Institute of the Young Blind
The secularisation of blind individuals emerged as a significant aspect of the broader Enlightenment movement, which witnessed substantial transformations in philosophy, science, and societal attitudes. One of the key characters of the secularisation of blind individuals and the development of the braille code is the French educator Valentin Hauy. In 1785, Hauy opened in Paris the first institute for young blind people. It is the first time in history and not only in France that someone opened an institute dedicated specifically to the education of blind individuals. During the initial half of the 18th century, the flourishing charity schools movement, which aimed to provide education to underprivileged children, did not extend its services to children with disabilities. While children from affluent backgrounds had access to private tutoring or mainstream schools, those from impoverished families who were disabled were deprived of educational opportunities. Furthermore, the lack of understanding and resources for accommodating disabilities meant that many educators and philanthropists simply did not know how to provide education for children with disabilities.
Valentin Haüy, born in Saint-Just-en-Chaussée in 1745 and passing away at the age of 73 in 1822, predating Braille’s publication of his inaugural book by a few years, exhibited a profound interest in the education system he would later establish, evident through his study of various languages such as Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and others. His linguistic aptitude foreshadowed his future endeavours. Haüy embarked on a career as a translator, entrusted with the translation of official documents, notarial deeds, and private commercial papers. In 1771, during a leisurely stroll through the streets of Paris, Haüy chanced upon a performance by young blind individuals at the Saint-Ovides fair. Witnessing the distressing ridicule endured by his visually impaired acquaintances, the translator was deeply moved by a sense of compassion.
Fourteen years after he witnessed a concert organised by the Hôpital des Quinze Vingts, the philanthropist Valentin Haüy decided to open the Institute for the young blind. He wished to open a school in which every young blind person could enter to pursue an education, whether this person was rich or poor, male or female. His sensitivity to blindness changed, and he felt pity that an institution could ridicule these people, whom he saw as helpless children. Witnessing the failure of society and medicine to take spiritual and physical charge of the blind, Valentin Hauy could not let this misery go on. Hauy believed that blind individuals could succeed if they were given the same chance as anyone else to learn. For him, education was the key toward freedom. He wished to help them gain their independence by giving them knowledge, a place where they can live, eat, learn a profession without caring.
He experimented with different materials and techniques, and eventually settled on embossed letters and raised lines as the most effective means of communication for the blind. His idea for an embossed letter came to him through one of his encounters. Hauy’s encounter with Maria Von Theresia (1759 – 1824) a young blind woman who had been educated by her father, a professor of mathematics. Maria was able to read and write in several languages, and had a deep understanding of music and literature. Hauy was impressed by her intelligence and ability to learn, and realised that blind individuals were capable of much more than he had previously thought. Maria Von Theresia used to learn with the help of a hand-guide. His encounter with this bright mind, led him to focus his research on developing methods to help the blind reach their full potential. This method of embossed letters invented by Valentin Hauy was far more superior than the previous methods. Blind people used to write with the help of “hand-guides”
© Picture taken with the authorization of the Institute for Young Blind. Paris, 2023.
For further reading
Haüy, Valentin. (1786) Essai sur l’éducation des aveugles, ou Exposé de différens moyens… pour les mettre en état de lire, à l’aide du tact, d’imprimer des livres dans lesquels ils puissent prendre des connaissances de langues, d’histoire, de géographie, de musique. Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Philosophie, histoire, sciences de l’homme. Paris: Clousier.
Henri, Pierre. (1992) La vie et l’oeuvre de Valentin Haüy. Puf. Paris.
Musée Valentin Haüy