazing accomplishment: “He opened the doors of knowledge to all those who cannot see.”

Louis died at the age of 43 in 1852. Two years later, the government of France chose braille as the official system for blind people to read and write in the country. In 1932, the United States did the same.

Today Louis is thought to be one of the world’s greatest inventors. And his invention, braille, is everywhere. You can find it on elevators and signs. Hundreds of children’s books are in braille. The code is used in more than 133 languages. 

In France, Louis’s childhood home is now a museum. There is a sign there about him. It says, “He opened the doors of knowledge to all those who cannot see.”