Braille, << brayl, >> Louis (1809-1852), was a blind Frenchman who invented the braille system of printing and writing for the blind. He was born on Jan. 4, 1809, near Paris. An accident at age 3 followed by a serious infection left him blind. He entered the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris (now the National Institute for the Young Blind) when he was 10. Braille was a good student, especially of science and music, and he became a church organist. He remained at the institute as a teacher. There he developed his system of reading. It utilizes raised dots on paper for letters. Braille died on Jan. 6, 1852. See Braille .
