Watch: Magic Grandad - Famous People (Louis Braille) 1994

[Music] mr. Ahn she Pat's splined she can't say so she has a guide dog to help her he's called punch punches ever so clever he helped son's pets cross the road and if there's things in the way on the pavements he helps her get around them magic granddad said we could all have our Tina Pete's and restaurants Dobson's loves in restaurants unless their Guide Dogs come along day sit up a new place there's a good chair excuse me could we have the Braille menu what are you going to have Kimberly I'm going to have a full citizens Pizza and eliminate here you are oh thank you very much thank you we'll see you guys have on spats hang on a minute I haven't had time to read this menu yet why Oh easily thing what Cyril oh and tomatoes silence how she know that she's reading the menu on Japan yeah how can you read she can't say why don't you ask her out a very love I read with my fingers like touch the words touch the words there aren't any words I can't see any yes there are why don't you have a try give me a finger see this he looks a little bum just niche group of little bumps makes a letter and those little bumps are a special language for blind people and they were invented by a blind person a young French boy called Louis Braille did he live a long time ago granddad's yes Kimberly he did ah no he can't they're gonna have hot tea now does everyone they're going to have ha ha that's evening prevents bed whenever it was from a book about Louie Braille it all started in a very sad way because Louie wasn't born blind he became blind as a result of a very nasty accident when he was 3 years old all because he didn't do as he was told sounds like you Gary gonna come now do you want to hear the story or not he's going about Louie Braille granddad's well he lived in a little village in France where his father made saddles and bridles for all the horses in the village and Louie him used to come into his workshop and watch now the workshop was full of knives and special tools for making holes in leather and because they were very sharp Luis father had told him Eva's never ever touched them but one day and his father wasn't looking he picked up a very sharp tool called an own and tried to poke it through the leather just like his father did but they all slipped and went straight into his I did it blade they did but worse than that he went blind Oh God would you go back in time we wouldn't go back and meet him at this point in the story no no you see Louis Braille wasn't famous because he had an accident and went blind it was because he did something very very clever that has helped blind people all over the world ever since and he did it when he was just 15 years old when he was at a special school for blind children in Paris come back he's here men well we can try don't you worry trust me okay the only trouble is I'm not sure that mad magic is strong enough you see Louie Bray lived in France and I've never been abroad before if you lived in France want to speak French yes that's the difficulty it means I have to do a bit of extra magic but first we need a French song Tommy Tommy son la mattina son la mattina the only trouble is if we go into the past talking French they might think we understand French when we get there so what should we do what about some English words we can't make up was for so just like that you can if you're a magic granddad so close your eyes and cross your fingers [Music] English voice I must go and meet our visitors Gabriella can I leave you in charge of the class for my return yes sir that was brilliant grandad I don't know which of these legs is Louie breakable hello are you looking for me we're looking for Louie Braille oh that's me you've come to see how a blind boys live I believe yes you're very welcome please ask anything you want why are you holding onto it like that that's because we've been outside the school for a walk in the park but why do you have to hold on to a rope why don't you have glad dogs guide dogs don't know what you mean Gary nobody thought of training dogs to lead blind people in those days we hold on to a rope so that we don't get lost or separated from one another but come on in you must meet my friends [Music] Oh oops crime tax yes that's the way the blind used to have to read by the way himself learned what a huge book it's very heavy too and it takes ages to rate because you have to go right round the letter before you even know what it is do you want to have a go all right you have to close your eyes good if they're very well done but it is difficult I'll tell you why that is that's because letters were invented for eyes not fingers come over here and see what Louie has worked out touch the menu what gave you the idea of using don'ts Louie well it was when a soldier came to be were talk to us he had worked hard to code using raised dots so that soldiers could read messages in the dark without lighting a candle but his code was only good for saying simple things and there were too many dots Louie's alpha but is much simpler and there are never more than six stops for each letter here they come here they it's dr. Pina you had with the school into school governors so governors are the people who decide how the school is going to be run so you see we've come on a very important day because if the governor's likely his dots they can tell all the teachers that from now on all the flan children can learn to read and write with them boys [Music] you may sit that's dr. Bini a he's a very kind man the head unison if you can't say him I can recognize him by his voice gentlemen the boy I told you about Louie Brown and this is the new alphabet he has invented for the blind you see how neat and small the groups of dots are tell them why Louie it's so that each letter can be read with one touch of a finger tip one of the most useful things about Braille system that it makes it easy for the blind to write as well as read Louie's show the governor's your planchette and where did you get this dr. Penney a kindly allowed Gabrielle and me to make it in the workshop I see if you would like to dictate something to me sir Gabrielle will go out of the room while I write it down as you wish after you go Gabrielle now sir Louie is ready he will write down anything you want thanks to the governor's when movie started writing embroil it's funny he seems to be writing the wrong way around he start on the right begging on the streets that's what do I think it will eat until Gabrielle come in now when we saw while he was writing the wrong way round he was making the bumps on the other side of the paper and this spells out what I just said yes sir you saw how quickly he wrote it no Gabrielle would you read what is written on the paper thanks to the governors of this school many blind children are saved from a life of begging on the streets no blind person can read as fast as that he must have been listening outside the door well sir very interesting but now we must be getting along thank you young man good afternoon boys you gonna dump your system now Louie you'll see but if we were to change to his method it would mean new books well of course yes but not your ducts but we can't just scrap the ones we already have think what they cost and another thing it would mean the boys could write notes to each other which their teachers couldn't read I think their teachers will have to learn to read and write with this new alphabet sir learn to read a new alphabet in order to teach the blind ridiculous they'd never agree no no no no we'll keep things as they are he's much too young to know what's best so much it was wearing off so we said goodbye to Louie went back home how fast our Chipettes Handy's movie pants her books written in Braille so that must mean they did start using his alphabet in spite of that horrible man yes they did but not for many years not till after Louie was dead so you never knew no that's sad we should have told him [Music] we Blair lined at three blind at three world out and the way for the blind to read from small red dots small raised dogs [Music]

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Views: 10,219

Rating: 4.5862069 out of 5

Keywords: BBC, EDUCATION, GEOFFREY BAYLDON

Id: k-XExzKWic0

Length: 13min 41sec (821 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 04 2018