Braille and Sign Language Lesson

Ms. DiBella

The Definition of Braille

A form of written language for the blind, in which the characters are represented by patterns of raised dots that are felt with the finger tips.

Places where braille is found

History of Braille
The inventor of braille is Louis Braille (1809-1852), a French teacher of the blind in 1821. Louis Braille was born in 1809, in a small village near Paris. His father made harnesses and other leather goods to sell to the other villagers. Louis' father often used sharp tools to cut and punch holes in the leather. One of the tools he used to makes holes was a sharp awl. An awl is a tool that looks like a short pointed stick, with a round, wooden handle. While playing with one of his father's awls, Louis' hand slipped and he accidentally poked one of his eyes. At first the injury didn't seem serious, but then the wound became infected. A few days later young Louis lost sight in both his eyes. Louis Braille was very intelligent and creative; he wanted to know how to read better. One day he got a hold of an army code, he could read it better then reading the gigantic books with large font. Louis Braille felt the raised dashes in the army code were annoying, so he knew he could find a solution. In his fathers shop he took the awl which caused his blindness and made a raised dot alphabet, made up of six dots. The dots were arranged in different orders and patterns to represent the different letters of the alphabet.

The Definition of Sign Language

A system of communication using visual gestures and signs. http://youtu.be/IsSdmeZ5A28

History of Sign Language

Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was an American pioneer in the education of the deaf. When he met his neighbors daughter, Alice Cogswell, a deaf nine-year old he was compelled to help her learn. He traveled to Great Britian and met Abbe Sicard, who was head of the school for the deaf. Sicard and his fellow deaf teachers, Laurent Clerc and John Massieu helped Gallaudet understand manual communication and learn sign language properly. Clerc went with Gallaudet back to America, and they opened up the American School for the Deaf. Alice became one of the first students to attend the school.