Not only joyful dates are celebrated by the international community. There are also such as November 13 - International Day of the Blind. It was at this time in 1745 that Valentin Gayui was born, the founder of one of the first schools for the blind in history, a teacher and volunteer who came up with a method of teaching reading long before the Braille font was created.
Valentin Gayui - the first typhlopedologist in the world
The science of the education and training of people with visual impairments received the first impetus in the second half of the 18th century. And she received it from Valentin Gayui - a French teacher, philanthropist and inventor, who was one of the first tiflopedagogues and published the world's first books for the blind.
This man was born in 1745 near the city of Amiens, in the family of a poor French weaver. He graduated in the capital and worked as a translator in the Foreign Ministry. Gayui read in several oriental languages, owned Latin, Greek, Hebrew.
In 1974, he takes the first step towards why later his date of birth will be known to many: November 13 is International Day of the Blind. Being already an accomplished teacher and professional, he opens a school for blind children, and does this at his own expense, without the help of the state or other sponsors.
The first students there were street children, for the training of which Gayui used his own method and the font he developed - “unzial”.
He invented and “introduced” a printing device, created a printing house at his school and published books in it. All this was accompanied by hefty financial difficulties. The situation improved somewhat only after the king found out about him - he finally received sponsorship.
The work done by Gayui is not limited to the creation of the school - his work is much more important: he played a significant role as one of the first tiflopedagogues, recognized the importance of education for the blind, made it possible to study, work, set an example to many, many people in France and around the world.
For his services, in order to preserve the memory of this outstanding man, WHO has established November 13 to mark International Day of the Blind.
The situation in tsarist Russia
The work of Valentin Gayui was seen not only in France. In 1803, the Emperor of Russia Alexander I invited a teacher to Russia, and already in 1806 he arrived in St. Petersburg in order to create an educational institution for the blind or people with partial loss of vision.
However, this task turned out to be much more complicated than it seemed at first glance. Even in France, blind people who did not belong to aristocrats or wealthy families had little to do - most often their destiny was to beg.
In Russia, this situation was even worse. The Ministry of Education informed Gayui that “there are no blind children in Russia,” and he again searched for his first students. The staff, budget and charter of the school were approved by the emperor only a year after the arrival of the teacher, in 1807.
Nevertheless, there were people who were ready to learn and study even in such difficult conditions. By the summer of 1808, students of the school were well versed in writing, reading, geography, and other sciences and crafts.
Persistently pursuing its goals, Gayui step by step approached the recognition of blind people as useful to society. Of course, he did not know that his works would be so appreciated by his descendants that he would someday be celebrated on his birthday, November 13, the International Day of the Blind. Pictures of successful students convinced auditors who conducted an audit in the same 1808. The work of the French teacher continued.
Having worked in this field for more than 10 years, Valentin Gayui left Russia in 1817, having received the fourth-degree Order of Vladimir “For zealous zeal” from Emperor Alexander I upon retirement. After the founder’s departure, the school lost its importance as an educational institution.
Current situation
In 1984, WHO officially announced the date: November 13 - International Day of the Blind. Since then, a lot of time has passed - a more advanced Braille font has appeared, special schools for people with visual impairments have become widespread everywhere. In 2001, they celebrated the 120th anniversary of the systematic training of the blind in Russia, which began with the school of K.K. Mainsail.
A lot of work has been done, there have been many talented professionals who provide not only a general education, but also help to cope with psychological and social difficulties.
Recent developments in technology, such as the bionic eye, offer hope for the restoration of vision and the removal of blindness in general. At the same time, the creation and improvement of accessories and devices that help blind people to act and live in the modern world continues.
White cane
In the minds of people there is a collective image of a person with impaired vision - most often it is someone in darkened glasses, with a cane and a guide dog. This view did not arise from scratch. In memory of Valentin Gayui, we celebrate on November 13 the International Day of the Blind, whose symbol - a white cane - is so important that it has its “own” date.
The first time this thing appeared in 1921, and this event is associated with the name of the young Bristol photographer James Bigs. He found that neither passers-by nor drivers reacted to his black cane (that was the time when such an accessory was widespread), and repainted it in white. The experience was successful.
Attribute promotion and technological advances
The next stage in the popularization of this thing began in 1930-1931. French aristocrat and philanthropist Gwilly j'Herbemont, together with the prefect of the Paris police, considered the white cane a good idea in order to facilitate blind people moving around the city.
In addition, the thing served as a "signal" to others that this particular person is blind. A large number of canes were purchased and distributed, and a large-scale advertising campaign was organized. A year later, a similar thing happened in the UK - the Rotary Club charity acquired and presented white canes to many blind English.
These events played an important role. Now they are celebrating October 15 (Day of the white cane), just like November 13, International Day of the Blind. Photos of these attributes and “helpers” are a frequent element of illustrations for materials about blind people.
Modern analogs, although they play the role of “signaling” and symbol, are already much more perfect. There are samples "stuffed" with electronics, informing the owner with the help of sound and other signals about obstacles, helping to choose a route and bypass dangerous sections. In their functions, they are already approaching and are beginning to replace another symbol of blind people - guide dogs.
Man's friend on four legs
The first systematic attempt to prepare animal helpers can be called German schools created during the First World War. Their goal was to train guide dogs to help war veterans. In the USA such schools have been known since 1929, in the UK since 1931. However, animals have been used for a similar purpose since time immemorial.
Most often, Rottweilers, Labradors, Retriever, German Shepherd dogs, Giant Schnauzers are trained for the role of guide dogs, but almost any dog can be trained. In a number of countries, such assistants are allowed anywhere - in Russia, for example, they travel by public transport for free.
Events for the International Day of the Blind
To mark November 13, International Day of the Blind, the script does not have to be complicated. Here's how these events took place in 2014:
- in the Chelyabinsk regional special library for the visually impaired passed a blitz survey;
- "Sports and adaptive school" Laman Az "in the Chechen Republic in table tennis among B1 (totally blind);
- in Yekaterinburg, the public organization "White Cane" held a round table "Inclusion - Society - Creativity", an art exhibition, a rock concert.
Children also did not ignore November 13, International Day of the Blind. The classroom hour passed in many schools of the Republic of Tatarstan, in the Volgograd region and in other regions of the country. Similar events take place on this day around the world.