If you were unfortunate enough to be blind, one of the greatest losses you would feel would be not being able to read. Just think how important the ability to read books is to you. Well, people realized this a long time ago and tried to find methods for enabling blind people to read.

For example, as far back as 1517 there was a system of engraving letters on blocks of wood so blind people could make them out with their fingers. A person’s fingertips are very sensitive and a blind person can “read” with his fingers. A great many other systems were worked out over the years, using raised lines for the letters. But they all presented one big problem: while blind people could learn to read in this way, they couldn’t easily write this way because they couldn’t see how to form the letters.