The Man who taught us to Turn Challenges into Opportunities!?

Hi,?

How’s the year’s first mid-week blues treating you?

Don’t worry…we’re here to wipe off those blues and give you your weekly dose of motivation (or rather a soft push to do great!)

Great!

4th January…a seemingly normal date. What if we tell you that this date sowed the seeds for a very important development for mankind?

That’s right! This day marks the birth of Louis Braille (father of the Braille script for the blind). The man who us believe that visual impairment is NOT a disability, if clubbed with innovation, a creative mindset, and intellect.

Besides, a man who upheld the ‘Turning Challenges into Opportunities’ Greatness Principle of Classplus even before it was born, deserves a special mention here.

The Braille Script

We all know about this script that uses dots to denote letters and numbers. But Louis Braille wasn’t the first one to come up with it.

That’s true. In fact, he was inspired by the ‘Night Writings’ of Charles Barbier.

You see, Barbier came up with this system of tangible writing using dots to help soldiers carry out nighttime communications on the battlefield. If his writings are to be believed, Barbier hoped that this 12-dot configuration script would help in the education of people with visual and hearing impairment.

Braille took his legacy forward when he published his version of the script in the early 19th century. In fact, he made Barbier’s system simpler by making the Braille script a 6-dot ‘cell’ system.

This script has 63 different dot patterns/combinations a.k.a the characters. There are two vertical parallel lines of 3 dots each. Dots on the left line are numbered 1-2-3 (upwards to downwards) and 4-5-6 on the right.?

Basically, each character is made up of a unique combination made with these 6 dots.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities (The Braille Way)

In simple words, Louis Braille literally brought accessible formal education on people’s fingertips.?

He was the one who made people believe that visual and hearing impairments shall no more be a barrier to learning.

1932 was when the universal Braille code was adopted for the English-speaking world. But this script went on to make an impact in many other fields.

The Nemeth Code of Braille Mathematics and Scientific Notation (1965) is the Braille representation of the many special symbols used in advanced mathematical and technical material.?

Apart from this, Louis Braille also adopted his innovation into music. He learned the patterns and theory of music (including its notes and composition) and put them down in his script. So visually/hearing-impaired individuals with dreams to create and play music could do it just like their peers with sight.

Thanks to him, we got some super awesome legends of the business too like Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. (still vibing to Part Time Lover!)

Not just English or musical notation, there’s a Braille script for many of the more common languages of the world as well.

At Classplus, we’re always striving to Turn Challenges into Opportunities…but even before this Greatness Principle was born, there was a man who was making this idea into a reality.

So, let’s start off this year by remembering and getting inspired by the individual who made people believe. Believe in the fact that their visual/hearing impairments will no longer be an obstacle to their growth!

Classplus News ??

Remember the surprise we teased a couple of weeks ago?

Well…here it is! The 25th Honor Avenue of Classplus…a wall that captures our greatest hits over these 5 glorious years.