Didymus the Blind (ca. 313-ca. 398)
Some non-sighted people, like Didymus of Alexandria (ca. 313-ca. 398), a church father who learned to read with the help of wooden letters, were forced to invent their own system in order to join the sighted world. Didymus lost his vision when he was four years old, but he proceeded through becoming one of the most highly educated individuals of his time. He acquired an extensive knowledge of grammar, rhetoric, logic, music, mathematics, and geometry, as well as an impeccable
command of the Bible. His condemnation for his religious and political belief caused the loss of most of his scriptures. The only traces we have of him is through the quote made by other scholars of his written work. Didymus excelled in scholarship despite his blindness due to his
excellent recall. He experimented with carved wooden letters to assist blind people read. But for many, even if money was not a factor in their difficulty in getting an education. The lack of resources and disability-specific instructional techniques prevented them from doing so.