International Day of the Blind

In Paris, in 1784, without the help of the government and non-governmental charitable societies, the world-famous teacher Valentin Hauy opened the world's first school for blind children in his own home, exclusively at his own expense and in his own house. The first student in the workshop was a boy, Francois de Lezuier, selected on the church porch. Then, another eleven homeless peers Francois entered the school. Prior to this event, the world did not yet know educational institutions for the blind. Gayui used his method of teaching the blind by means of a font he invented for the blind - “unzial”.

Despite great financial difficulties, Gayui managed to create a printing house at school and published in it several books for the blind printed in "uncial" in a relief-linear font. These were the first books on earth for the blind. Blind people learned from these books until the advent of the six-dot Braille .

The activities of Valentin Gayui were seen at the court of the Russian Empire . In 1803, Russian Emperor Alexander I sent Valentine a proposal to create an educational institution for people with complete or partial loss of vision in the then capital of Russia, St. Petersburg , which the teacher accepted and arrived in St. Petersburg in September 1806 . V. Gayui found enthusiastic teachers, and when the school was ready to open, an answer came from the office of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Empire: "There are no blind children in Russia . " Then Valentine began to search for students himself, which was actually not difficult - most of the time he met in an almshouse near Smolny . Valentin Gayui was ready not only to teach blind students, but also to feed the children at his own expense. Four years after the invitation of Alexander I, in 1807 , the emperor approved the staff, charter and budget of the St. Petersburg Institute of the Blind Workers. This date is now considered the founding date of the first educational institution for blind children in Russia . The approved staff envisaged only 15 teachers, the meager budget left living conditions and classes at the institute to be desired, and only the students' great desire to master literacy and crafts helped to overcome all difficulties. In the summer of 1808, officials checked the institute, koya noted: "blind pupils are trained in reading, writing, geography, history, languages, music, printing, singing and various crafts - weaving baskets and chairs, knitting nets, embroidering, and typesetting . "

In Russia, Gayui publishes the book , A Brief Summary, Serving as the Prospectus of the Second Edition of the Experience in the Education of the Blind . This brief essay, as it were, summarizes the results of his work in the field of the education of the blind. At the age of 72, Valentine left Russia, but before that, “For zealous zeal,” the emperor awarded him the Order of St. Vladimir , 4th class ^[2] .

The World Health Organization , wishing to perpetuate the memory of Valentin Gayui, decided to celebrate the "International Day of the Blind" on his birthday - November 13 ^[3] .

• All-Russian Society of the Blind

• International Day of the White Cane (October 15)
• Valentin Gayui