November 13 is International Day of the Blind. Events on International Day of the Blind

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Not only joyful dates are celebrated by the world community. There are also such as November 13 - International Day of the Blind. It was at this time in 1745 that Valentin Gayuy 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 Braille was created.

Valentin Gayuy - the world's first typhlopedagogue

The science of education and training of persons with visual impairments received its first impetus in the second half of the 18th century. And she received it from Valentin Hayuy, a French teacher, philanthropist and inventor, who was one of the first typhlopedagogues 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 received his higher education in the capital and worked as a translator at the Foreign Ministry. Gajui read several oriental languages, spoke Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

In 1974, he takes the first step towards what later the date of his birth will be known to many: November 13 - International Day of the Blind. Being already an accomplished teacher and professional, he opens a school for blind children, and he does it at his own expense, without the help of the state or other sponsors.

The first students there were homeless children, to teach whom Guyuy used his own method and the font he developed - “uncial”.

He invented and "introduced" a printing device, created a printing house at his school and published books in it. All this was accompanied by considerable financial difficulties. The situation improved somewhat only after the king found out about him - he finally received sponsorship.

Hauy's work is not limited to the creation of a school - his work is much more important: he played a significant role as one of the first typhlopedagogues who recognized the importance of education for the blind, made it possible to study, work, set an example for many, many people in France and around the world.

For his merits, in order to preserve the memory of this outstanding person, WHO established November 13 as the International Day of the Blind.

The situation in Tsarist Russia

Valentin Gayuy's work was noticed not only in France. In 1803, Emperor of Russia Alexander I invited the teacher to Russia, and already in 1806 he arrived in St. Petersburg in order to create an educational institution for the blind orpeople with partial vision loss.

However, this task turned out to be much more difficult than it seemed at first glance. Even in France, blind people who did not belong to aristocrats or we althy families had little to do - most often their lot was begging.

In Russia, the situation was even worse. The Ministry of Education told Gajuy that "there are no blind children in Russia," and he again looked for his first students himself. The state, 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 willing to teach and learn even in such difficult conditions. By the summer of 1808, the students of the school were well versed in writing, reading, geography, other sciences and crafts.

Persistently pursuing his goals, Guyuy was step by step closer to recognizing blind people as useful to society. Of course, he did not know that his works would be so appreciated by descendants that someday it would be celebrated on his birthday - November 13 - International Day of the Blind. Pictures of successful students convinced the inspectors who conducted the audit in the same 1808. The work of the French teacher continued.

Current situation

In 1984, WHO officially namedDate: November 13 - International Day of the Blind. Quite a lot of time has passed since then - a more perfect Braille appeared, special schools for people with visual impairments became widespread. In 2001, we celebrated the 120th anniversary of the systematic education of the blind in Russia, which began with the school of K. K. Grotto.

A lot of work has been done, there were and are many talented professionals who provide not only 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 the problem 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 dark glasses, with a cane and a guide dog. This idea did not come out of nowhere. In memory of Valentin Gajuy, 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 a young Bristol photographer James Bigs. He found that neither passers-by nor drivers reacted to his black cane (at the time when such an accessory was widely used), and repainted it inWhite color. The experience was successful.

Attribute promotion and technological progress

The next stage in the popularization of this thing came in 1930-1931. French aristocrat and philanthropist Gwilly J'Herbemont, together with the prefect of the Parisian police, considered a white cane a good idea to make it easier for blind people to move around the city.

In addition, the thing served as a "signal" to others that this particular person is blind. A large number of walking sticks 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 charitable organization purchased and donated white canes to many blind British people.

These events played an important role. Now October 15 (White Cane Day) is also celebrated, 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 analogues, although they play the role of "signaling" and a symbol, are already much more perfect. There are samples “stuffed” with electronics that inform the owner about obstacles with the help of sound and other signals, helping to choose a route and avoid dangerous areas. In terms of 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 train helper animals can be called the German schools created during the First World War. Their goal was to train guide dogsto help combat veterans. In the US, such schools have been known since 1929, in the UK - since 1931. However, animals have been used for this purpose since time immemorial.

Most often, Rottweilers, Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Giant Schnauzers are trained as 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.

International Day of the Blind Activities

To celebrate November 13th, International Day of the Blind, the script doesn't have to be complicated. Here's how these events took place in 2014:

• in the Chelyabinsk regional special library for the visually impaired, a blitz survey was held;
• "Sports-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 class hour was held in many schools of the Republic of Tatarstan, in the Volgograd region and in other regions of the country. Similar events take place around the world on this day.