BLESSING IN DISGUISE

Differently Abled

LOUIS Braille (1809–1852) was born in France as a ‘normal’ boy. He is famously known as the inventor of Braille, a system of reading and writing used by persons who are visually impaired. At the age of three, while busy toying with the tools at his father’s workshop, Louis met with an accident when a tool struck him in one eye. He was attended by a local physician, but the treatment did not help and the wound developed an infection, which gradually spread to the other eye. By the age of five, Louis Braille became completely blind in both eyes.

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There is no end to opportunities in the world of nature.

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After losing his vision, Louis Braille used to recognise things by touching them with his hands. During this experience, he discovered the power of touch, which is inherent in the finger-tip. He was able to identify things by touching them with his finger-tips and recognising them. This triggered his mind and he started thinking and experimenting tirelessly till he invented what is called the Braille System. Braille is a tactile system in which the user can read by touching the embossed representation with a finger-tip.

Braille is now an internationally recognised system. It is a unique blessing for visually impaired persons. It gives them a new hope, enabling them to read books. There are millions of blind people who acquired a new hope from this system that was developed by a person who himself was totally blind.

This incident tells us a great fact about nature — that nature has endless opportunities. There is no end to opportunities in the world of nature! Previously, such persons were referred to as ‘disabled.’ It was believed that they had become impaired for the rest of their lives. But recent research has disclosed that 'disabled' persons are actually ‘differentlyabled’! What can be better than this message from the Creator!