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About Blindness > Famous Blind People

	Louis Braille Educator, inventor of the Braille alphabet. Born January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, France. Braille was the fourth child born to Monique (née Baron), and Simon René Braille, a shoemaker. At the age of three, Braille accidentally poked his eye with an awl-a sharp tool used for leather crafting-after playing in his father's workshop. Though he damaged only one eye, an infection from the injury quickly spread to the other eye, leaving him completely blind.
	Ray Charles Ray Charles was famous throughout the world as a singer and songwriter. He was born in 1930 in Albany, Georgia. He was not born blind, but developed a disease that took his sight at the age of 5. He and his family moved to St. Augustine, Florida where he attended the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. Mr. Charles was the winner of 12 Grammy Awards and it is his version of "Georgia on my Mind" that has been Georgia's official state song since 1979. www.raycharles.com
	Thomas Pryor Gore U.S. Senator; born in Walthall, Miss. Despite his near blindness (he was known as the "Blind Orator") he practiced law. Settling in Oklahoma Territory (1901), he became the most influential politician there, and after leading the territory to statehood, he became one of its first two U.S. senators (Dem., 1907--21). A populist in domestic matters, he opposed U.S. entry into World War I and the League of Nations. He lost the Democratic primary in 1920, but was reelected in 1930. In his final term (1931--37), he opposed much of the New Deal except for legislation supporting farmers.
	Helen Keller American lecturer and writer Helen Keller overcame severe physical disabilities, inspiring many other people to similar accomplishments. Deaf and blind from the age of 19 months, Keller learned to communicate with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller to read Braille and to "listen" by feeling a speaker's face. Keller graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904 and authored a number of books about her experiences. Read More.
	Claude Monet Painter. Born November 14, 1840 in Paris, France. Claude Monet was a seminal figure in the evolution of impressionism, a pivotal style in the development of modern art. In 1845 his family moved to Le Havre, and by the time he was 15, Monet had developed a local reputation as a caricaturist. Through an exhibition of his caricatures in 1858, Monet met Eugène Boudin, a landscape painter who exerted a profound influence on the young artist. Boudin introduced him to outdoor painting, an activity that he entered reluctantly but which soon became the basis for his life's work.
	William Moon Inventor, born in Kent, SE England, UK. Partially blind from the age of four, he became totally blind in 1840 and began to teach blind children. Dissatisfied with existing systems of embossed type, he invented (in 1845) a system based on Roman capitals (Moon type), and later a stereotype plate for use with his type. Although requiring more space, his type is easier to learn than Braille for those who have become blind late in life, and is still widely used.
	Ronnie Milsap Country singer. Born January 16, 1944, in the Appalachian town of Robbinsville, North Carolina. Blind since birth, Milsap spent his early childhood in an impoverished farming community. With financial support from his grandparents, he attended the Morehead State School for the Blind in Raleigh, where he was schooled in classical music and learned to play the piano, violin, and guitar.
	John Milton, Author/Poet The English poet and controversialist John Milton (1608-1674) was a champion of liberty and of love-centered marriage. He is chiefly famous for his epic poem "Paradise Lost" and for his defense of uncensored publication. The lifetime of John Milton spanned an age of sophistication, controversy, dynamism, and revolution. When he was born, England was illuminated by the versatile genius of Francis Bacon, William Shakespeare, William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, and Inigo Jones.
	Marla Runyan, Olympic Runner One of the women representing the United States in the 1500 meter track event at the 2000 Olympics was Marla Runyan. The American runner finished seventh in her preliminary heat and rose to sixth in the semifinals to qualify for the finals. During the final race, Marla lost track of the major competitors. She finished in eighth position, 3.20 seconds behind the gold medal winner. In 1996, Marla set several track and field records at the Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Following that success, Marla wanted to compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney -- even though she is legally blind. The 31-year-old runner has been diagnosed with Stargardt disease. This is a condition that leaves her with a limited ability to see what is in front of her. In Sydney, Marla became the first legally blind athlete to compete in an Olympics.
	Annie Sullivan, Teacher of Helen Keller Teacher of Helen Keller; born in Feeding Hills, Mass. Nearly blind from a childhood fever, she was educated at the Perkins Institution in Waltham, Mass. She returned there in 1887 to teach the newly-admitted seven-year-old Helen Keller and broke through Helen's isolation by spelling out words on her hand (a story made famous by The Miracle Worker, 1957). For the rest of her life Sullivan remained Keller's companion while establishing her own reputation as an author, lecturer, and advocate for the deaf.
	Erik Weihenmayer World class athlete: acrobatic skydiver, long distance biker, and marathon runner, skier, mountaineer, ice climber, rock climber. He is also a prolific speaker and author of Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See. Read More.
	Stevie Wonder Singer and musician. Born Steveland Morris, on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. He was given too much oxygen in an incubator shortly after his birth and permanently lost his ability to see. The disability did not prevent Morris from developing his musical ability. He learned to play piano at age seven, and then went on to master the drums and harmonica by age nine. Read More.